The perfect design professional, contractor and project owner exist only as an ideal. However, when all participants understand the responsibilities of each player during construction, projects will probably proceed more smoothly.

This is the First in a series of three articles on public works construction that are written to lay the foundation for concepts that are keys to the broad, complex field of construction. The series is co-sponsored as a public service by the American Institute of Architects-Illinois, Central Illinois Builders chapter of The Associated General Contractors of America, Consulting Engineers Council of Illinois and Illinois Society for Professional Engineers.

One service of engineers, architects and contractors is to explain project components and progress to project owners and members of the public. Roadway projects, such as the Heart of Illinois Feasibility Study, generate considerable local interest at public meetings.

Design Professionals
In these articles, the term "design professional" includes architects and engineers. George Bloome, AIA, P.E., president of Ralph Hahn and Associates, Springfield, explains that just as there are differences between the two professions, there are also different disciplines within the professions. The service of architects is generally the design of buildings where people live or work. Structural, mechanical and electrical engineers design specific building components.

Civil engineers are frequently responsible for site engineering related to buildings. They also work on infrastructure projects, such as roads, wastewater treatment, water supply transmission and the feasibility studies that precede them, Bloome says. Project owners may contract separately with several firms for individual project components or they may select one professional design firm that is then responsible for selecting subconsultants.

Role of Design Professionals
In simplest terms, architects and engineers prepare plans and specifications. In reality, the design professional's job encompasses planning even beyond an owner's immediate needs. This includes feasibility studies, preliminary and final designs that refine owners' needs and maximize construction dollars, bid evaluation and construction administration and observation.

Bernard I. Jones, president of Garrison Jones Architects Inc., Carbondale, compares a construction project to a short-term marriage. During that relationship, he says, "Your design professional should be your best friend and best ally." Knowledgeable owners understand that good engineering and architectural design pays dividends because it drives the most costly components, including construction, operation and maintenance, adds Bruce Bonczyk, an engineer who served as general counsel for the Illinois Capital Development Board and now is legislative counsel for

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the Illinois Construction Industry Committee, Springfield.

Because public clients entrust their design professionals with a tremendous amount of money, those individuals must be "good stewards of the public trust," adds Martin H. Collier, AIA, vice president of LZT Associates, Inc., Peoria. This means paying close attention to "life-cycle costs" that include initial construction as well as ongoing operation and maintenance.

Owners expect design excellence from every Firm, observes Leonard A. Peterson, FAIA, president of O'Donnell, Wicklund, Pigozzi & Peterson Architects, Inc., Deerfield. Therefore, design professionals must bring added value to projects by working hard to understand an owner's needs.

Collier emphasizes, "When I look at all the skills I have learned or acquired, the ones I give the most importance to are communications skills. Technical skills are necessary and provide the foundation, but the successful design professionals are good communicators."

Developing a sensitivity to the project and a good relationship with the client enables the design professional to understand and properly interpret a client's needs and goals, he says. This means going beyond just those laws and regulations that hold design professionals accountable for the many health and safety aspects connected with most public projects.

Peterson says today's design professionals provide what he terms "bookend" services before and after construction, in addition to basic design services. Pre- design services may include needs analyses, inventories, programming, strategic and master planning. Post-construction services include packaging as-built project drawings, computer disks and information about project care and maintenance, space inventory, allocation and other facility management-related issues. Many design professionals provide information throughout construction by utilizing computerized data bases.

During construction, a representative of the design firm periodically observes construction, especially at critical junctures. On large or complex projects, an onsite representative of the architect or engineer is typically assigned to the job site full time to verify compliance with project requirements and contractors' pay requests, ensure project continuity and serve as an information clearing house.

Role of Contractors
Transforming plans and specifications into reality is a broad oversimplification of the contractor's role.

Contractors represent the interests of project owners as those interests relate to products and construction methods, says Stuart W. Broeren, president of Broeren Russo Construction, Inc., Champaign. "We know how to accommodate an owner's goals for the least amount of money."

Jeffrey C. Evans, assistant vice president of Evans Construction Company, Springfield, is an architect and a contractor. He explains that plans and specifications provide the intent of a project rather than every detail. Therefore, when estimating a job, a contractor first uses the two-dimensional design to "build a job in his mind, thinking through each step."

In order to construct a project accurately, contractors ask key product manufacturers to prepare shop drawings. Manufacturers of reinforcing steel, for instance, employ detailers who draw every piece of reinforcing steel for a given project. Design professionals review shop drawings after a contractor is selected.

The contractor usually selects a project manager and project superintendent. In simplest terms, the project manager oversees the paperwork and correspondence in the office, while the project superintendent supervises work on the job site. These individuals share responsibility for scheduling material deliveries, staffs and subcontractors.

Several contracting firms may be involved on one project. Subcontractors complete specific components, such as finishes, electrical and mechanical work. General contractors are typically responsible for construction of the superstructure, as well as project coordination, scheduling and material supplies, explains Evans.

And the Owner ...
Owners' responsibilities are frequently glossed over, Broeren says. Owners who contribute input throughout the process, however, are more likely to get a project that fulfills their expectations. Owners should become educated about their role as an in-

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volved player who participates in the design process, agrees Peterson.

From the first meeting to project completion, owners must ask questions and insist on answers they understand. "To be a good owner, you also need to be a good communicator," emphasizes Bonczyk. He recommends that owners first determine a clear project definition and try to decide how today's needs might evolve over the life of the project. If those needs change during design, the owner must communicate those changes as soon as possible.

Jones recommends that owners insist that their design professionals explain project components as design progresses. "Once you approve the design, you've said, 'It's fine and dandy,'" he emphasizes. Subsequent changes can be costly to the project owner.

Bonczyk says owners must also understand their budget limitations. If their requirements are below budget, owners may consider adding items. These may be bid as alternates or designed for future construction. However, owners must have realistic expectations to avoid a project in which costs exceed the budget and everyone is disappointed.

Project funding and bill paying are critical owner responsibilities. Before construction begins, owners must have an adequate funding package. Bloome observes that using a financial advisor to conduct a careful review of various funding options is necessary so that owners understand thoroughly the details of their financing vehicles.

Owners must also pay their bills on time. Slow payments put an undue financial burden on the design professional and the contractor, who must continue buying project components and paying personnel. Consequently, slow payments can serve as a source of ill will between the contractor, design professional and owner. Owners "shouldn't expect contractors or service providers to finance a job longer than 30 days on their own," Evans concludes.

Another responsibility of a project owner is to designate one or two individuals as points of contact to carry on a dialogue with and answer questions from the design professionals. Bloome cautions, "Committees can be lethal to a project."

The point person does not necessarily have to be knowledgeable about the construction process, but must be willing to learn. This liaison should also have authority to approve expenditures within preset limits, Evans says. He adds that projects are often delayed when unplanned expenditures require approval by the full governing board.

Preview
Once the parties understand the basic responsibilities of each player in construction, they need to learn how to select design professionals and contractors. These topics will be addressed in the second article of this series. •

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