Owner Services.

Continuous consulting support for owner leadership teams.

Procurement Strategy.

Procurement is the process by which the Employer’s needs are appraised and the manner by which the project is to be delivered is selected. The Employer’s needs are established by an all-important preliminary process referred to as “briefing”.

Various procurement strategies are all over the landscape, spanning between the dominant fixed price Lump Sum contract at one end of the spectrum, to a cost reimbursable contract – in which the Employer’s requirements are continuously changing – at the other end. The selection of the correct strategy by the Employer is essential to the success of the project, as the process will affect the financing and cost of the project.

On a traditional Design-Bid-Build lump sum contract – in which design is separated from construction – it is assumed that the price is fixed. In reality, the design is never complete and the Employer is at the mercy of the Contractor for claims due to errors or omissions in the design resulting in a confrontational situation over the fair price for these variations. Inexperienced Employers are generally unaware of alternative procurement paths that may appear complicated.

On the increasingly popular Construction Management procurement route, development of the design is shared between the Designer and the Construction Manager. Problems are solved jointly with each party recognizing the other party’s capacity and willingness to contribute ideas.

There are two types of a Construction Manager: Agency CM in which the Construction Manager is acting as an agent of the Employer to provide constructibility advice and coordination of the construction contractor(s), and CM At-Risk, in which the Construction Manager undertakes both the design and construction of the project.

On a Design-Build contract – the quality of which is dependent on adequacy of the Employer’s brief – the Contractor is entrusted with the management of the design and construction processes with a single point of responsibility for both design and construction. Coordination and cooperation between the Designer and the Contractor is significantly improved. Further, the Contractor’s constructibility experience is put to use.

The selection of the procurement process is complex and is primarily dependent on the Employer’s capacity to contribute positively – by duly authorized representatives –  to the decision making process. CMA has the expertise to advise Employers on the most suitable procurement route.

Get a full service procurement strategy partner for your project.

Project owners and developers call on us to partner with them for continuous services to ensure certainty of cost in procurement strategy and other areas including design review and management and construction management.

If you would like to learn more about how CMA partners with project owners and developers as a full service partner for continuous leadership support, please book a meeting.

About.

Construction Management Associates delivers high performance management for construction projects. Executives and project leaders partner with us to maximize speed and efficiency from pre-design to post-construction. We implement best-in-class practices across project management, design management, contract management, claims management and forensics services. We have supported leading developers and contractors in 7 countries in the Middle East and the Gulf, on over 100 projects for Public Investment Fund, Saudi Vision 2030, NEOM, Red Sea Global, Riyadh Metro, General Authority of Civil Aviation, Royal Saudi Air Force, Shangri-La, Expo 2020 Dubai, Etihad Towers, The Pearl Island, Majid Al Futtaim and countless others. We are dedicated to bringing our clients and partners a relentless spirit of innovation to modernize construction – one of the world’s oldest industries.