Day One

• Exploring the principles of TVD and how this impacts traditional preconstruction workflows
• Achieving stakeholder buy-in to TVD and the shift in roles and responsibilities required
• Establishing feasible target budgets to balance scope and quality during the design phase

• Structuring design collaboration to reduce inefficiency by alternating architectural/ structural/civil and MEP-focused meetings every two weeks
• Integrating design and trade input early to bridge constructability feedback with design intent
• Keeping files and design documentation updated following the identification of inconsistencies to inform operations teams of design decisions
• Embedding operations and preconstruction teams together in budgeting so project managers co-own estimates from day one

Project Spotlight

• What resource investment is required to facilitate early design phase coordination?
• What are the roles, responsibilities and milestones for design-build projects to ensure successful outcomes?
• How can firms bolster their existing constructability review processes?

• Applying market context and escalation factors to relevant historical data to inform conceptual estimates
• Setting realistic contingencies in line with owner expectations and areas of high-risk
• Coordinating with design teams to ensure that your assumptions are correct and account for any missing details that can impact cost
• Assessing the potential for AI to streamline conceptual estimating, without compromising quality

• Engaging regional and office leadership to agree on procedures and close gaps in capability or process
• Driving consistency in SOP implementation through robust data governance and dissemination throughout the organization
• Facilitating effective communication and knowledge-sharing across offices to encourage continuous and informed innovation

• How does your team improve the accuracy of soft costs in conceptual estimates?
• What are best practices for communicating contingency and accounting for cost escalation?
• How do you adapt to project specific requirements on unique projects where historical cost-data is not as readily available?

• Automating the generation of updated costs and quantities as design changes are made
• Linking quantities generated to estimating software to inform budgets, real time
• Discussing the challenges of scaling model-based estimating across all project types

• Discussing initial evaluation criteria to benchmark tools against organizational needs
• Working with vendors to adapt tools to existing workflows and make appropriate adjustments where required
• Evaluating and measuring long-term return on investment to inform future process innovation strategies

• How can you manage risk when introducing and training AI tools?
• What role and future role will large language models play in automating estimating?
• What data governance systems does your firm have in place to support AI roadmaps?

• Understanding tariffs from a client perspective: How do we manage exposure and risk in a changing market?
• Maintaining project financial feasibility while tariff impacts drive project cost
• Managing volatile vendor and material pricing during final stages of contact negotiations as it relates to pricing
• Exploring challenges of carrying additional contingency to mitigate tariff risk while staying competitive in the market

• Clarifying ownership of schedule development between operations and preconstruction
• Evaluating software tools that can enable efficient completion of simplified bid schedules
• Getting upfront clarity from owners on schedule risks such as land purchasing, utility sourcing and permitting to be accounted for
• Exploring different approaches to holding teams accountable to deadlines

• How do you coordinate technical systems between Owners, Designers, GCs and Trades?
• Where are the opportunities for optimization in the handover from preconstruction to operations?
• How can individuals make the transition from a more technical role into a project management remit?

• Educating owners on how excessive bidding requirements reduces trade contractor engagement
• Sharing trade contractor motivations for bidding work to help make projects more attractive
• Balancing owner demands for detailed breakdowns and multiple bids without overextending trade contractor resources and overheads

• Fostering collaboration with other trade contractors to split workloads or partner strategically
• Interviewing local trade partners to ensure alignment in mindset and establish expectations
• Fostering transparency with partnered trades to build a unified team culture and strong relationships into the future
• Implementing strategies for anticipating long-term staffing challenges despite initial commitments

Case Study

• What examples can you share where expectations between Trades & GCs were not managed and the impact this had on the project?
• What role does BIM modeling have for MEP trades?
• How do you break down specific cost estimates across different scopes of work?