Grant Projects tailors a menu of services on every project to meet the Owner’s specific objectives utilizing well-defined project management systems and controls to continually assess and mitigate the Owner’s risk.

In this case, Risk is broadly defined as everything ranging from budgeting, zoning review (entitlements), environmental, design, contracts, construction, change orders, schedule, and quality control issues that can impact the overall success of the project.

The depth of our involvement is prescribed by the Owner. Whether it be running the entire project for business professionals without an in-house design and construction team, conducting oversight on a development partner on behalf of an equity partner, or providing support on a select and limited basis to an Owner, the scope and assemblage of services are tailored to meet the specific needs of the Owner.

Due-Diligence & Acquisitions

In evaluating any development opportunity, the initial forecasts on entitlements, budget, and schedule are essential in ensuring the basis of the opportunity is sound. Identifying the floor and ceiling to both apparent and hidden risk and articulating a space with which the project will perform is an essential fiduciary role. Grant Projects’ value is in its expansive ability to forecast and marshal exercises to map and qualify risk in tangible ways.

THESE SERVICES OFTEN INCLUDE:

  • Review of the design, zoning, budget, and contract documents to determine the completeness of the scope, adherence to budget, an opinion of schedule, and key aspects of the project which may pose a risk to the project’s schedule, budget, or quality
  • Prepare an estimated draw schedule
  • Visit the site on a monthly basis to evaluate the progress and quality of the construction
  • Review the contractor’s application for payment and provide recommendations to such application
  • Review the status of the project’s insurance documentation

Property Condition Report

In evaluating any development opportunity with an existing asset, Grant Projects can mitigate important aspects of risk by evaluating a structure to identify apparent and possible hidden aspects of risk and provide recommendations on how to mitigate and responsibly address those risks prior to advancing the deal.

THESE SERVICES OFTEN INCLUDE:

  • Visiting the site and evaluating the physical conditions of the land and pre-existing structure
  • Developing Capital Improvement Budgets to stabilize any immediate physical needs on the site and structure
  • Review the site’s zoning, environmental status, and identify other jurisdictional encumbrances which may impact the Development Project
  • Preparing a Development Narrative to assist in determining a strategy for development in terms of use and type
  • Preparing a corresponding Preliminary Development Budget to evaluate the selected Development Strategy to assist in preparing a financial structure to the Development Project
  • Coordinate initial planning studies, drawings, and renderings to assist in preparing the Development Deal Book

Design Management and Value Engineering Services

The first step in properly executing a design is to develop a detailed program and budget which supports the Development intent and to select and properly contract the correct design professionals that will be need to design, engineer, and permit the project. Beyond hiring the design professionals, an invested approach to managing design decisions, implementing and maintaining a design schedule, consistently monitoring costs, and supporting a granular level of problem solving is key to each and every project.

THESE SERVICES OFTEN INCLUDE:

  • Organizing the Development Intent into a workable design program, development design schedule, and development budget
  • Selecting a properly qualified team of consultants and retaining them in consultancy agreements that establish meaningful terms and conditions and exacting requirements for the performance of services
  • Conducting design coordination meetings to support and monitor the coordination of all consultants with particular regards to areas of the project which have special requirements or are sensitive or complex in nature
  • Developing an entitlements strategy to navigate and achieve the permitting requirements established by all governing agencies within the local municipality
  • Identify and coordinate Owner pre purchase items
  • Provide management and oversight to any and all FF&E and OS&E design and procurements
  • Identifying key strategies to value engineer the project and reduce costs
  • Provide oversight in developing a site logistics plan
  • Attend key municipal approval meetings to reduce permitting delays
  • Perform quality control assurance reviews on specified items and relevant construction details
  • Review all consultant invoicing, negotiate any change orders, and track all consultant costs and payments

Contract Documents

The Contract Documents are the fundamental basis for the hard cost basis/expenditure of the project and special care and attention beyond the oversight and standard of care by the design consultants is required for any given project to effectively mitigate risk to the Owner. A set of contract documents typically includes the design drawings, a set of specifications, bidding documents, and the form of agreement for the construction contract. The process of completing the design and investing in a full set of contract documents requires a fully invested constructability review and a granular level of coordination of each design discipline.

THESE SERVICES OFTEN INCLUDE:

  • Conducting document reviews of the design drawings, specifications, and filings for errors and omissions
  • Provide recommendations of propriety building products and systems based on our experience
  • Provide a detailed “constructability” review and provide recommendations on how to mitigate cost and performance risk on any given detail or assembly
  • Prepare a bidding “short list” of preferred contractors
  • Prepare instructions to bidders to control and properly execute the bidding process
  • Level all received bids, manage and coordinate inquiries by bidders, and prepare final award recommendations
  • Negotiate all final bid proposals
  • Prepare the Contract for Construction and manage all inter-attorney reviews up to and through contract execution
  • Assist in preparing and implementing the required Owners’ forms of insurance

Owner Procurements

In many cases, the Owner is afforded cost saving by purchasing select components for the project outside of the contract for construction. These items usually include HVAC equipment, elevators, low voltage systems, furnishing, and other select types of equipment. Identifying the program requirements and packaging the design documents into a purchase agreement requires a significant level of coordination and management.

THESE SERVICES OFTEN INCLUDE:

  • Identifying and reviewing the advantages of a pre-purchase strategy at the beginning of the project
  • Identifying a pool of bidders for each purchase and conducting the bidding process, preparing the purchase agreement, and providing oversight and coordination to its installation within the overall project
  • Managing the design of the project’s FF&E, selecting and contracting an FF&E procurement contractor, and providing oversight to the scheduling and logistics of the FF&E installation
  • Managing any proprietary Owner agreements for contained scopes of work within the overall development project

Construction Oversight

During the process of construction, the Owner is exposed to their highest level of risk. Hidden conditions, cost over runs, schedule delays, water, quality control problems, in-field coordination, and design errors have the potential to significantly impact the success of any given project. A well experienced project manager who represents the Owner and is capable of understanding what is at stake in and how to advantageously resolve each and every technical development in the project is critical to protecting the budget, schedule, and quality of the project.

THESE SERVICES OFTEN INCLUDE:

  • Chairing and Conducting Construction Coordination meetings with the Contractor and Design Consultants
  • Preparing and monitoring a construction schedule
  • Maintaining and controlling all construction related insurance documentation
  • Performing continuous site inspections of the progress and monitoring quality control systems
  • Identify select mock-ups and provide coordination and oversight for their implementation
  • Reviewing all key shop drawing submissions for completeness of review and coordination requirements
  • Coordinating and monitoring Design Submissions for schedule
  • Reviewing and maintaining permit status
  • Resolving field conditions and design problems in the field
  • Coordinating and providing oversight to all controlled inspections
  • Provide oversight and inspection review to MEP system with regards to access and maintenance during the installation process.
  • Reviewing and processing contractor applications for payment
  • Reviewing, independently estimating, and negotiating contract change orders
  • Coordinating utility and service provider liasons with Owner
  • Oversee and manage punch list and close out
  • Coordinate and provide oversight to system start up and commissioning
  • Oversee assemblage of close out documentation
  • Coordinate and provide oversight to permit close out and final certificate of occupancy

Project Oversight

(For Lenders and Equity Partners)

For Lenders and Equity Partners, understanding the quality and status of any given project at acquisition and continuously assessing risk during the design and construction phases is a critical component to any deal or asset manager executing fiduciary oversight to the investment. Having a familiarity with institutional lenders is instrumental in establishing meaningful communication with the lender’s asset management team. By typically providing monthly reports, the lender can independently monitor the status of the project and be appraised to any change in the development’s risk profile on a timely basis.

THESE SERVICES OFTEN INCLUDE:

  • Review of the design, zoning, budget, and contract documents to determine the completeness of the scope, adherence to budget, an opinion of schedule, and key aspects of the project which may pose a risk to the project’s schedule, budget, or quality
  • Prepare an estimated draw schedule
  • Visit the site on a monthly basis to evaluate the progress and quality of the construction
  • Review the contractor’s application for payment and provide recommendations to such application
  • Review the status of the project’s insurance documentation
  • Anticipate and forecast the following month’s activities
  • Review change order negotiations
  • Identify other types of risks with regards to non-payments, over-billings, labor disputes, long lead ordering schedule, shop drawing submittals, RFI expediting and others
  • Review all close out materials and provide oversight to the closing of the contract for construction