Early Contractor Involvement in Project Delivery — Drivers and Impediments

Owners and contractors have long encountered a deep disconnect at design hand-off, when the project structure proves to be unbuildable as set out in the plans. This gulf between the owner and the contractor is especially common in traditional project delivery methods. Indeed, contractors are constantly heard saying, I would have completed the job for half the price in less time if I had been able to provide earlier input into the design. Owners who have been able to involve contractors early attest to the added value accrued from their construction knowledge and experience and designers developing project plans in silos simply cannot replicate this invaluable contractor insight. Although the industry has long faced this issue, owners still have trouble getting contractor input earlier in the process, given existing legal and/or cultural constraints. However, some owners have successfully operated within these constraints to capture the added value of a contractor’s input in their designs. Early contractor input increases innovation, makes project plans more constructable, and expedites the entire process. This chapter examines the drivers of early contractor involvement in the light of the many factors impeding it. The authors review and describe the effective methods used by owners to allow contractor design input at various project stages (from planning to construction) and under different project delivery methods. These successful owners have used the standard Contractor’s Q&A method during bidding and the Value Engineering Services method as well as more innovative ones such as Alternative Technical Concepts (ATCs) and online input solicitation platforms. A case study also demonstrates one owner’s successful use of a method that solicits pre-bid contractor input during contract document development to enhance the project’s constructability.