Owner Support Services

Professional Schedule Management Consulting

PCSS has over 30 years of experience in providing scheduling support services to both owners and contractors. The schedule reviewer must know what the contractor shows in his schedule at all times, so the owner is not blindsided later. Catching potential delays issues early allows the owner to direct the contractor to take steps to either avoid or minimize their effects upon the contract-imposed milestone completion dates.

Program / Project Master Schedule (PMS)

On larger projects or programs, it is important to have a project master schedule (PMS) to help guide the owner’s team though the pre-construction process activities. The PMS coordinator will prepare the schedule at a very early stage to show the development of the original design concepts, the selection of the A/E team, the development of final design documents, and the selection and awarding of the contract to the contractors. The PMS should also show the owner’s responsibility to coordinate and manage the turning over of the work sites when the contractors are ready for them.

Constructability (Peer) Review of Project Plans, Specifications, and Contracts

PCSS has the capability to form a highly-qualified team of construction professionals to review and comment upon the plans, specifications, and contracts submitted by the A/E team. This is called a peer or constructability review for purposes of finding potential change order issues or delaying issues up front, before the contractor bids on this work. Doing so may reduce the required contingency to be set for the project and the overall costs.

Professional Staff Augmentation of Owner’s Staff

PCSS can meet your construction staffing needs by augmenting your in-house staff with our professionals, with such experts as program/project managers, construction managers, project engineers, schedulers, contract administrators, inspectors, and constructability reviewers.

Review and Comments Regarding the Contractor’s Baseline Schedule Submittal

The baseline schedule is one of the most important documents on the project site. Every baseline schedule deserves a high degree of attention to detail and work sequences, as it shows the contractor’s original plan for performing their work. The schedule reviewer must verify that the contractor’s work plan is reasonable and productive. Anything negatively affecting the baseline schedule may delay the project, so the schedule reviewer must make certain the baseline shows all work scope and enough detail so potential delays can be spotted as early as possible and managed.

Review and Comments Regarding the Contractor’s Progressed Schedule Submittals

The schedule reviewer will be looking for numerous issues as the construction schedule is updated each reporting period. Examples of potential problems are: deleted or added activities; illogical or unnecessary relationship changes; work out of sequence issues; work not starting or finishing on time; and work showing delays, but could be performed concurrently with other work. PCSS uses specialized software to provide the most thorough review possible.

Report and Analysis of Contractor’s Progress to Date

Keeping the contractor working to its baseline schedule plan requires tracking several parameters to make certain the progress is sufficient to meet contract-specified milestone completion dates for the project. If even one activity on the project’s critical path is delayed one day, that day, by definition, cannot be recovered…and the project will be one day late. The schedule reviewer must have the experience and tools to detect these potential delay issues, and avoid the cost associated with overrunning the contract specified duration.

Report and Analysis of Contractor’s Earned Value and Verification of Payment Application

Some projects call for cost-loaded schedules. This is an extra expense for the contractor; however, doing so allows the owner to examine the contractor’s progress, both in terms of time and in dollars. Another possible benefit from cost loading is that it may also be used to understand the future cash flow needs of the project, possibly affecting the issuance of bonds. Lastly, a cost-loaded schedule may be used to further substantiate and reconcile the contractor’s payment application each period.

Report and Analysis of Contractor’s Submitted Change Orders

Change orders are required to be incorporated into the construction schedule as soon as they are negotiated and approved by both parties. The schedule reviewer must verify the added or deleted work scope shown in the change order is correctly shown in the schedule. To assist the owner’s team, PCSS recommends adding one of our specialists to assist with managing the entire change order reviewing, negotiating, and approval process.

Request Recovery / Revision Schedules from Contractor as required

When the contractor’s progress is not meeting the schedule requirements, or work is being re-sequenced without prior approval to meet field conditions, the schedule reviewer will direct the contractor to submit a separate recovery or revision schedule showing the new work plan. These submittals allow the owner to look over the contractor’s proposed changes before they are incorporated into the construction schedule of record.

Project Budgeting and Tracking

By using cost-loaded schedules, the schedule reviewer may perform certain project-related budgeting and tracking services. This may mean gathering detailed cost information from the construction schedule in such a manner that allows the data to be used in the owner’s accounting system for its internal financial reports.

Onsite Construction and Project Management Support

PCSS has an experienced staff of professionals. Onsite staffing may include construction managers, project engineers, engineers, schedulers, cost estimators, contract administrators, change-order specialists, document control experts, and safety inspectors.

Closeout Coordination and Project Turnover

PCSS has expertise in project take-over, commissioning, and final project turnover to the owner for its intended use. This may mean assisting with and coordinating the owner’s personnel in making the transition to their new quarters. It also means coordinating the final inspections, utility connections, and final verification all systems are operational and meet performance specifications.

Certification of Project by Governing Agency (i.e., DSA)

Gaining governing agency acceptance and certification is not always easy to do. In the case of the Division of State Architect for California (DSA), the certification process can take one year or more after the project is turned over for use. This process can be sped up considerably by making the DSA inspections and paperwork the number-one priority of the owner’s team, right from the beginning of the project, by keeping track of all relevant paperwork.

Report and Analysis of Contractor Disruptions, Delays, and Request for Time Extensions

Once a contractor places the owner on notice that it is experiencing a disruption or delay to its field operations, the schedule reviewer will begin an assessment of these delays shown in the contractor’s time impact analysis (TIA) and later in the construction schedule submittals. If these delays appear to have some merit, the schedule reviewer will instruct the contractor what steps it should take to mitigate or avoid the delays.

Report and Analysis of Contractor’s Potential or Reported Schedule Delay Claims

If the contractor submits a schedule delay-related construction claim, the schedule reviewer will perform his own schedule delay analysis to confirm or deny the contractor’s allegations. This type of analysis is very detailed and thorough, as the opinion may undergo examination by the contractor’s legal staff and must be defended in a court of law.

Project Risk Assessment

Knowing the future impact of a known claimable disruption allows the owner to prepare internally for the worst-case scenario and the added cost to the project. The owner may decide to make a hard business decision, either to spend more money now to recover some or all of the days of delay, or simply let the process play out.

Litigation, Arbitration, and Mediation Support in Defense of Owner

PCSS is prepared to defend the owner from the contractor’s construction claim, if the contractor cannot properly substantiate its allegations.