It’s every project owner’s goal to complete their build on time,

on budget, and with minimal unwanted surprises along the way. It’s our goal, too.

The problem we see, however, with all-too-many projects is that the owner or builder wants to jump the gun during the pre-construction process, and whether intentional or not, small oversights during planning, bidding, permitting, and other pre-construction processes can have a significant impact on the overall project.

Why You Must Start at the Very Beginning

Rushing into the build without adequately planning for the build can lead to major and expensive consequences. One seemingly small change once the project is already underway can be expensive and time-consuming to execute.

Moreover, if change orders aren’t reviewed or shared properly, you can run into further issues. Change orders needs to be signed by the architect, owner, and contractor before proceeding with any kind of deviation from the drawing logs. Once the architect confirms that it is a reasonable change order, the contractor has to go back in and reprice the project, update the documents, and seek new approvals as necessary.

The good news is that change orders can be minimized or even eliminated altogether when you partner with an experienced owner’s representative or general contractor who helps manage the project from the very beginning.

Steps to Take to Minimize Change Orders

Some of the easiest ways to minimize change orders to a SoFla commercial build are to follow through on things you should be doing anyway. Two of those big ones include conducting a constructability report and evaluating qualification statements in your competing contractors’ bid documents.

• The constructability report – This assessment completed by your contractor or other third-party builder is an important tool in your planning process because it identifies any potential obstacles that could get in the way of constructing the project as designed.In doing so, it helps minimize delays during construction, improves the overall project quality and design, and reduces change order requests. To learn more about why you need a constructability report, read this.

• Qualification statements – When contractors include qualification statements in their bids, it’s because they believe there are essential components missing from the proposal that would need to take place in order for the work to be completed as proposed. Taking a hard look at qualifications statements is important for project owners so they are aware of any potential red flags in their design.

Change orders are never simple, which is why it’s important to do everything you can to avoid them. If you want help doing just that, get in touch with us at Seacoast Construction. We’re different from the rest, and our clients appreciate it.