The Secret to Construction

The One Thing Owners Must Do to Stretch Their Construction Dollars

You may remember this exchange from the Movie “City Slickers”:
Curly: Do you know what the secret to life is?
Curly: This (holds up one finger).
Mitch: Your finger?
Curly: One thing, just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don't mean s#%@.
Mitch: That’s great, but what’s the "one thing?"
Curly: That's what you’ve got to figure out.

The secret to construction is the same – there’s one thing, just one thing. As an Owner, you stick to that and everything else don’t mean s#%@.” That’s great, but what is it – what’s The One Thing you must do as the Owner to get the most for your money?

Is it choosing the right delivery method? In spite of sales pitches to the contrary, there is no “right” method. They all have the potential to maximize the return on investment, depending on the Owner’s ability to customize and manage the method chosen.

How about delegating most of your risk and responsibilities to the design team or the construction team? Unfortunately, the Owner cannot rid themselves of their responsibilities and risk. The more they give away, the less control they will have over the project outcome, especially their own outcome. The key is appropriate allocation and management of risk and responsibilities by the Owner.

Or hiring companies you trust, and getting out of the way? Trust is one thing; performance is something else. Top performers, managed by the Owner with a “trust, but verify” approach, will always outperform companies left on their own.

Then it must be avoiding low bid selection for construction? Low bid is a good thing, unless it’s from an unqualified contractor. Without competitive bidding by qualified contractors, you can’t maximize your return.

Well then, what’s The One Thing? You don’t have to figure it out on your own – it’s been proven over and over again. The One Thing an Owner must do to get the most for their construction investment is: provide strong leadership and management from the beginning-of-planning to the completion-of-construction.

Design and construction are very complex, and every project has its unique challenges. No delivery method or abdication of responsibilities to other parties will eliminate the many challenges. Only proactive, strong management by the project leader – the Owner – will maximize the Owner’s return on investment. Don’t have the time or expertise to manage design and construction? That’s ok; but find someone who does, because it’s The One Thing.

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Headed by a 29-year veteran of the design and construction industry, Sitton Consulting Group provides a range of hands-on services to help owners manage capital projects more effectively. The firm’s unique approach focuses on maximizing collaboration among all stakeholders, understanding the project is its own system within other systems, and applying the latest technology.

Sitton Construction Group

Missouri: (314) 412-5677
Illinois: (618) 406-0993
Email: info@sittoncg.com

Additional Sitton Info:

Providing Construction Management & Consulting in St. Louis, MO, the St. Louis Metro East and throughout Missouri & Illinois.

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