The key to crafting an affordable budget and a reasonable schedule for a construction project or major renovation is collaboration. This is the primary idea fueling the skyrocketing popularity of pre-construction services.

Pre-construction services are enjoying this resurgence due to one other crucial component: cost estimation. Each part of the pre-construction team—which includes architects, superintendents, general contractors and owners—fully participates in pre-construction designing and decision-making. Members use their expertise to help clients evaluate a project’s time and monetary costs.

That's the job of Los Angeles-based general contractor Parker Brown. It’s all about streamlining the pre-building work and keeping the client in the loop.

Many of Parker Brown’s clients are businesses geared toward customer and patient care. In 2013, the firm provided pre-construction services for a tenant improvement project for the new UCLA Health Facility (above) in Thousand Oaks, CA, transforming a former office building into an ultramodern, sunlight-infused medical clinic.

Tailoring pre-construction services to each client depends largely on how well-versed clients are from the get-go. Many customers know what they want, but may not have a solid grasp of the costs or a realistic timeline. Others don't know what they want, and this can result in major change orders, delays and cost increases.

“You get the key people together and you can tell the client that this particular feature he wants is going to add 15% to the cost of the project and require an extra three weeks. If he still wants it, that’s fine, but at least you have informed the client,” says Parker Brown partner John Parker.

This management approach allows the team to quickly agree on a guaranteed maximum price and finalize a building or renovation schedule. From here, clients can form a clearer picture of the scope of the process.

Scope clarity is especially important for the project to advance in a linear fashion. A project moves more smoothly when the design is completed before bidding, and bidding completed before the start of construction.

Following this path avoids cost overruns, and the leveraging of multiple experts means parts of the project can begin while awaiting MEP engineering. Demolition and plumbing can begin even while bidding continues on other phases—such as ceilings or painting.

Parker Brown capitalizes on this streamlining. Tony Coffey, the firm’s project superintendent, brought in a major tenant improvement for the California Department of Motor Vehicles almost 45 days ahead of schedule and with hefty savings by utilizing the company’s pre-construction services.

Ricky Gelb of Gelb Enterprises, the owner and developer of the DMV project, says pre-construction with Parker Brown is the way to go. “They know what they are doing,” Ricky says. “They’re honest. They provide cost breakdowns. These guys make things right, and they don’t gouge you if there is a change.”

To learn more about Parker Brown and the benefits of enlisting pre-construction services, click here.