| Our Pre-Construction Process Is Your Blueprint for Satisfaction |
| In order to fully meet your construction goals and requirements, you, Gilbert and the architect work as a team from the project's outset. By establishing a clear line of communication from the very beginning we can virtually eliminate all the ugly ''surprise'' change order costs and delays that are too often associated with construction projects. By working together with your priorities in mind we can also achieve many benefits not found in the traditional bid approach to construction. Our six-phase pre-construction process is designed to provide you with more control over the final expense of your project by keeping you will informed of cost options and value engineering alternatives.  At Gilbert Construction we are more than just contractors, we're facility consultants. We'll work with you up front to determine how you can best manage your real estate.
The Site Selection Phase At Gilbert construction we can assist you with the selection of your site. Whether through area brokers or through our own network of ''as of yet, unlisted properties'', we can help you locate and secure the site that best meets your needs. By working with you early in the process, we can not only address your need for visibility and access, but we can also factor in the additional costs you can incur due to topographic constraints, setback and easement restrictions, parking configuration and building orientation issues. We will also work with you to obtain the necessary zoning approvals and walk you through the various meetings with city planning staff members. The Development Phase The development phase is an area where Gilbert Construction corporation's 40 years of experience can help identify and eliminate problems that might otherwise prove to be costly as the project progresses. If you haven't yet selected an architect, we can also review your specific needs and recommend a firm with a proven ability to meet your requirements. Based on the project priorities eastablished by you, Gilbert and the architect, we will prepare a conceptual estimate summary and conceptual construction plan. Together, these documents will provide you with realistic costs and time frames for the design, construction and occupancy stages so that financing and other considerations can be established before the project proceeds to the schematic phase. The Schematic Phase When the design of your building proceeds to the point where schematic plans are developed, Gilbert prepares a preliminary cost projection based on a floor plan and scope of work survey. By building the projection from component costs, a high degree of accuracy is achieved early on in the project. Value engineering is also studied during the schematic phase, providing you with information concerning the cost and schedule impact of alternate systems and designs.  As designs are refined from the schematics, Gilbert works closely with the architect/engineer group to evaluate each construction component for cost effectiveness. During this phase we periodically provide you with cost options which will allow you to make knowledgeable cost control and design decisions. Once these decisions have been made, we prepare a revised cost projection so that you can see a realistic budget before extensive design costs are incurred. The Bidding Phase Keeping you well-informed and in control is the major objective of our priority approach, particularly in the bidding phase. When working drawings are complete, competitive bids are advertised and solicited on all subcontracts and materials. Once Gilbert has received and analyzed these bids, we provide you with a final estimate based upon completed working drawings and subcontractor/vendor bids. Our sub-contractor/vendor bids recap the individual bids, as well as our recommendations for awarding subcontracts and purchase agreements. A final cost option list is also prepared, detailing alternatives solicited from the subcontractors during the bid process. Once these options have been considered and the cost estimate finalized, a preliminary construction schedule is issued for the project. Throughout the pre-construction phase, Gilbert provides you with the information you need to make important cost and design decisions before construction starts. Experience has taught us that this is the most effective way to eliminate unnecessary costs and delays from a construction project. |