CONSTRUCTION & PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Construction & Project Management services are a highly valuable technical support that is required throughout the extensive execution processes involved in a construction project.

The aim of a Construction & Project Management mission is to create value and to avoid risks by coordinating and aligning the construction solutions with the technical and financial goals established by the client.

Top Management plans, manages and controls all the technical and financial resources involved in each and every stage of any project development as can be:

  • Time and cost planning (forecast & accruals)
  • Risk assessment and control
  • Project control
  • Licenses and authorisations’ management / Planing consent
  • Construction offers’ management & tendring process
  • Cost control throughout construction
  • Supervision of works / Site management
  • Commissioning and final acceptance

The final goal is to guarantee timings, costs and quality, by setting realistic goals, both in terms of deadlines and total investment figures.

Top Management’s team is comprised by seasoned professionals with hands-on experience in the construction industry such as: architects, engineers, construction managers, construction superintendents, quantity surveyors, schedulers and contract administrator experts.

PROJECT MONITORING

Top Management Services

The essence of Project Monitoring is to give clients objective information that allows them to make wise decisions about key issues to warrant a smooth construction process.

It’s the regular review and reporting of a project’s performance that can take place at any stage of a projects’ life-cycle from conception, through to construction and operation.

A Project Monitoring mission ranges from evaluating the construction manager, designer and contractors’ performance to monitoring schedules and analysing costs.

Top Management’s Project Monitoring services encourage project success by independently anticipating problems, identifying setbacks and recommending solutions that take into consideration the technical and financial goals established by the owner, developer and tenant.

Top Management’s clients benefit from the sound technical and financial recommendations suggested by the Project Monitoring teams which are comprised by in-house specialists who are experts in their fields.

If the customer finds himself in a situation in which he must take a decision, Top Management has previously provided him with all the necessary elements to make this decision quickly and precisely.

What is the mission of the Project Monitor?

The different type of missions of the project monitor are:

After completion of the technical due diligence for the acquisition of a plot of land or a group of buildings:

  • Support in the feasibility of a project
  • Establishment of the operation and support of the consulting phase / appointment of the project sponsor or general contractor
  • Monitoring the implementation of the project during the construction phase, including the rectification of construction defects.
  • Monitoring the completion phase

In addition, the Project Monitor must know how to adapt to technical and constructive developments, to ever tighter schedules and to new types of warehouses of the last mile, for example, in order to foresee administrative risks and to deepen the existing demolition phases, which could multiply.

What is the role of the Project Monitor?

The Project Monitor of the contracting authority covers several roles depending on the nature of the task, but in total must:

  • the technical support of the customer in the construction sector
  • the mediator between the various participants in a project
  • the guarantee for the overall data of the project (specifications, contract, etc.)

The responsibilities of a Project Monitor in a supervisory project include many skills and qualifications such as:

  • Preparation of relevant analyzes
  • Establishing a relationship of trust with the customer and those involved in the project
  • Communicate information in good time

In conclusion, the project monitoring specialist must have a “peripheral vision” in to master all the elements that contribute to the success of the construction project.

What are the project monitor’s tasks?

  • Advice and supervision of companies / planning offices
  • Analysis of documents: study, execution, plans, reports, etc.
  • Financial analysis: total offers, estimates, additional work, etc.
  • Analysis of study and implementation plans
  • Analysis of contract documents
  • Follow-up of administrative acts (participation in meetings with local authorities, etc.) from drafting to obtaining permits
  • Suggestion of alternative technical solutions
  • Organization and reporting of technical, administrative meetings, etc.

What are the advantages of hiring a Project Monitor mission for your next construction site?

  • Financial advantage through timely anticipation of constructive solutions and project adjustments
  • Financial advantage thanks to the technical and financial analysis of the offers, which makes it possible to identify the additional costs and to start negotiations
  • Ensuring smooth operations through regular monitoring and reporting
  • A smooth running of the administrative part and the obtaining of permits
  • Early detection of planning errors with proposed solutions in order to remedy them, identify deficiencies constructively and offer solutions to remedy them (commissioning an expert, etc.)

What’s the core of Top Management’s work within a Project Monitoring mission?

The heart of our way of working is proactive and transparent communication with our customers and employees. Various tools and actions are used for this:

  • Comprehensive analysis of the issues in advance and communication of the results so that the customer can make a final decision that is both adapted and ambitious at the same time.
  • Regular phone calls
  • Weekly, bi-monthly or monthly meeting
  • Regular reporting by report, by email
  • Mark-up on the documents to be analyzed

Why working with TOP Management as a project Monitor?

Global knowledge from industry, logistics, trade and offices for more than ten years offers our customers many advantages:

  • Partnership with experts in their field to deliver services
  • Responsiveness and diversity of the teams
  • Ability to manage exchanges in different languages
  • Understanding and adapting the teams to the working methods of the different countries
  • Creation of a close and transparent relationship with our customers through constant communication and an efficient reporting process
  • Knowledge of the latest technical and constructive developments and structural requirements, especially on a sustainable level

Sample projects developed by Top Management

As a company specialized in project monitoring, Top Management has worked on major projects on behalf of AMAZON, such as the construction of CARREFOUR with 130,000 m², the construction of CONFORAMA with 180,000 m² and various projects.

In addition, our team has carried out technical projects, such as the construction of a positive and negative cold store of 35,000 m2 in Lens.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

Program Management is the management of several projects at the same time and in parallel, from conception to delivery that permits the improvement of timing, cost and quality.

Top Management’s comprehensive program management services help clients keep multiple, interrelated projects in sync, on-time and within budget. Top Management helps developers, owners, financial institutions, insurance companies, etc to reduce their capital programs’ uncertainty and risk. As a Program Manager serves as a single point of management for the entire design and construction process, they streamline oversight, saving clients significant time and energy. At the same time they establish and maintain quality control standards throughout the process and reduce problems during execution.

Top Management´s program managers review every detail of all projects, set-up objectives, plan and prioritize, manage and control the project’s development and identify and solve problems. 

Our experienced professionals and technical staff work with the client to define, plan, implement and integrate every aspect of each project.

Program Management services include:

  • Providing a single point of management throughout the entire design and construction process
  • Developing the scope of work for various project participants
  • Assisting with selection of design, engineering, testing and inspection professionals
  • Maximizing front-end planning to expedite the construction process
  • Managing programming, planning, design and construction
  • Serving as an extension of our clients’ existing staff
  • Suggesting a variety of delivery systems for design and construction
  • Establishing and managing budget and schedule
  • Providing value engineering input and cost analysis
  • Preparing bid packages and managing the bid process
  • Establishing and maintaining quality control standards
  • Providing periodic reports reviewing the status of each project
  • Providing traditional construction management services

OUTSOURCED PM

At TOP MANAGEMENT we consider an Outsourced PM as an extension of both us and the client.

An Outsourced PM is a part of the client’s technical team with the advantage that they count with TOP MANAGMENT’s expertise.

Our services include:

  • Program planning, oversight, & controls
  • Master schedule development & updating
  • Master budget development & tracking
  • Design development/management
  • Bid support/RFQ-RFP development
  • Contract administration
  • Contractor management
  • Cost estimating
  • Value engineering
  • Project controls
  • Inspection & testing
  • Change order management
  • Claims management/mitigation
  • Dispute resolution

An Outsourced PM allows clients to increase their team with qualified and experienced people over a determined and extendable period of time.

PROJECT QUALITY, AUDIT & CONTROL

TOP MANAGEMENT is specialized in the industrial and commercial sectors. This has made us especially aware of the need to promote quality control, particularly in slab and roofing, and to incorporate quality experts in our teams.

Slab is a vital part of the construction process as it’s the base work tool for any industrial, commercial or logistic activity. This fact is reinforced if we also take into account the difficulty to carry out repairs with an ongoing activity, which in its turn affects the operability of the facility. Having a durable and low maintenance slab is fundamental. This is why Top Management invests so much time in controlling and auditing quality.

We analyze:

  • concrete mix design
  • steel fiber when applicable
  • joint design and layout
  • detail design

We monitor the process whilst the slab is being laid on site.

Roofing is also a major matter since roof leaks, if and when they occur, are a major cause of dispute between tenant and landlord. For this reason, TOP MANAGEMENT has set-up an extensive roof quality control system.

For TOP MANAGEMENT quality is a key issue. As a consequence, the firm has developed a quality tool to control and audit the whole construction process.

CAPITAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Advice to plan, manage and deliver large scale individual projects for the public and private sectors.

Capital projects are generally complex and involve many parties, risks and challenges which means that defining the type of governance is crucial.

In the design stage we offer:

  • Definition of the Project’s technical specifications
  • Risk analysis
  • Procurement strategy

In the procurement stage:

  • Contractor selection
  • Tender documentation
  • Tender analysis and comparison

In the contract phase:

  • Contract review
  • Technical attachment analysis

During construction:

  • Full monitoring of the process

DUE DILIGENCE

Carrying out a pre-construction / pre-acquisition due diligence before the purchase of property is essential to assess potential risks, to protect the interests of both the promoter / developer and for the development of any business project.

Top Management can assist with the:

  • Identification of risks, mitigating them, specially those inherent in the processes of disposing or acquiring real estate.
  • Determination of the nature and extent of all technical risks within a project.
  • Analysis of the statutory, procurement, contractual, construction, operational issues and related financial risks, all of which can influence the value of a project.

What is a Technical Due Diligence?

Each real estate project begins with the purchase of a property, a property, which is generally a highly complex object. That is why developers often ask for various advice: commercial / financial / and legal.

A Due Diligence will always be necessary when purchasing a property and at Top Management we specialize in the Technical Due Diligence part:

  • We analyze the technical conditions of the property that you want to buy.
  • We meticulously study the property.

Any company can hire these services according to their needs. At Top Management we specialize in the so-called Technical Due Diligence.

As a result, there is a difference between:

– Properties with existing buildings (Brown Field)

– Plots (Green Field) with no type of construction.

A Due Diligence not only focuses on the purchase of a property but on an exhaustive analysis of the whole project.

Every time we study a property, we analyze and decide if something new can be built or if an existing building could be integrated into the project.

For this evaluation, Top Management always takes the entire project into account.

The objectives of a Technical Due Diligence

The objectives of a Technical Due Diligence are mainly the following:

  • Systematic and well-founded evaluation to obtain an overall objective evaluation of the property
  • Detection and assessment of possible risks related to the planned project
  • Facilitation of the purchase decision from a technical point of view
  • Serve as a tool for the future project

The extensive experience we offer focuses particularly on the inconveniences, requirements and unforeseen events that may arise throughout the process.

Consequently, we detect from the start the potential risks linked to the construction project.

The different stages of a Technical Due Diligence

When preparing the Technical Due Diligence we carry out a detailed preliminary analysis in different stages:

  • Physical conditions of the soil (topography, composition and structural qualities …)
  • Existing buildings and facilities (condition / defects / maintenance, permits and licenses …)
  • Urban planning regulations / charges (utilization ordinances, acoustic and traffic plans …)
  • Infrastructures, access to services (sanitation, electricity, drinking water, telecommunications, gas …)
  • Environment (pollution, flood, archeology, explosives …)

When working on a TDD, our experts follow the following procedure:

  1. Data collection is essential for starting any TDD:
  • Obtaining and analyzing documentation
  • Property inspection (visual and with topographic and geotechnical equipment)
  • Consultation of authorities or other entities
  1. Analysis of the information we have obtained
  2. Presentation of the results in two steps:

o Delivery of a first “red flag” report (in summarized form):

  • Highlights the most important evaluations.
  • Indicates if there are major risks / inconveniences and “red flags” (critical points to consider)

 

o Delivery of the final report, a more extensive report, that contains:

  • The analysis with an evaluation per chapter
  • An evaluation summary sheet
  • A final evaluation with recommendations
  • A list of the documents analyzed
  • Sending a link for the analyzed documents
  • The photographic report

Top Management’s extensive experience in the commercial, tertiary, logistics and industrial fields provides a broad perspective which is essential when dealing with the specific needs of a project.

QUANTITY SURVEYING / COST MANAGEMENT

Quantity Surveyor

The cost manager/quantity surveyor plays a pivotal role in the financial and contract management of construction projects by providing accurate estimations of construction costs. Budgetary and detailed cost estimates are developed in accordance with client's protocols.

A cost manager/quantity surveyor consultancy role can rage from cost and advisory services for budget setting to initiate a project, cost management through the design and construction phases, contract administration and acting as the client’s side project manager to oversee the entire building process.

Top Management’s estimating services include:

  • Preparation of conceptual, initial budgets and pre-bid estimates
  • Quantity take-offs
  • Project/program budgets’ preparation
  • Cash flow modeling and trending
  • Value engineering cost estimates
  • Value and construction cost analysis
  • Bid analysis and bid checks
  • Progress payment assessments
  • Change order estimates and checks
  • Cost to complete determination/analysis
  • Check estimates
  • Quantification for claims preparation

PROJECT VALUE ENGINEERING

Value engineering is used to solve problems, identify and eliminate unwanted costs, while improving function and quality.

The aim is to increase the value of products, satisfying the product’s performance requirements at the lowest possible cost. In construction this involves considering the availability of materials, construction methods, transportation issues, site limitations or restrictions, planning and organization, costs, profits and so on. Benefits that can be delivered whilst improving quality and reducing environmental impacts.

Value engineering starts at project design where the benefits can be greatest and continue throughout the construction process.

Value engineering involves:

  • Identifying the main elements of a product, service or project.
  • Analyzing the functions of those elements.
  • Developing alternative solutions for delivering those functions.
  • Assessing the alternative solutions.
  • Allocating costs to the alternative solutions.
  • Developing in more detail the alternatives with the highest likelihood of success.

TESTING & COMMISSIONING

Testing & commissioning is the process of verifying after installation of the mechanical systems (HVAC), plumbing, electrical, fire/life safety and building security.

This process is required to verify the compliance of the installation with the specification and to make sure it functions properly. Building commissioning is a quality-focused process necessary for the handover of the project.

Building commissioning process involves a synergy team from pre-design to:

  • develop the owner’s project requirements (OPR)
  • commissioning scope and plan
  • review of design documents and checklists for achieving the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR)
  • development of checklists and verifying a sample of construction checklists and submittals
  • developing training needs and evaluating training delivered by the contractors
  • witnessing and verifying construction phase tests
  • periodic site observations during the construction phase, and performing commissioning functional testing as the project nears completion.