10:25-11:50pm Driving Collaboration With Design Teams

10:25am: Working With Designers to Effectively Integrate Budget & Design in Target Value Delivery

• Establishing awareness of the impact that design and budget iterations can have on the budget assigned to other scopes of work
• Adjusting the target budget on scopes of work to mitigate the impact of design iterations on the overall project budget
• Creating cross-functional teams for each scope of work to more effectively track and break down Target Value Delivery

Ben Evelsizer, Preconstruction Manager, Poettker Construction

Ryan Diekemper, Vice President of Preconstruction, Poettker Construction 

11:10am: Case Study: How We Established a Collaborative Relationship With Designers That Prioritized Client Requirements

• Uncovering how we confirmed the scope and responsibilities of designers vs. contractors upfront to ensure both teams are working towards the same goal
• Discussing when and why we decided to create hold points throughout preconstruction to ensure the anticipated project outcome meets client requirements
• Revealing how we utilized client feedback and concerns to tailor project outcomes to meet their expectations

Scott Koontz, Vice President of Estimating LEED AP, Jendoco Construction Corp

Melanie Buzgan Dower, Principal, Director of Culture, Rothschild Doyno Collaborative

11:50pm Lunch Break

1:00-1:40pm Resolving Conflict in the Design Phase

1:00pm: Case Study: How We Integrated Multiple Technology Platforms to Make Project Updates More Streamlined for All Partners

• Mapping out the current technology stack and their data sharing agreements to identify existing integrations, data flows, redundancies and blind spots
• How we managed the flow of data across multiple platforms to ensure all project partners could access real-time updates
• How we found effective workarounds to the lack of a universal software to reduce the labor intensity of integrating multiple software platforms

Amr Raafat, Chief Innovation Officer, Windover Construction

Andrew Rice, Chief Estimator, Windover Construction

1:50pm Afternoon Refreshments & Networking

10:15-11:50pm Optimizing Preconstruction Training

10:25am: Panel Discussion: Developing a High-Quality Training & Development Program to
Upskill Your Estimating Team More Quickly & Efficiently

• Creating a comprehensive training program including software and processes to ensure estimators acquire a broad skillset quickly
• Utilizing real-world case studies to help them gain practical insights with immediate project application
• Providing ongoing learning opportunities to address weakness and changing industry demands to ensure your organization remains the contractor of choice

Paul Peters, Vice President of Preconstruction, MMC Contractors

Klint Kimball, Director of Preconstruction, Flintco

Sarah Forrest, Chief Estimator, Hensel Phelps

11:10am: Developing Your Department’s Understanding of Specialty Construction Scopes to Ensure They Feel Confident to Provide Accurate Estimates on Behalf of Trades

• Providing training on specialty construction scopes such as concrete, wood and steel to enable them to provide more confident and accurate estimates
• Developing the ability of your estimators to ask informed questions of trade contractors and ensure thorough project coverage
• Scheduling time for estimators to visit job sites to provide them with a broader understanding of more complex systems

Greg Sherwin, Vice President of Preconstruction, The Annex Group

11:50pm Lunch Break

1:00-1:40pm Building the Best Preconstruction Team

1:00pm: Investigating Alternative Approaches to Recruitment Through Community Outreach to
Widen Your Labor Pool of Viable Preconstruction Professionals

• Working with educational institutions to develop programs that fit the requirements of preconstruction to widen your future labor pool
• Improving your department wide diversity and inclusion policy to ensure this actually plays through to candidate selection and screening
• Developing a veteran program that taps into the skilled talent pool of disciplined workers to enhance the expertise and dedication of your preconstruction team

Kevin Powell, Director of Preconstruction, Live Oak Contracting

1:50pm Afternoon Refreshments & Networking

10:15-12:10pm Leveraging Effective Project Management

10:25am: Keeping Your Finger on the Pulse of Labor & Market Conditions to Stay in Control of
Your Projects

• Understanding how you can effectively monitor labor and market conditions to aid your proactive cost control
• Analyzing regional variations in costs of materials and labor to optimize your budgeting decisions and assist your contractors in procurement
• Mitigating the impact that delays due to market and labor conditions can have to boost construction team engagement

Phil Larson, Program Manager of Cost Engineering, Sound Transit

11:10am: Audience Discussion: Onboarding Contractors Earlier to Better Leverage Their Expertise in the Creation of Early Release Packages

• Investigating the positive impact that early release packages can have on supply chain management and delays
• Identifying the main challenges with Early Release Packages to ensure yourself and your contractors are equipped to tackle them should they occur
• Addressing the question of warranty with Early Release Packages to prevent conflict and claim during construction

11:50pm Lunch Break

1:00-1:40pm Future Frontiers of Preconstruction

1:00pm: Moon Construction: Estimating Time & Cost for Extreme Conditions

• Comparing extreme conditions projects, here on Earth in contrast to Moon Construction. What considerations are a must for cost reliability
• What technologies are being used to help predict causality and its effect on the estimate contrasting to Actual reality when constructing on the moon
• Demonstrating location based estimating spread sheet that introduces X,Y,Z to the traditional estimating format
• Examine how means and methods have exponential impact if not considered appropriately during the estimate.

Paul Martin, Construction Cost Estimating & Analysis Instructor, UC Davis

1:40pm Afternoon Refreshments & Networking

10:25-11:50pm Fostering Transparency With Project Partners

10:25am: Involving Trade Contractors Earlier in Preconstruction Regardless of Delivery Method, to Build Trust & Transparency From the Outset

• Analyzing the ROI of engaging trade contractors earlier to assess the necessity of early trade involvement to provide clients with more precise preliminary budgets
• Demonstrating your commitment to trade partnerships through early hiring and involvement to build trust and confidence in the relationship
• Leaning on trade contractors for their expertise in navigating supply chain issues to enhance a smoother project delivery and cost control

Mark Samoylovich, Project Manager of Preconstruction, Momentum Inc.

Mark Alguard, President & Director of Client Strategy, Momentum Inc.

11:10am: Audience Discussion: Sharing Budgeting Responsibility With Trade Contractors to Facilitate Early Problem Identification & Prevent Costly Delays

• Involving trade contractors in the budgeting process to ensure more accurate estimates by tapping into their up-to-date trade-specific knowledge
• Conducting transparent budget adjustments to reduce the risk of sudden budget overruns due to a lack of communication
• Balancing budgeting responsibility with trades to increase trade buy-in and budget certainty

Todd Bagwell, Senior Vice President of Preconstruction Services, Hourigan

11:50pm Lunch Break

1:00-1:40pm Optimizing Communication With The Field

1:00pm: Improving Information Transfer from Preconstruction to Operations to Reduce Preconstruction Involvement in Project Issues Later Down the Line

• Facilitating the seamless transfer of preconstruction information to operations through software and detailed briefings to reduce the need for extensive clarifications
• Providing a centralized platform for storing project details, reviews and revisions for streamlined access, analysis and activation
• Translating scope and constructability review findings into actionable insights for operations, enabling seamless integration into the construction plan

Charles Esteves, Preconstruction Director, Consigli Construction

1:40pm Afternoon Refreshments & Networking