As we step into the new financial year, the surge in funding and new projects offers a unique opportunity for clients within the construction and procurement industries. Connecting with your framework to initiate early contractor engagement is pivotal in setting the groundwork for successful project execution and fiscal efficiency.
In this article, we will explore how early contractor engagement, clear communication and strategic planning can enhance outcomes and efficiency, ensuring successful project delivery.
The importance of future planning
Future planning allows contractors and firms to anticipate market trends, prepare for upcoming projects and allocate resources efficiently. For instance, a contractor aware of potential projects can strategically hire or train staff, secure necessary materials early at potentially lower costs and optimise equipment usage across sites.
Consider a scenario where a city announces a multi-year plan to upgrade its infrastructure. A firm that has early insight into this plan can begin training crews in the specific skills needed for infrastructure projects, such as bridge reconstruction or road widening. They can also negotiate long-term deals with suppliers for materials like concrete and steel, which might be cheaper to purchase in bulk ahead of time.
This early interaction prepares the contractors for the demands of upcoming projects and positions them competitively in bidding processes, as they can offer more accurate timelines and potentially lower costs due to better resource management.
Adapting to time constraints with diverse call off methods
All projects come with different time sensitivities, which is why it’s important to understand the call off methods that are applicable for your needs. Procure Partnerships offer direct award, single stage and two stage (design and build or build only) call off methods to accommodate different time constraints.
Direct award
Direct award is particularly valuable in scenarios where funding comes with tight deadlines. Direct award provides a streamlined approach that can be crucial for projects requiring rapid commencement. The ability to directly appoint a contractor eliminates potentially lengthy competitive tender processes, enabling work to start almost immediately and ensuring that funds are utilised within the fiscal periods. By engaging with a Framework partner, you can be assured that adequate compliance, commercial robustness and quality assurance will still be prevalent under a direct award call off.
Flexibility with single stage and two stage
When project timelines are flexible, the choice between single stage and two stage come more into play. Two stage facilitates earlier contractor involvement in the pre-construction phase, which is critical for mitigating risks and fine tuning project details with clients and other stakeholders. This method enhances project clarity and preparedness, leading to better managed expectations and outcomes. On the other hand, the single stage method focuses more on obtaining fixed commercials up front and quicker start on site times. In some instances, ideal for projects needing quicker turnarounds but still requiring careful time management.
If you want to weigh up the benefits and drawbacks of both single stage and two stage, check out our blog here to see which is the best call off method for your project.
Monitoring pre-construction activities and ensuring efficiency
Procure Partnerships helps in monitoring pre-construction activities, overseeing phases to enable progress runs smoothly. This is crucial for detecting any early issues and resolving them promptly, this in turn optimises the construction timeline and budget.
For example, a two-stage approach is generally used on projects which require early engagement and collaboration between contractor and client. It allows the contractor to influence the later stages of design.
Two stage projects are often seen as having a longer time frame before starting on site. However, they offer rigorous oversight and regular updates during the pre-construction phase. This not only keeps the project on track, but also builds trust and confidence between the client and the contractor, demonstrating that the additional initial investment in time can lead to a more predictable and successful project outcome.
Furthermore, the Pre-Construction Services Agreement (PCSA) is viewed with apprehension due to perceptions about its cost, however they are essential to the success of a two stage process. Ensuring key details such as durations, cost targets, realistic design and procurement programmes can help to control any variables which have the potential to lead to price escalation and delay. Procure Partnerships Framework monitors all PCSA periods under rigorous monthly project reporting to ensure all pre-construction activities are running as planned and any problems can be addressed.
Streamlining project management with programmes of works
Procure Partnerships can support with streamlining your project management. For instance, handling multiple small-scale projects simultaneously can be both time-consuming and complex. We can help develop a programme of works that allows us to procure a single contractor for all your projects, effectively consolidating multiple projects under one umbrella.
This simplifies coordination of these sites, and clients benefit from significant cost efficiencies—such as shared site facilities—which reduce the overall project expense. This model not only minimises administrative burden by dealing with a single contractor but also enhances resource utilisation, making it an ideal strategy for projects with diverse components.
In conclusion, engaging early with your framework and contractor can not only optimise resources use but also enhance project planning and execution.
Our capabilities extend across various sectors including infrastructure development, demolition, decarbonisation and retrofit. This allows us to undertake a wide variety of enabling works, particularly critical in larger projects where groundwork and preparation play a key role in the overall project success. By managing these diverse needs under one roof, Procure Partnerships Framework enhances project coherence and efficiency, ensuring that all preliminary and ancillary tasks are aligned with the main construction objectives.
As we embrace the new financial year, leveraging early framework and contractor engagement is key to maximising project success and financial efficiency.
