Balancing Act: Cost vs. Schedule

Many CMSWillowbrook clients come to us with misconceptions about the building process.

They think designing and constructing a building is a rigid process in which they have one chance to make decisions. This perception creates a lot of pressure. But when they work with us, they find one thing that sets CMSWillowbrook apart is flexibility.  

If a client has a challenging deadline, a conventional design to build approach may not work. Sometimes we have to fast-track a project by starting construction before the design is complete. Not every contractor can manage this type of technique, but we have the experience to successfully deliver projects using this approach.

On some projects, we may use building information modeling, or BIM, technology to coordinate building systems prior to construction. This helps resolve possible issues before they actually occur in the field and throw off the project schedule or increase the budget.

When building clients need to keep a budget tight, we work with designers to find cost-effective solutions that still meet the owner’s expectations. This might include finding alternative material types or suggesting minor modifications to building systems. No matter what, we communicate openly and honestly about the pros and cons of each design decision from a cost and schedule perspective, allowing the owner to make informed decisions.

On any project, the client’s major concerns are time and money. Generally, both are limited. Finding the best approach to mitigate these two risks is our goal.

Rather than locking owners into a single way of doing things, our tools and processes allow our clients flexibility in getting the results they want at the cost they expect.

Angelo Bradford is the vice president of operations at CMSWillowbrook.