Overbudget? How to Value Engineer a Solution

It’s the feeling you get in your stomach—that dropping sensation when your commercial builder says, “We’re over budget.”

Your dream and your project funds don’t always align. Sometimes your design team creates the perfect building, down to the marble countertops in the downstairs employee bathroom, but it puts you right over the tipping point of “Too Much.”

Don’t give up hope because there’s a solution. We call it “value engineering,” and it could save your next commercial construction project.

What Exactly is “Value Engineering” in Commercial Construction?

Your facility’s rough draft drawings are completed, and we have a set of solid designs in hand. Now, our team employs a methodical, systematic process to obtain absolute project optimization.

We break down the cost-effectiveness, functionality, and overall value of your project and find the unique combination of pieces to save you money and time. That’s done by discovering areas to improve building performance, choosing cost and time-saving materials, and brainstorming innovative solutions to otherwise expensive problems.

?This is where a builder’s experience, dedication, and commitment really shine.

The Value Engineering Process

It all begins with a thorough assessment of the project requirements, budget constraints, timeframes, and goals.

Like King Arthur’s Round Table, our team collaborates with decades of knowledge, powerful computing software, and your must-have requirements. We’ll scour over your project, from end to end, looking for cost-saving opportunities and schedule improvements.

The next step is also everyone’s favorite: brainstorming. There’s something special about collectively and creatively imagining how to improve something, especially when done by a group of highly experienced professionals who enjoy what they do.

After the team creates a few possible solutions to project hurdles, we’ll move on to evaluating the actual feasibility of all proposed changes. The realistic impact of changes is assessed, with historical project data for a baseline.

Solutions will be prioritized on the basis of their overall cost and time effectiveness and ability to meet project objectives. The value-engineered solutions deemed effective, resource-saving, and up to the highest standards are incorporated into the building plans and monitored extensively as construction happens.

What are some of the techniques we use to value engineer commercial construction? That’s a great question!

Value Engineering Techniques for Commercial Construction

One of the first methods we’ll use is material substitution. This is exactly what it sounds like, and your project’s wall systems, roofing systems, floors, wires, ducts, and doorknobs, will all be analyzed to be the best option for your budget, style, and timeframe.

?Design modifications come next. For example, metal building systems arrive on-site, in the order they should be erected, with all the parts pre-drilled for easy and extremely accurate installation. Even so, this process can still be optimized using our team’s specific knowledge of the entire process.

Next, we’ll look at your systems integration. MEP, or “mechanical, electrical, and plumbing” systems will be chosen and designed to maximize overall system efficiency and reduce your maintenance costs.

This ties into a Life Cycle Analysis, where we assess your long-term costs and the benefits of different options. Owning your building will be more expensive over the long term than actually constructing it.

We want to make sure it keeps your energy costs low and is easily maintainable for years to come.

?The Importance of Value-Engineering

Your project goals and ours align. We both want to build the highest-quality facility with the lowest operating costs within your budget and timeframe. Value engineering is a critical step for overall project optimization and often saves owners thousands of dollars, hours of labor, and precious time.

Your builder’s experience plays a crucial role in value engineering. Using historical data, accurate timeline projections based on current data, and in-depth industry knowledge, the right builder can maximize your cost savings significantly.

Consult a professional, reliable firm for commercial construction, especially value engineering. Your choice can make or break your budget.

Need a consultation or have questions? We’re here to help. Call us at (316) 262-6654 or send us a message.