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Construction Management

Gehrtz Construction Services (GCS) is a full-service construction management firm that provides CMA, CMaR, and General Contracting as Construction Management Services, each offering unique benefits.

Construction Management Services

Construction Management Agency (CMA)

Using the CMA delivery method allows our team at GCS to have a close, cohesive relationship with the project owner and stakeholders. Brought into the design process early, we bring our expertise and experience when architects and designers are putting together drawing sets and bids. This close collaboration between teams leads to lower budgets, consolidated timelines, and fewer complications when construction begins.

Key Benefits of CMA include:

1. Enhanced Collaboration

  • Early involvement of CMs in the design process.
  • Seamless integration with design teams to minimize errors and miscommunications.
  • Decreased need for value engineering during the construction phase when design changes are most costly.

2.  Unbiased Oversight:

  • We do not self-perform work ensuring objective and thorough inspections of all project work.
  • All bids are circulated through the local market, promoting competitive pricing and high-quality outcomes.
  • 100% of our focus and attention is on acting as an extension of our team, we are not running our own construction crew in addition to managing the project.

3.  Owner Control with CM Input:

  • Though the owners ultimately manages subcontractor contracts and oversee pay requests, everything is first reviewed, verified and pre-approved by GCS before going to the owner.
  • GCS serve as a resource, assisting owners with paperwork and billing, ensuring all processes are completed correctly and on time.
  • All parties have direct communication lines with subcontractors, providing transparency and minimizing surprises in project costs.

We believe that it is absolutely necessary to the success of a project to have a CM team be unbiased and thorough when checking work done by contractors

Construction Management Services

Construction Management at Risk (CMaR)

Another common delivery method is CMaR. There are two main differences between CMA and CMaR. The first difference between these delivery methods is that under a CMaR model, GCS control all the subcontractor contracts and change orders. The second big difference between the two is that CMaR establishes a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for construction that is agreed upon before any work begins. While a GMP can give an owner peace of mind relating to their project budget, the upfront fees for hiring a CMaR are higher due to an increased risk for the CM.

It is worth noting, the GMP doesn’t guarantee that the project will be without change orders or high construction costs. A GMP simply give a CM control over all construction contingencies and the ability to hire subcontractors within that designated budget. Employing this method can encourage CMs to select low bids over higher ones – but low bids aren’t always the right fit for the project scope or team though they can help maintain budgets in the short term. Construction in this method can start before any drawings are finalized which can lead to miscommunications between the designers and the CM team. Those are often costly issues that the owner will need to solve.

One additional consideration when looking at CMaR is that CMs can self-perform work. (GCS does not self-perform work, even as a CMaR) As we discussed in the CMA section, this can lead to work being done that isn’t to the highest standard and mistakes being missed when checked by a CM. This also negates the need to enter a competitive bid market which could be a good or bad thing considering the local building scene. When using a CMaR method it is important that an owner trusts their CM completely due to the high level of control the CM has over the GMP, construction contingency, and selection of subcontractors. CMaR methods are generally most effective when approaching a large-scale, complex project with a team of owners that may lack extensive construction experience and could benefit from handing majority of control to a CM.

In the end, whether you select CMA or CMaR for your delivery method, if you are working with GCS, we will be sitting at the table alongside of you, representing your best interests every step of the way.