Preconstruction Resources

Generally, preconstruction involves a variety of activities designed to gather information about the scope, budget and schedule, and assemble the team responsible for building the project. During predevelopment, the owner will typically hire a variety of consultants to assess project feasibility, develop preliminary drawings and determine early cost estimates. As the project moves forward, the design team will develop increasingly detailed drawings and specifications, during which contractors will often consult on constructability. Depending on the method of project delivery, the owner will frequently select a general contractor through a competitive bidding process. Contractors work with specialty contractors to develop estimates and bids, and issue RFIs to clarify ambiguous details in the bid package. The owner will typically level the bids for side-by-side comparison, and select the contractor based on their own qualification criteria.

The Preconstruction Phase: A Deep Dive into the Precon Process

Preconstruction is a strategic phase of a construction project that bridges the gap between the initial plans drawn up in the predevelopment stage and the physical activities associated with on-site construction. This phase refines initial project ideas into concrete plans

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Every project is unique, and each owner sets the qualification criteria for a project. They typically outline the criteria in the bid package, and may issue a request for qualifications to gather more information about the contractor's experience, project performance, work capacity and financial history. The owner may also request details about the team that the contractor will assign to the project.

Owners aren't the only ones who prequalify contractors. Sureties and insurance companies will review qualifications during the underwriting process. General contractors will also prequalify their subcontractors before their first project together.

A successful bidding process is designed to gather detailed information about how each contractor plans to build the project according to the specifications, along with the cost and timeline. A quality bid package will include all of the details the contractors need to accurately estimate and bid the project. Gaps or ambiguities in the specs or drawings can lead to changes during construction that can derail the schedule or cause budget overruns.

The Construction Bidding Process Explained

Understanding how the construction bidding process works can help your company effectively bid and win more contracts. Let's talk about the basics.

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