In today’s world of increasingly complex projects, rising construction costs, and aggressive schedules; a well-planned, constructible, quality design and associated contract documents are vital to executing a successful project on time and within budget. Identifying potential challenges and finding solutions in advance of construction reduces risk by decreasing the frequency and magnitude of change orders, claims, and delays caused by unforeseen issues.
Challenges with engaging contractors early in design may include potential for reduced innovation through contractor emphasis on cost and schedule, conflicting interests and/or suppression of designer interests, timing of subcontractors’ engagement, and successful establishment of trust and mutual respect. Despite potential obstacles to be overcome, there are far more advantages than disadvantages for designers collaborating with contractors in the early stages of the design process.
Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) provides an opportunity to formally engage one or more contractors early in the design process for input on constructability, cost, and schedule. A successfully administered ECI can result in improved constructability, cost estimation, profitability, feasibility analysis, and risk management through improved communication, collaboration, diversity in design expertise and construction knowledge.
Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) is an integrated project delivery method that supports these important project objectives; however, its successful implementation depends on a number of factors including the timing, type, capacity, and number of contractors engaged as well as how the results of the process are integrated into the final design and associated contract documents. Although a poorly executed ECI likely won’t be detrimental to a project, limited benefit may be realized relative to the time and money invested in the process.
