BHS/Hutton Appointed as "Construction Manager at Risk"
On time, on budget.
The immaculata continues to MOVe forward.
On July 11, 2019, the five-man Immaculata Project’s Core Team, which includes District Superior Fr. Jürgen Wegner and SMAC Rector Fr. Patrick Rutledge, distributed Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to six local contractors to accept the position of Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) for the endeavor. The CMAR is charged with working closely with the project’s design team and creating a budget that keeps costs in check while seeing that the building effort is completed in a timely manner.
Is the Construction Manager at Risk the final General Contractor to build the Immaculata?
No. The Construction Manager at Risk is brought on during the design phase to ensure that what is being designed can actually be built by skilled tradesmen in the area. He ensures that what is being designed can become a reality within the budget that’s been set. The Construction Manager at Risk acts largely as a consultant who sets the project’s plan up for inevitable success.
The General Contractor (GC) will come in after the more technical design phase is complete. The GC role is focused on executing the project’s plan, while the Construction Manager at Risk focuses on preparing a realistic and fail-proof plan. Often times, the Construction Manager at Risk and his team will transition into the GC role but this is not guaranteed.
“The GC role is focused on executing the project’s plan, while the Construction Manager at Risk focuses on preparing a realistic and fail-proof plan.”
What makes a good Construction Manager at Risk?
A Construction Manager for a project this size leads a team of people with extensive construction backgrounds and great reputations in the construction trade who have the knowledge of commonly used materials and practices along with strong relationships with local tradesmen who have vast knowledge and experience in the field.
Why is the Construction Manager entitled “Construction Manager at Risk”?
The Construction Manager’s main role is to provide a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the project and realistic constructability based on modern materials, methods, and common practices that the local trades are familiar with to ensure the owner gets a great product for the best value. Because the Construction Manager at Risk is guaranteeing this maximum project price, he assumes financial responsibility for staying within that guarantee. If the project is built beyond his guarantee, the burden lies on him for making up the difference. Thus, he takes on the added title of “at Risk”.
The Construction Manager at Risk is more than just one man but rather an experienced and skilled team of specialists. Different perspectives are combined to help the common good. For example, pre-construction estimators, project managers, and superintendents all work at different levels to collaborate and share their expertise so that each step of the decision-making process comprehensively knows what materials and methods are the most cost-effective to use.
“The Construction Manager’s main role is to provide a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the project and realistic constructability based on modern materials, methods, and common practices that the local trades are familiar with.”
Who did you chose to be Construction Manager for the design phase?
We chose the BHS/Hutton team because they have a great reputation and use experts at each level, combined with an unparalleled knowledge of the construction field and local markets. Having two contractors combined (BHS and Hutton) gave us the opportunity to benefit from the experience of both construction companies. We feel this allows us an additional level of combined experience and knowledge above what one contractor alone could offer. They have demonstrated through past projects working together as a team that they have the capacity to work on our tremendous and unique project on time and on budget.
Where can we learn more about the new team members?
Look for a video interview and introduction to BHS on September 18th which will be available here on the Immaculata’s website and on social media.
Immaculata Church Project: Core Team Review
Meet the BHS/Hutton Team
“We chose the BHS/Hutton team because they have a great reputation and use experts at each level, combined with an unparalleled knowledge of the construction field and local markets.”
Look for a video interview and introduction to BHS on September 18th which will be available here on the Immaculata’s website and on social media.