The most successful business owners are always sculpting a vision for how to move their business forward. When it comes to fulfilling the vision, major capital expansions may seem too intimidating and time consuming and the vision may get lost in the reality of daily operations. Between manufacturing schedules, sales, workforce management and everything else that comes with running your business it may seem like you don’t have the time to take on another project and expand your facility footprint.
The prospect of finding the right location for a new facility, hiring a broker, engaging an architect, designing a building, bidding out the project, contracting with a builder and last of all paying for it all is a daunting task that often holds businesses back from expanding when they need to.
In the past, owners had to separately hire experts in each step of the construction process to keep the project moving. This required real-estate brokers, bankers, engineers, architects, constructors, subcontractors, and others to be individually hired and managed by your already busy business. Even more of a problem, the process was long and it could take years to complete a project. Meanwhile production needs are still outgrowing an undersized space.
Thankfully there are newer ways for you to hire the experts you need to get your project completed without the risks and time commitment of a traditional project. Consider the Design-Build process. This method allows you to hire one single expert to represent you in both the design and construction of your project. You can know that if an issue with the project comes up, there is already a single entity at the ready to address it. Design-build eliminates the adversarial relationship between contractor and architect and assembles a cohesive team that has one goal: get your project completed efficiently. Design-Build is at its biggest advantage when schedules are tight, and you need your project completed ASAP.
Yet another option comes with a Construction Manager (CM) as Agent process where a CM company acts directly on your behalf to look out for your best interests no matter the situation. In this scenario, the contractors and designers are directly contracted with you the owner. However, the CM acts as your representative to ensure the entire project team meets your every need from start to finish. This method is great for projects with demanding technical needs and stringent budgets.
Consider using an alternative delivery method for you next facility improvement project. They can greatly reduce your costs, improve schedules and mitigate project risk while getting your business in the facility it needs to grow and expand.
Colin Simpson P.E. is President of Imperien LLC and a construction professional with over 15 years of experience. Imperien offers construction industry expertise and turn-key building packages including site selection, incentive negotiation, design, construction and capital planning. To get help on your next capital project contact colin@imperien.com or 815-988-7970.