Construction associations offer guide on building plans
Two construction associations are offering a guide on building plans for local business owners.
鈥淲ith so many construction firms to choose from, how does a business owner find the right company to take care of their building investment,鈥� said Jon O鈥橞rien, director of communications for the Master Builders Association of Western Pennsylvania.
O鈥橞rien added that the American Institute of Architects Pittsburgh Chapter (AIA) and the Master Builders鈥� Association of Western PA (MBA) joined forces nearly 50 years ago to examine the construction industry and come up with a better building plan.
鈥淎s a result of this research, the AIA-MBA Joint Committee Best Practices Guide was created. This guide is a compilation of published procedures that reflect the most effective actions during construction 鈥� this guide is continuously reviewed to assure it reflects the evolving construction industry,鈥� O鈥橞rien said.
The cornerstone of the program, he said, are principals the AIA-MBA Joint Committee鈥檚 Best Value Contracting recommend.
鈥淏est Value Contracting refers to a selection process in the public sector whereas qualifications and price are weighted to determine the firm whose proposal represents the greatest value to the owner.
The principals of this recommendation may be applied to procuring a contractor for your next construction project,鈥� O鈥橞rien said.
He explained that when Best Value Contracting is selected to award a construction contract, the AIA-MBA Joint Committee recommends 鈥渁 transparent competition among responsible contractors鈥� to choose the one that offers the best combination of performance qualifications and price.
O鈥橞rien said that breaks down to two concepts: the one-step and two-step selection process.
鈥淭he steps are defined by the number of formal submittals. In a two-step selection process, the technical criteria (and other non-price items requested by the owner) are submitted first, allowing an evaluation process to assess which firms can perform the best value on a project,鈥� O鈥橞rien said.
The owner may then create a short list of acceptable bidders for the project.
Then an evaluation committee may make the final decision based on the 鈥渃ompetitive price,鈥� O鈥橞rien said.
In the two-step process, following an interview to discuss 鈥渟cope review, value engineering, constructability issues, sustainability ideas, etc., a decision may be made for a company that can provide the best value for a successful delivery of a project,鈥� he added.
鈥淚n a one-step selection process, the owner requests a combination of the technical and price submittals to be simultaneously submitted so that both factors are evaluated, in accordance with a weighting of criteria items that is fully-disclosed in the request for proposals,鈥� O鈥橞rien said.
AIA-MBA Joint Committee Best Practices Guide also recommends that the owner of the property put together an evaluation committee to select the contractor that offers the best value to a specific project in a fair and open manner.
鈥淭he owner should incorporate a committee comprised of various viewpoints, expertise and background. A chairperson should run the committee. Prior to reviewing any submissions, the evaluation committee should be educated on the project, the owner鈥檚 requirements and the established selection criteria with weight of items,鈥� O鈥橞rien said.
It鈥檚 also recommended that the committee should score each bidder and select the contractor who best fits the criteria for the construction project.
The committee also needs to avoid any appearance of impropriety in the proposal review process, and it should give the contractors who are not selected an opportunity to learn the reasons why their proposal was not selected.
鈥淲ith effective submittal requirements and a thorough review process, an owner can shift the focus of the project from the initial low bid to the true and final cost of a project,鈥� O鈥橞rien said.
The recommendation is one of many that the AIA-MBA Joint Committee has published. To view the entire set of recommendations, go online to http://www.mbawpa.org/aia-mba/index.asp.
For more information call O鈥橞rien at 412-922-3912 or email jobrien@mbawpa.org.