The Owner’s Representative is the Owner’s Advocate
As the owner of a building or facility project, your one and only goal is to turn your plans into results. With KC MASS as your Owner’s Representative our job is to make sure that your plans turn into the necessary and appropriate action that achieves your desired results. An Owner’s Representative also makes sure that this action is happening in a timely fashion and under a designated budget. If your primary business activity is something other than managing construction projects, an Owner’s Representative provides you with the technical support, time and dedication that are key to completing your project.
When deciding who your Owner’s Representative will be, you should consider this person or firm’s past experience and what your working relationship would look like. Projects can vary widely in scope, goals, budgets and schedules so it is important that who you choose to represent you has experience doing similar kinds of projects. Moreover, since you’ll be interacting with this person or team on a daily basis, you should make sure that they make you feel comfortable and confident in their work. Transparency and mutual communication are important for this relationship to work effectively.
Benefits of hiring an Owner’s Representative include:
Providing technical support and knowledge
Providing a team of experts
Saving time and money across the project
Managing and supervising budgets and project schedules
Managing conflicts within project entities and teams
When hiring an owner’s representative, there are two main characteristics that should be considered: experience and relationships. Take a look at the scope of your project and inquire about whether the candidate has similar or greater past experience in that kind of project. Obtaining candidates’ resumes, project portfolios, and problem-solving and success stories, are effective ways to identify if a candidate’s experiences match your individual requirements for your project to be carried through successfully. Additionally, as the project owner, you will be interacting on a daily basis with an Owner’s Representative and his/her team. For this reason, it is crucial that you hold a good relationship with this individual. Team communication and trust are key components to build a strong relationship with your Owner’s Representative.
Why is Owner’s Representation necessary?
In a construction project, the probability of going over budget and schedule is very high. General contractors can offer attractive but potentially unrealistic proposals to try and win a project. Project delays and incongruences can emerge and result in serious conflicts and legal challenges. An Owner’s Representative can help mitigate these potential issues before they arise and help owners achieve their goals for the project within the desired budget and schedule.
When don’t you need an Owner’s Representative?
Owner’s Representation may not be useful for projects that can be managed by skilled DIY’s, in-house maintenance or operations staff. Sometimes projects and budgets aren’t a good fit for comprehensive Owner’s Representation support and services.
What is the difference between an Owner’s Representative and other project roles?
An Owner’s Representative, a construction manager and a project manager could all work on the same building or facility project, so what’s the difference?
A project or construction manager and an Owner Representative are similar in their tasks; they all oversee a project’s budget, schedule, workers, and make decisions when issues arise. The difference between an Owner’s Representative and a typical project or construction manager, is to whom they report to.
An Owner’s Representative works for the best interest of the owner and intervenes and advocates for the owner’s goals for the project. Project and construction managers oversee their own team’s work for the service they’re offering and would work only for their firm’s benefit and interests.
The owner of a project must interact with the different entities that make the project possible: government agencies, lawyers, engineers, contractors, architects, occupants, etc. An Owner’s Representative is hired to assist with managing these interactions for the benefit of the owner and project. A construction or project manager is solely responsible for their portion of the project.
Program Manager:
Someone who manages the design, construction, and roll out of several projects for the same firm
Oversee and allocate resources for various construction projects
Work closely with engineers and architects
Develop plans, establish timetables, and determine labor and material costs
Tenant Representative:
More commonly seen in real estate negotiations
Hired by the development company or owner of the project
Look for the ideal location
Short-term management and deal for its client
Project Manager:
Prepares or modifies designs for projects
It can be an architect, engineer, or an interior designer
Anyone who specifies and alters designs as part of their work