Services
Preconstruction services in Los Angeles
We treat every bid and preconstruction engagement as if we are already responsible for building the job. You need to understand the estimate well enough to make a decision and explain it to your stakeholders. We work through the design with your team, make the scope and assumptions clear, and identify the decisions and investigations still needed.
Who it is for
Owners who want the builder at the table early
Preconstruction is for an owner, a tenant or a developer with a project, a design team and a target opening date, and for the architect who values a builder’s input on budget and constructability before finalizing their permit set. It suits the work we do: restaurants and bars, hospitality, hotels, retail, tenant improvement, adaptive reuse, creative office and ground-up construction, where the site or the existing building, and the opening date, carry most of the risk. The eight are described under what we build.
The question we hear most is whether bringing a contractor in early means giving up competitive bidding. It is a fair worry, and the answer is in the value we provide. Every number we produce is built from the drawings, the site and the way the job will actually be run, with every assumption written down. If you bid it afterward, you are measuring other proposals against a builder who has studied the job in depth, not against a guess.
Deliverables
What you receive from preconstruction
- 01
You know whether the set is ready to price
Drawing review and question log
We read the drawings the way we would build them, and the first thing you get back is a plain statement of how far along the design is and what is missing. The questions our review produces are logged and sent to your design team, and the log shows the answers received and the decisions still open.
- 02
You can see what the budget includes
Priced estimate with notes and qualifications
The estimate lists the documents it was priced from by discipline, sheet and date, and states its assumptions in writing. The notes and qualifications make the pricing basis explicit, so your team can compare scope, assumptions and allowances across bids.
- 03
Nothing still open is hidden inside a lump sum
Allowances, holds and alternates
Open items are identified in the estimate and question log. Where an allowance is appropriate, we state its basis. Where the team needs an investigation or a design decision, we identify that next step. Holds and alternates are listed the same way, so we are all aligned on open items related to budget.
- 04
The likely surprises have an owner and a date
Risk register
We list the risks before they become problems. Each one is ranked by what it could do to the cost and the schedule, given someone responsible for closing it, and reviewed with you at every meeting until it closes.
- 05
You can plan for costs beyond the construction contract
Owner budget
An estimate answers the construction question. The owner budget carries the rest of what you pay for: design and engineering fees, permits and utility charges, furniture, equipment and technology. It is the document in the set you can make a funding decision from.
- 06
The long lead items have release dates
Schedule, critical path and procurement study
The schedule shows the critical path from permit to opening, and the long-lead list is drawn from it: switchgear, delegated design, the storefront, the fixture the designer loves. Each one gets a target release date worked back from the day it has to be on site.
- 07
Our own costs are priced where you can read them
General conditions study
Staff, supervision, site facilities, protection, cleanup and the rest of what it takes to run the job are priced line by line and tied to the schedule.
- 08
The right trade for the project is selected
Trade partner review
We review the scope, availability and relevant experience of the proposed trade partners, with particular attention to the work that carries the most risk on your project.
- 09
How the site will be run
Site logistics plan
The plan shows how the job uses the site: deliveries and staging, hoisting, parking, protection of the building and its neighbors, and the routes people take around the work. It is agreed with the building or the city before mobilization.
- 10
Savings are weighed against what they cost you
Value engineering recommendations
Where a change in material, system or sequence would save money or time, we propose it with the saving, the effect on the schedule and design impacts, and the design team and the owner decide.
When to start
Start while design decisions are still open
The review develops with the design. These are the questions we work through at each stage.
| Design phase | What you get from us |
|---|---|
| Concept | Whether the project fits the budget you have in mind, and what in this building will drive the cost, with an estimated timeline to plan against. |
| Schematic design | An early code review with your design team, focused on the items that drive cost, a walk of the existing building with the design in hand, and each unknown included in the budget, carried as an allowance or put to your design team. |
| Design development | Cross-discipline coordination and readiness for subcontractor bidding, so a duct that runs through a beam is found while it is still a drawing, and a release date for every long lead item. |
| Construction documents | A check that the documents are ready to build: every dimension included, every material and finish specified, and a short list of unknowns carried as allowances. |
Questions
Asked before the first set comes over
If I bring you in early, do I lose a competitive price?
No. After preconstruction you can still bid the job competitively, and you now have a basis to review the other bids against: a number from a builder who has studied the design, the means and methods and everything it will take to execute the job successfully.
Can you price a project that is only at concept?
Yes, as a budget range. We use unit costs, quantity takeoffs and current Los Angeles construction costs to set an overall range for your project, which can then steer the design toward the right budget.
Who actually does the preconstruction work?
Experienced builders do, and our founder is closely involved. We read the drawings, walk the building, build the estimate and write the notes and qualifications. If the project goes ahead with us, what was learned in preconstruction carries into construction.
How do you work with the architect?
As part of the design team. Questions go to the architect in writing and are logged with their answers, and our comments stay on cost, time and constructability rather than on the design itself. We raise a conflict between sheets early, while it is still easy to resolve on paper, and we price the design the architect intends, ensuring each detail is covered.
What happens if the budget and the design do not match?
You find out early in design, while the program can still adapt. We show you where the gap is, what drives it and where cost can come out with the least effect on the project, and you and your design team decide. If we are brought in during due diligence, a mismatch can be found before you commit to a property or location.
Getting involved early
If you want us involved while the design is still developing, reach out to our team and let’s discuss how we can help on budget, schedule and constructability review.