When you think of Traditional Construction delivery, what do you think of? It probably has to do with your relationship to the project. Owners, architects, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and end users all have a different relationship to a project. Most construction projects today are based on the simple formula, design, bid, build. A design is created, a general contractor is selected, they in turn sub out the trade packages, a final price is created, and if everything is aligned properly, construction begins. Contracts are in the form of a single fixed price, a unit price, a cost plus fee, or a combination of the three. It seems simple enough, why is it so hard?
Projects of the past were simply enough. The days of the master builder gave way to what we use today. There have been a few variations and advances in delivery theory, critical path scheduling being the greatest of these. Control the critical path and you control the job. Use your float time wisely and bring the project in on time and on budget. In my 20 years in the field and now as a project facilitator, it never seems to work according to the formula. The architect and the general contractors are not contractually obligated to each other and the subcontractors are independently managed under a different contract for each trade. This system is founded on a multitude of contracts all working toward their separate goals creating an environment of hostility and mistrust on a project. Controlling “project attitude” is the badge many superintendents wear proudly. They display their courage in stories of how they won this battle, made a deal on that front, or how they put out multiple fires day in and day out and brought the job in on time, at the expense of either budget or quality. That was a job well done. Because as they say,”you can have schedule, quality or price. Pick two, you can’t have all three.” So for years that has been the trade off. Did we mention this method only delivers the schedule about 40% of the time?
The quality of the projects that are being delivered is suffering, construction production has declined over the past 40 years, and cost are rising; the industry is in crisis. As projects become more complex we need a better delivery system. Owners, architects, engineers, construction professionals, trade workers, suppliers and end users all need to be part of the solution.
The answer is to break down the silos that exist between professions. Not only does it take a village to raise a child, it takes a village to build a building. Professionals need to work together, collaborate on the many difficult decisions that must be made on complex projects. Lean Construction delivery has developed new systems to bring projects in line with owner’s requirements giving everyone a stake in the outcome. No longer should it be a business model to sub optimize the bid, to get the work, knowing full well that the drawings are not constructible, and fight for the plentiful extras at the end. The GMP is only the starting price. Not to mention the contingencies built into every one of the 10 to 20 or even 30 to 40 different contracts on a large capital improvement project inflating the budget to compensate for the unknowns. In today’s market of tight budget and tighter schedules let’s move to a system of collaboration and constant improvement. Lean Construction is a better way to deliver projects faster and safer.
Dave Kimball is the Principal of Green Blaze Construction Solutions, Inc. and the Leader of The Lean Construction Institute- New England Community of Practice.
Traditional Construction Delivery by Dave Kimball
When you think of Traditional Construction delivery, what do you think of? It probably has to do with your relationship to the project. Owners, architects, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and end users all have a different relationship to a project. Most construction projects today are based on the simple formula, design, bid, build. A design is created, a general contractor is selected, they in turn sub out the trade packages, a final price is created, and if everything is aligned properly, construction begins.