Construction Management

Project Planning, Estimating & Scheduling

From the initial vision to the finished design, Schaefer can work collaboratively with a project’s owner and design partners to understand all relevant business objectives, intent, and parameters. Most importantly, we’ll do it within your budget and on time.

Value Engineering

During the construction management process, we’re able to expertly evaluate and align the work scope and project budget. We can recommend cost-saving measures and alternatives grounded in experience and assemble detailed design-stage project estimates using industry-respected estimating systems. We can even align conceptual estimates and project investment objectives, provide life cycle cost analysis of specified materials, and recommend alternative solutions with ROI and quality, cost, schedule impact in mind.

Subcontractor Selection

Being in business for over six decades has allowed us to establish and maintain strong subcontractor and vendor relationships. These relationships span differing project specialties and subspecialties, as well as resources and capacities.  For every project, we competitively bid all trade contracts to ensure the client obtains not only the best pricing value from qualified subcontractors, but the best skilled labor and resources to complete the project.

Project Management

Contract Mechanism Analysis

Due to our experience completing all types of construction projects for a variety of clients across the country, we have used multiple types of AIA and other contract tools. This experience allows us to assist our clients in determining which contract type is the best fit for their project.

Compliance

Schaefer has worked with many government agencies for financing and tax credits such as HUD, USDA, KHC, and more, all of which have strict documentation requirements. Projects with owner-purchased materials with sales tax realized, governmental tax credits, and HUD projects all have the potential to be audited. Because of this, all construction material, labor, and misc. cost must be accounted for in exact detail. In addition, cost-plus projects follow the same criteria so our clients can see and account for every dollar that is spent.

Construction Document Management

Schaefer creates and executes all sub-contractor and material purchase orders and obtains the W9 and certificates of insurance, lien release execution, and invoice review and approvals. We focus on creating baseline project schedules, managing critical task items, and weekly adjustments to schedule based on progress. We additionally track and manage submittal approvals for materials and equipment, as well as record and track requests for information (RFI). Schaefer obtains and packages closeout documents for clients, which include all approved submittals, shop drawings, warranty information, maintenance, and care instructions. We create and distribute weekly progress reports to the project team and diligently record and distribute meeting minutes.

Material Procurement & Management

We understand the construction process and how materials and equipment associated with the critical path of the project can have a tremendous impact on being on time and on budget. Our project management team effectively manages material deliveries of not only any materials and equipment Schaefer supplies but those of all the subcontractors in order to mitigate the risk of materials not being ordered and more importantly delivered to the job site when they are needed.

Budget Tracking & Cost Control

Schaefer takes great pride in not only bringing your project in on time, but also within or under budget. Our team has monthly cost reviews with senior management to track the actual costs and planned costs of your project. In addition to internal reviews, we also look over each payment application to the level of detail our clients are comfortable with. One of our primary responsibilities is to be good stewards of your money, and we’re here to add value to your project and your team.

Change Order Management

Every project is different, and no project is perfect, no matter how hard we work to achieve perfection. Change orders are part of the construction process whether they come about because the client decides to adjust the design to better suit their operation, because something unforeseen is uncovered, or because design details don’t work out as intended. We do our best to look around the corners on the front end during design to mitigate these items, but there are times when change orders are unavoidable. It’s our recommendation that either the project owner or our team carries a contingency within the cost of the project for these items. These changes are tracked through a detailed change order log and contingency log.