How To Hire A Construction Manager

A Guide for Oklahoma Local Government

As a professional discipline, Construction Managers have been assisting building owners in Oklahoma for many years but was formalized by the Legislature in the year 2000. This was an important milestone, clearly establishing Construction Management (CM) in the public sector, in harmony with industry best practices. In addition, the legislation also defined a Construction Manager as a professional consultant, established qualifications and certification requirements and created a State Registry. Only firms approved by the State of Oklahoma may provide Construction Management Services on Public Projects.

Since 2000, numerous updates to the CM statues in Title 61 have occurred. However, for political Subdivisions (cities, counties, school districts and public trusts), there remained some degree of ambiguity on the requirements for selecting a Construction Manager and the basic procedures for a public project. During the 2019 legislative session, HB 2666 was passed and signed into law, effective January 1, 2020. This important legislation created a new section of Title 61, entitled the “Public Construction Management Act for Political Subdivisions” this Act clarified basic requirements for local government entities in regard to CM selection.

What is Construction Management

Construction Management (CM) broadly includes services that may be performed “pre- construction and during construction. Specifically, state law defines CM as: “A public construction project delivery method based on an agreement whereby the owner acquires from a construction entity a series of services that include, but are not necessarily limited to, design review, scheduling, cost control, value engineering, constructability evaluation, preparation and coordination of bid packages and construction administration.

Six simple steps for Hiring a Construction Manager

Step 1. Request a list of Qualified Construction Managers from the state agency.

Step 2. Decide on which firms you would like to consider.

Step 3. Invite the designated firm(s) to submit a Proposal.

Step 4. Evaluate the Proposal(s).

Step 5. Invite the selected firm to contract negotiations.

Step 6. Award the contract. Depending on the structure of the owner.

Summary

Engaging a Professional Construction Manager adds value to any public construction project from the initial planning phase through project closeout. While the architect is valued for their design vision and technical details of the project, the CM brings conceptual budgeting grounded on real world costs. This is especially beneficial in the pre-project phase, assisting with pre-bond planning based on conceptual programming.

Working side-by-side with the owner and architect during the design phase, the CM provides continuous cost control by evaluating design decision and, where appropriate, offering alternative where the project may be over the budget. This process ultimately allows not only the “must haves” but also finds ways to incorporate “would like to have” priorities of the owner. The result is a project that maximizes the available funding, ensures the project is in the budget on bid day and ultimately maximizes value for the public owner.

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By John Morrison, QA/ QC Manager, CMSWillowbrook