The Capital Project Hiding in the Repair History
Years of recurring mechanical problems had been documented, but the full cost of replacing the system had never been established. When a renovation finally forced…
The Phasing Plan Had Nowhere to Put the Business
The construction sequence identified where departments would relocate. Nobody had confirmed whether those spaces could support the operation. A contractor’s phasing sequence is a starting…
“Paused” Is Not a Project Status
What an owner needs to preserve when a capital project is put on hold. After an eighteen-month pause, the restart found the project manager gone,…
Substantial Completion Starts More Than the Closeout Clock
What owners should resolve before the certificate is accepted and the move date takes over. Substantial completion, approval to occupy, the physical move and operational…
Knowing the Building Commissioner Didn’t Speed Up the Permit
Political support, experienced attorneys, and well-connected expediters were expected to compress the building-permit schedule. Nobody could identify which review would move faster. Political relationships, experienced…
What Does an Owner’s Rep Actually Do?
The architect designs. The contractor builds. The broker handles the transaction. Who is looking across the project for the owner? An owner’s representative works only…
What Makes a Capital Project? (And What the Forecast Can’t Tell You)
A five- or ten-year forecast identifies individual capital needs. The owner still has to decide which ones belong together. A five-year forecast placed lighting in…
Pencils Down. But Just One More Change.
Before the owner pays for more design, the team has to determine whether the project changed or the original scope missed it. A late technology…
What is the difference between an Owner’s Representative and a Project Manager?
The titles can overlap. The more important question is who the person represents, what authority they have, and what they are responsible for. An owner’s…
The Room Was Ready. Nobody Could Start the Meeting.
The technology worked exactly as designed. The employees still couldn’t start the meeting. The room had two displays, cameras, ceiling microphones and a control system,…
The New Office Opened. Everyone Else Started Comparing.
A workplace investment at one address changes expectations everywhere else—and leaves facilities to explain the difference. When one office got a new build-out while another…
The Business Unit Had a Project. The Capital Plan Didn’t.
The request sounded simple until someone priced everything required to make it work. A request to “move a few walls” can turn out to need…
The Facilities Director Left. The Decision Process Got Exposed.
The knowledge may remain. Context and authority may no longer sit in the same place. When a facilities director leaves mid-project, the technical analysis can…
The Executive Sponsor Is Not an Appeals Court
A vendor disagreed with a decision and took it to someone more senior. The owner is the one who has to live with what happened…
The Cost Wasn’t Eliminated. The Options Were.
Some construction budget decisions don’t save money. They decide what the next capital project has to undo. When bids came in high, leadership shrank the…