COMPANY OVERVIEW

The TOLER CARR GROUP (TCG) is an emerging WBE/MBE Company.

Susan Toler Carr, PE formed TCG in 2009 to provide Professional Services including Planning, Design, Project and Construction Management, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Owner Representatation for a variety of projects.

PROJECT APPROACH

The Toler Carr Group (TCG) has the ability and responsibility to manage the contracts with the other project design team members and to monitor and coordinate the activities of all parties involved in the planning, design and subsequent construction of the Project project.

As your multi-disciplined Representative, TCG’s approach to a quality design will require teamwork and team building.

Project planning and scheduling will involve developing a workable approach to the project and obtaining commitments from the project participants.

TCG also recognizes that for any project to succeed - leadership, teamwork, and a well-planned strategy are all imperative.

Key project imperatives include:

Value Engineering Return To Key Project Imperatives

Value engineering has several definitions in the industry. It means having the team finding the right material or product, system or approach for the application/use while considering the Owners requirements or desired criteria outcome.

TCG will review, with the team, alternative approaches to design, materials, and construction methods for the project. Suggestions that reduce the project cost may sometimes not be the only answers to achieving the best value to the Owner.

The objective will also be to closely monitor and track the established budget. Any time deviation occuring from the established budget, eaises a “red flag”.

TCG understands the importance of staying on track with project costs and schedule and its importance to the overall team.

TCG shall establish a project organization to manage the work and shall coordinate and review the services performed by the various design consultants.

Action Plan Return To Key Project Imperatives

A Detailed Project Action Plan will be developed that will identify and incorporate the major plan check, permitting issues, long-lead items, design and construction activities, and sequence the activities into a critical path schedule format based on input from the project team. It will represent a realistic and comprehensive guide for executing the project.

Preliminary Project Schedule Return To Key Project Imperatives

A detailed Project Schedule will be developed by the team to incorporate all major design activities for the project utilizing the designated methodology.

The schedule will incorporate the design development process. The test of a good schedule is one that causes questions to be asked as to whether the drawing packages should be issued together or separately. It will identify the areas where City planning and permitting expediting will be required and establish drop-dead dates for bid packages or staggered bid packages. It challenges the design and construction teams to think of more effective/efficient ways to construct either for the reason of logistics and/or time management.

Once the design begins, a two-week look-ahead schedule will be developed on a weekly basis that further breaks down the design activities into daily
activities.

Contract Negotiations Return To Key Project Imperatives

Once all project elements have been reviewed and discussed with the Owner, Contract negotiations for the project can proceed. All documents including proposal documents, work program, schedule, cost, etc. will be integrated into and made part of the Contract.

Design Development Return To Key Project Imperatives

During the Design Development (DD) phase, the project documentation necessary to manage the design and engineering process will be developed.
The management process will include a Quality Assurance-Quality Control (QA-QC) program. Hopefully, the Building Information Modeling (BIM)
programs will be instituted along with the constant and frequent checking the design documents, so conflicts can be avoided and errors/omissions can be eliminated.

Construction Documents Return To Key Project Imperatives

The final Construction Documents (CD) will be prepared based on the approved DD documents. These developed CD’s will ensure compliance with the Owner’s criteria, code compliance, environmental permitting compliance, critical schedule adherence and avoidance of costly changes of work.

Both the design and potential construction professionals should be involved in determining content and format for the final Construction Documents. “Bid packages” may also be appropriate for:

  • Long Lead purchases
  • Fast-Track subcontracts
  • Fast-Track bid packages

Permitting Return To Key Project Imperatives

Permitting is often the most critical elements of the schedule for the entire project.

TCG will make early identification of all permits required and prepare a comprehensive permit management matrix that will be used to track all permit applications.

Frequent communication with the agencies to determine the status of permit applications will usually serve to expedite the process.

Project Communications Return To Key Project Imperatives

TCG will also develop a complete understanding to realize the Owner’s needs and to fully address the unique challenges that this project has to offer.

Once an understanding is reached, TCG can develop the project operations, procedures, tracking, and reporting methods.

Also, critical to the project communications will be the format in which the information will be shared.

As noted before, TCG can recommend the web-based communication mediums for the sharing of all project information.

Using the most current technological tools available to the design and construction industry will be necessary.

Determining which products and systems can maximize the involvement of all parties and maintain the speed and efficiency of voice, data and video communications.

Systems will also be identifies which will enable email meeting scheduling, correspondence and transference of documentation.

Conceptual Cost Estimate Return To Key Project Imperatives

It is critical that within this time frame project cost analysis must be made, time allocated for potential design document modifications, City planning and permitting acquired, as well as construction documents issued, bid process and reviews completed.

Accurate conceptual budgeting is an important capability necessary to guide design process decisions to achieve the budget objectives of the project.

The pre-construction phase of the project is the most critical time to cause and effect significant direction and/or changes.

Working with the Architects & Engineers, TCG will manage this effort. The first estimate that should be prepared is a conceptual estimate based on the current designs available. From the previous set of project parameters, the approximate quantities of the building systems can be established, tracked and changed as the project development continues.

Project Monthly Reporting Return To Key Project Imperatives

This report will be generated on a monthly basis. It will include reviews of the overall project schedule, design status & challenges, agency approvals, issues, action plans, budgets.

Constructability Analysis Return To Key Project Imperatives

A pre-construction service that TCG highly recommends is having input into the design, primarily for constructability and cost management purposes.

Small changes or adjustments to a design can often allow for more efficient construction and/or sequencing of the work, thus reducing cost and adding value.

With the Architects and TCG’s collaboration during the drawing process, many of the surprises that typically plague a project can be eliminated. Also, a better understanding of the design intent is usually a result of the teamwork type approach.

One of the greatest risks to the overall project delivery process is the delay caused by inaccurate cost models and redesign time.

Our clients and their design team members have seen the value and benefits of these efforts, both in cost and quality.

Plan and Specification Review Return To Key Project Imperatives

TCG will perform a contractibility Analysis and Plan and Specification Review of the project documents.

Contract documents will be reviewed for compliance and coordination with local, state, federal, and ADA codes as they relate to construction materials or construction installation efforts.

The Plans and Specifications will also be reviewed for:

  • Bureaucratic Agencies Requirements
  • Compliance with the project budget and schedule
  • Coordination between trades
  • Design refinement of details
  • Coordination for use in the field
  • Environmental impact
  • Sequencing

Value Enhancement Return To Key Project Imperatives

TCG will review with the City, the Architects and the Design Team the proposed or specified materials, equipment, and systems and provide a list of value related options for consideration.

The object of the Value Enhancement process is to create value where it may not have been seen before. For example, if a substantially better product can be used for the same cost as the product specified, the team will want to review the product.

If there are important design elements that the Design Team feels are important to the project, you may elect to look at them only if the integrity is left fully intact. We will need to identify those elements that are important.

Quality Assurance Program Return To Key Project Imperatives

A Quality Assurance Program (QAP) will be developed and geared specifically for the Owner’s project.

The QAP is developed as a multi-faceted approach designed to assure that quality standards are met on all projects. Its primary purpose is to identify project-specific issues, which will require special attention in order to meet the quality criteria set forth in the plans and specifications.

The following are some of the items that will be covered in the QAP:

  • Principles
  • Awareness Programs
  • Standards and systems
  • Monitoring
  • Training and development
  • Improvement
  • First Reviews
  • Non-Compliance Actions
  • Customer Satisfaction