Sustainable Facilities Management Practices

Sustainable Facilities Management Practices involve a clear set of objectives, methods, and processes aimed at maximizing performance of the built environment with respect to economic and environmental resources in concert with meeting organizational mission needs.

Linking Program Management and Project Management – A Proven Construction Productivity Solution

Linking Program Management and Project Management  and enhancing  this relationship aligns single projects to a robust programmatic approach to significantly improve overall outcomes for owners, architects, engineers, and builders.

Facilities Leaders NOT Facilities Managers

Attaining a sustainable built environment requires Facilities Leaders NOT Facilities Managers. Leadership focused upon people first, then process, information, and finally technology.

Improving Facilities Project Outcomes

Improving Improving Facilities Project Outcomes, whether,  repair, renovation, maintenance, or new build, isn’t difficult. It does, however, require that relationships that lead to mutual benefit formed by internal and external teams who might otherwise be competitors fighting head-to- head and cause the traditional fragmentation provide major obstacles to efficient project delivery.

Integrated Project Delivery Critical Component

A critical component of Integrated Project Delivery is objective, verifiable, granular local market cost data and and associated and an associated detailed scope of work (SOW) fully communicated with and agreed to by all participants and stakeholders.    

Beware of Using Assemblies for Job Order Contracting

Beware of Using Assemblies for Job Order Contracting. Some suppliers of Job Order Contracting software and cost data use “Assemblies” within what is supposed to be a unit price book (UPB). Line item estimating provides a detailed and transparent breakdown of costs, making it easier to track expenses and communicate with stakeholders. 

Sustainable Public Sector Facilities Management

Sustainable public sector facilities management is long overdue. “All” that is required, is …

• Compentent owner leadership, commitment, and accountablity.

• The application and continuous improvement of systems thinking based frameworks/process.

• A common, shared technical and cost data environment.

• Adoption of systems thinking and a fundamental change from current planning, procurement, and project delivery practices.

FM 2024 and Beyond!

 FM 2023 and Beyond requires 1) Owner Leadership, Commitment, & Accountability

2) Integrated Planning, Procurement, and Project Teams, Processes, and Workflows

3) Standards and Guidance – Shared Objective, Granular, Local Market Construction Task & Cost Data, Expanded Masterformat, Expanded UNIFORMAT

4) Frameworks and Contracts Focused Upon Mutually Beneficial Outcomes for ALL Participants and Stakeholders

5) Manditory Initial and ONGOING Education and Training

6) Quantitative Performance Metrics and Continuous Improvement

OpenBUILD(TM) Integrated Project Construction Delivery Solution

Integrated Project Construction Delivery Solution thar provides a standardized approach to construction data collection that collates and shares data on all public sector projects across all locations in a common format across public and private sector audiences to leverage the latest methods and tools supporting optimal project planning, costing, procurement, delivery, and management,

Alliance Contracting Key Aspects

Alliance Contracting / Alliance Partnering in ConstructionWhen properly designed, implemented, and managed, drives innovation, collaboration, and best value outcomes for all parties.

Defining a CREDIBLE Construction Cost Estimate

A credible cost estimate is one that has been derived using local market granular information. A unit cost is assigned to each of the facility components or construction tasks as represented by the bill of quantities.

CONSTRUCTION PROJECT FAILURE FACTORS

Contruction failure factors are have been fully documented.  Recognizing these causal factors and implementing available solutions can substantially reduce the number of failed projects, and more efficiently achieve other project objectives. 

Best Value JOB ORDER CONTRACTING

Characteristics of Best Value JOB ORDER CONTRACTING… Real proper owner capability, leadership, commitment, and accountability Integrated internal and external planning, procurement, and […]

Preconstruction Prerequisites

Preconstruction determines what will be built and how it will be procured and delivered.   A robust preconstruction process mitigates risk, virually eliminates change orders, ensures regulatory compliance, provide cost transparency, reduces project delivery times, and overall construction costs by 30%-40%+ vs. traditional methods.

Creating a detailed line item construction cost estimate

What’s involved in creating detailed line item construction cost estimate contains a complete and accurate descriptions aof a granular construction task to credibility support analysis.   Unit prices and quantities include individual LOCAL MARKET labor, material, and equipment information and cost breakdowns as well as crew and productivity information.

Controlling Construction Costs, Rocket Science, and Time Travel

Controlling construction costs is not rocket science, nor does it involve time travel. Facilities repair, renovation, maintenance, and new build projects can be delivered on time and on budget.

Relationship-based Job Order Contracting

Relationship-based Job Order Contracting – Enabling commitment based upon a  mutual set of  expectations and an understanding of  acceptable behaviors of  each […]

4BT OpenCost(TM) Local Market Granular Cost Data an RSmeans Alternative?

We source and maintain LOCAL MARKET GRANULAR COST DATA that is superior to traditional “national average cost data” and location factoring.
Significantly improve cost visibility and cost management for ALL your facilities repair, renovation, maintenance, and new build projects.

JOC Contractor Evaluation

JOC contractor evaluation is an ongoing process, begining with their response to a Job Order Contract Request for Propsals for design-builders and continuing throughout the life-cycle of the JOC Program.

Cost effective FSRM Facilities Facilities Sustainment, Restoration, and Modernization

Cost effective facilities Facilities Sustainment, Restoration, and Modernization (FSRM) can now be accomplished with the integration of robust process and planning, procurement, and project delivery teams within a common data environment (CDE) inclusive of current, local market, granular line item construction task data.

Developing an Efficient JOC Program Framework

Developing an efficient JOC Program Framework requires a commitment to collaborative and integrated Planning, Procurement, and Project Delivery teams. Unfortunately most JOC […]

Process DRIVES construction outcomes. Simple.

Process DRIVES construction outcomes by integrating previously disparate disciplines through the project lifecycle. The primary failure point for over 90% of all projects is a poorly defined and poorly communicated scope of work, which in turn results from the lack of a robust process.

JOC Program Solution

The Benefits the 4BT JOC Program Solution include Simplified Program Management, Enhanced Collaboration, Efficient, Best Management Practices-based JOC Process Implementation, Customized Solutions, Cost Savings, Improved Quality Control, Time Savings, Risk Mitigation, Flexibility, and Long-Term Relationship Building.

The Majority of traditional Job Order Contracts are FAILURES

The majority of traditional Job Order Contracts are  failures because Job Order Contracting is a whole body of knowledge that involves the assembly and creation of high performing teams that perform upfront and all aspects of project lifecycle work well.

Robust Process Drives Efficient Construction Delivery

Robust process integrating multi-stakeholder engagement enables consistent delivery of quality repair, renovation, maintenance, and new build projects on time and on budge. […]

Alliance Construction Delivery

Alliance construction delivery is process in which significant cost reduction, shorter project timelines, and high quality can be achieved through sharing information, making joint decisions, and sharing benefits that otherwise could not be possible via traditional methods.

JOC Multi-stakeholder Collaboration

JOC multi-stakeholder collaboration is the next step in productivity improvement, including faster project delivery times, cost reduction, quality improvement, and improved owner/design-builder relationships.

Why Standardized Work is Critical to Construction Outcomes

Standardized Work is Critical to Construction Outcomes

Standardized processes and workflows are critical to establishing collaborative work environments with full technical and cost transparency. Rather than limiting innovation, they enable those doing the work and associated contribution of their expertise.

Alliance Contracting in Construction

Alliance Contracting is a specific means of project planning, procurement, and delivery wherein the owner/principal and service provider (design-builder) work collaboratively.

Construction Cost Estimating Facts

Construction Cost Estimating Facts

#1 There is no such thing as an “accurate cost estimate”.  Beware of any 
so called expert, estimating firm, or vendor that uses the term.

#2 Construction cost estimating is NOT an art.  Decades of professional experience in construction cost estimating, knowledge of actual construction process, means, and methods, and business environment acumen lead to  becoming a valued construction cost estimating professional.   There is no “secret sauce”, there are no “short cuts”, and technology in itself is not a solution.

3# Detailed knowledge of local market labor, material, equipment, and productivity information a granular level is required to produce a verifiable and defensible construction cost estimate that is actionable.  The use of building cost models, assemblies, national average cost data, historical costs, location or area cost factors, economic factors are will not provide equivalent, actionable cost information.

#4 Failure to make cost estimating part of a robust and integrated planning, procurement, and project delivery process, will inevitable result in cost and schedule overruns, change orders, and other forms of waste.  80% of all repair, renovation, maintenance, and new build activities lack financial and technical visibility in the form of a line item, detailed scope of work per above, and therefore result in one or more “failures”.   Poor management and poor process are the cause of 85%+ of all project failures, not the people actually doing the work.

Poor Construction Estimates – Root Cause

The are two primary root causes of poor construction cost estimates:

Lack of early and ongoing communication between all relevant parties.
Failure to use granular, current, and well organized construction cost data specific to the local market.

Objectively Validate Contractor and Subcontractor Quotes

Objectively VALIDATE Contractor and Subcontractor Construction Cost Estimates Construction cost management capabilities are critical to the success of any repair, renovation, maintenance, […]

BUILDER SMS – Too little to late?

“stepwise methodologies can be superior to the industry-leading continuous methodologies employed by BUILDER SMS in service-life prediction accuracy and decision-making versatility as […]

How to Consistently Deliver QUALITY Facilities Projects ON TIME and ON BUDGET

Robust processes, tools, and support services are readily available to enable ANY organization to consistently delivery quality repair, renovation, maintenance, and new build projects on time and on budget.

Significantly IMPROVE your JOB ORDER CONTRACT

SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE your JOB ORDER CONTRACT #1 Put People First: Center your JOC Program around integrating your Planning, Procurement, and Project Delivery […]