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Major Construction Project

A major construction project can take on many different forms, from the building of a new stadium to the construction of a massive aircraft carrier. A major construction project can cost billions of dollars and requires the most precise work to be successful.

A major construction project is built by a design team, which will consist of, at a minimum, an architect and construction manager. In most cases, a major construction project will also require interior designers, surveyors, engineers, developers and general contractors; accountants or other financial experts may be needed to monitor costs. In the past, many of these jobs were awarded to separate contractors. More recently, however, construction companies have worked to consolidate these roles.

A major construction project can be built using several methods. The traditional method is to use the design/bid/build approach, where an architect or engineer oversees the project. They handle the design, produce construction drawings, oversee bids and contracts and the building process itself. The links between the architect, the client and the main contractor are direct. The contractor can win a project through the lowest blind bid or through the construction manager at-risk method, where the contractor guarantees to deliver the project within a guaranteed maximum price. Instead of simply serving as construction manager, the contractor also serves as a consultant to the owner during the design and development processes.

The design-build method has been increasing in popularity over the past decade. In design-build, the owner doesn't hire an architect to design the project, then seeks bids from a contractor. In this case, the owner solicits bids from a architect/contractor teams, who develop their own designs and include complete design and construction costs in their bids. This is different from the traditional process, where the architect completes the design before the contractors put in their bids.

In the management procurement method, the owner holds the greatest amount of control. Instead of hiring an architect to handle the major construction project, or hiring a consortium, the owner oversees every part of the process. They hire the architect, the construction manager and, in many cases, the subcontractors. Proponents of this method believe it speeds up the procurement process and increases flexibility throughout the building process.

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