Both the engineering and construction industries have been around for thousands of years and have evolved into what we know them as today. Anyone that currently works in either of these industries understands the complexities that have been thrust upon us over the years, new knowledge of physics, better understanding of materials, regulations and design standards that are updated based on the newer knowledge and better understanding. The people that don’t understand these factors are the Owners that are hiring professionals to design and build these projects.

With over 20 years in the engineering and construction industry there is a gaping hole that I have found – Owner representation. Yes, Prime Consultants, oftentimes, architects, work with the Owner during the design phase and then act on behalf of the Owner during construction. Under the most basic principles, this is a conflict of interest as this has the possibility of a Prime Consultant to cover up an error of their own creation that is discovered during the construction phase of the project. This is not always the case and it should be noted that most firms have high ethical and moral values, but, to err is human.

An Owner doesn’t often have the expertise required to understand all of the aspects of design and / or construction. Perhaps they have a financial background and can understand the financing aspect, although not what construction costs. Perhaps they have a legal background and can understand the contract, although not the drawings and specifications that are a part of that contract. What Owners need is a Project Manager that has expertise in all of these items in the context of design and construction, however, there are very few Owner’s Project Managers (OPM’s) in the industry. This is frequently the missing element that differentiates between a successful project and an unsuccessful project.

An OPM is beneficial to all sides of a project, including Contractors, and Consultants. When an OPM is brought into a project from the outset the Consultant has a point of contact that will act as a “translator” who takes the information that the Owner provides in regards to their needs and wants and turns them into Conditions of Satisfaction that the consultant can propose design to meet. During both the design and construction process there are Requests for Information (RFI’s) that Consultants and Contractors will bombard the Owner with to try to get answers to numerous questions that will arise during the process. Generally, an Owner running their own project could take days or weeks to answer these RFI’s as they already have their own work to do and the project ends up in a delay. This becomes a pinch point for the process that can frustrate even the most patient consultants and contractors as that is time that they are not maximizing their efficiency and in turn reducing the rate of production for their firm. This is much the same for the construction phase, however, the longer a contractor is on-site due to the Owner’s neglect the more it can cost the Owner through a change order. The costs of construction delay by one week can result in a cost to the Owner of over $10,000 / week depending on the size of the project.

To save everyone time, money, and frustration, it is highly recommended that Owners bring on an OPM prior to getting in contact with consultants to ensure that their interests are being protected by an expert offering an impartial point of view and providing valuable advice to ensure that the project stays on-time, on-budget and meets all the Owner’s Conditions of Satisfaction.