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During the project design phase, we hold regular team meetings at our office. All discussion points and decisions are recorded via design conference notes or meeting minutes. It is important that our consultants are aware of the ultimate design intent early so that they can contribute their expertise without negatively impacting the design or budget.
Once the construction phase begins, our consultants are on site whenever it is necessary. While we respect their schedules and prior time commitments, ultimately, our consultants work for us and they are on-site when we need them.
Throughout the design and construction process, our consultants (as well as our clients) have access to all the design conference reports, job conference reports and requests for information via our online field administration tool, "Primavera". Consultants may respond to inquiries directly online before paper copies of information requests can travel by mail.
Once successful bidders have been determined for a job, McKissick Associates assigns a field administrator to the project. The project manager and field administrator hold a kick-off meeting with all of the contractors to establish expectations for communication and begin building relationships with the individuals who will be working on the job. Bi-weekly meetings continue throughout the construction period and are attended by the prime and sub-contractors, the field administrator and/or the project manager from McKissick Associates and typically the district's representative.
Occasionally during the construction period, situations occur in which more frequent visits are required by the architect or one of our consulting engineers. McKissick Associates and their consultants will be on-site whenever the job necessitates. Our field administrators are experienced at evaluating the quality of work by contractors and they know when to request the original design architect visit the site. The architect, project manager and the field administrator have the obligation to interrupt the job progress if work is not completed according to the specifications.
Our field administration staff consists of a senior field administrator with 40 years of construction experience, the majority of which has involved educational facilities, our field department director, who has spent over 15 years performing a similar function working for a general contractor, and a full-time field administration coordinator with over 24 years experience who handles written responses and communications and facilitates distribution of all information as soon as it is available to the administrators in the field and the other involved parties.
We schedule site walkthroughs with contractors at 6 and 12 months after substantial completion coupled with a monthly follow-up call to building site managers to determine if any problems have been encountered and to insure that issues are being handled by the appropriate party.
All issues are documented in Primavera and will be included in weekly reports to our project manager and field administrator until they have been addressed satisfactorily.
As bonding companies can occasionally be difficult to deal with, we also believe in aggressively managing final pay applications to insure adequate funds remain to maintain the contractors' interest in solving the problems.
The most important feature of smooth and effective working conditions between contractors is excellent communication and mutual respect. Our field administration staff is very familiar with the contractors' positions and we respect their expertise. Just as we take our relationship with the client seriously, our field administrators understand the importance of a healthy, respectful relationship with the contractors on a project. After all, the construction process is already long enough without allowing adversarial relationships to develop between parties.
Our field administrator, project manager and the district's representative typically form a close relationship fostered by the frequency of their communication. Additionally, our field administrator will form close relationships with most of the contractors on the job by virtue of their almost daily communications. The field administrator who can effectively facilitate the contractors jobs by assisting with schedule coordination, diffusing job-site disputes and responding to requests for information in a timely matter will have their respect.
Every other week, the project manager and/or the field administrator inspect the job site and hold a job conference with the contractors. Typically, the district's representative attends these meetings so that they are aware of issues as they arise and can provide feedback to both the architect and the administration. All job conferences are documented in Job Conference Reports and distributed to all parties.
Throughout the construction period, we respond to all contractor requests for information in writing (via US mail, UPS shipment or fax) as well as posted to our web-based field administration & construction management package "Primavera".
In addition to written information responses, we post all information inquiries and additional documentation online using our in-house field administration website and the industry-standard management package "Primavera". The Primavera package allows us to provide consultants, contractors and clients with immediate access to status reports and responses to information requests.
More than just a construction phase tool, we also document discussion issues, project goals and requirements throughout the design process as well. Because the system is accessible via any web browser, clients and consultants can review and respond to the information online. By this method, clients and contractors have the answers they need at least a full day before the paper copy arrives in their hand.
Construction administration is the most important component of the clients' experience. Weekly site visitations during the construction process in conjunction with an optionally contracted on-site clerk of the works ensure the best possible project execution.
Change orders are minimized via addressing small items as they arise with creative solutions so that design intent is not compromised.
We aggressively pursue project closeout. At 60 days after substantial completion, we will process change orders to reduce the contract for open items as well as assist the district in retaining outside contractors to complete work if necessary.
The use of our Primavera software prevents items from "falling through the cracks". All items documented in the punch list must be effectively cleared before automatic notifications to project managers and involved parties cease. Additionally, the project manager and field administrator review summary reports on a weekly basis that highlights open items.
As systems come online through the construction process, we monitor their performance accounting for construction conditions and factors. Many of the systems we specify have online interfaces for monitoring performance which we check when available. In cases where equipment is not accessible via the internet, we monitor performance through regular status reports from the installer or the facility maintenance personnel.
We also monitor our clients' utility bills for a year after the project. These bills show patterns of demand and trends in usage that can be compared to anticipated performance. Should the equipment not appear to be functioning optimally, we contact the original installer to readjust the equipment.
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