As supply chain and inflation issues cause escalation of costs throughout multiple industries, including the transportation industry, we are seeing a corresponding escalation of construction budgets. How can we as engineers help mitigate this problem? This topic is top of mind for many, and several solutions, such as altering the methodology for developing the engineer’s estimate or having owners develop guidelines for preferred alternate materials, have previously been discussed.
Another solution is to bring project contractors and engineering designers together much earlier in the design process than is typical. I have seen firsthand the cost savings this early collaboration between designers and contractors can bring to construction projects.
Why should contractors and designers collaborate early?
The normal order of operations in our industry is to design the project to completion, and then have the contractor bid the completed set of plans—the traditional process of Design-Bid-Build. As an industry, we tend to not blur the lines between the designer and contractor during the design process unless the project is let under the Design Build delivery method. But maybe we should rethink our Design-Bid-Build process. Especially in light of the supply chain and inflation issues we are currently dealing with, it makes sense to bring the contractor in to review the design early on in the process. This way, we can circumvent a lot of design issues and enhance overall project value for cost by developing proper construction means and methods that are consistent with best practices in the current market environment.
I have seen this in action during my time working with the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT). While serving as a Program Manager for SCDOT, we would partner with our local Associated General Contractors (AGC) chapter on our bigger, more complex projects. AGC would assign relevant professionals—a bridge and/or roadway expert respectively—and they would be brought into the process when the design was around 30% completed. Then we, as the designers, could show the contractor our general plans, and they could then provide a true constructability review. This was incredibly beneficial because we got to see what needed to change from a contractor’s perspective very early on in the process. There was also less risk for the contractor because they had more say in the beginning.
On more than one occasion, this ended up saving us a substantial amount of time and money. For instance, on one particular bridge project, our design included a series of small, drilled shafts at each bent to handle the design load. The bridge contractor came in and told us that we could reach the same strength if we went with fewer, bigger supports. While the larger drilled shafts were more expensive than the smaller shafts, the vast reduction in setups for each shaft led to an overall savings of time and money for the project. Thanks to this early input, we were then able to make the means and methods of the project much more contractor-friendly and much more cost-effective.
This type of value engineering can offer incredible benefits. It’s worth it to incorporate it even when it’s not specifically required. This approved process between our local DOT and AGC improved both the price and schedule of our projects, and it also provided a common basis of understanding that would not have been there otherwise. Really, this early collaboration is a win-win; both sides benefitted from this, and both sides saw it as a plus.
How to implement early collaboration?
So, how exactly can we bring the contractor and construction designer community together to combat price escalations? Each project and situation is different, so there is no true one-size-fits-all approach. However, there are some general guidelines I’ve gleaned from experience that can be useful to keep in mind throughout the process.
- Be inclusive. Getting multiple project stakeholders together is always preferable. The more facets of a project we can cover in-depth, the better the chance that we will catch design issues before it’s too late. As a national, industry-wide organization, AGC is an excellent resource to look into. Engage your local DOTs and AGC representatives to gauge their interest in such a partnership that is beneficial for both parties. The local AGC will need to get its membership on board since random selection of construction experts for these reviews will need to be transparent and open to all qualified members.
- Don’t go blindly forward. Think of your own situation and projects you have worked on. What are the common issues contractors see when a project goes to bid? Who should be brought into the process and when? What specific format should you use to see that the construction means and methods are where they need to be? These are all excellent questions to ask yourself.
- Change can be good. “This is how we’ve always done it” is not a good enough reason to keep doing a process a certain way. Really consider if changing your process may be beneficial. It may be uncomfortable at first, and there may be some kinks to work out, but in the end, you’ll be glad you did it.
- Patience is key. Increasing early collaboration between all project stakeholders may mean more time invested upfront, but this often translates into an accelerated timeframe on the other end. Also, the suggestions brought forth by contractors may not always reap immediate benefits—they may take months or even years to be fully realized. But we are playing the long game, and infrastructure that’s built to last for generations is what we aim for.
As we navigate these ongoing supply chain and inflation issues and combat rising project costs, we as an industry need to be proactive and think ahead. It is not enough to wait for a problem and then try to fix it; we must all come together to work toward mitigating issues before they occur in what has become a challenging market for us all.