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In lieu of the pre-qualification process , the Town may choose to develop a “ Best Value ” system of contractor selection similar to that used by the City of West Palm Beach . In this method , contractors are evaluated both by qualifications and price . Weighted scores can be employed to evaluate the bid proposal and the bidder who has the best combination of price and qualifications at the conclusion of the scoring process would be awarded the project . This method involves the Town determining which bidder will provide the best value for their money and will be most likely to complete the project both on time and within budget , not necessarily the bidder that provided the lowest initial cost . Under this modified method of DBB , a higher emphasis is placed on experience with similar projects and provides extra points for those bidders whose qualifications exceed the minimum requirements . The advantage of this modified process is that the Town can use both quantitative ( cost ) and qualitative ( experience ) metrics to evaluate and select a contractor thereby reducing the risk that a poor performing contractor is awarded the work .
7.2.2 Construction Management at Risk ( CMAR )
Construction Management at Risk ( CMAR ) is similar to DBB because the CMAR fulfills the role of general contractor
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during the construction phase . The “ risk ” in CMAR is that the Construction Manager holds the trade contracts and takes on the risk of performing the construction while guaranteeing the completion of the project for a negotiated price . This price is usually determined when the design is between 50 and 90 % complete . The CMAR is usually hired by the owner prior to the project design being completed . The Town has employed this method successfully on many other large infrastructure projects . In the Town ’ s experience , the CMAR performs most of the work through subcontractors that are procured through a competitive bidding process very similar to DBB . Only the CMAR ’ s fees are negotiated separately by the Town and those fees are a comparatively small portion of the overall construction cost . The central idea of CMAR is to get the advantage of price competition in the subcontractor work packages combined with the qualifications-based selection of the General Contractor as the CMAR .
This delivery method is different from DBB in that the CMAR offers schedule , budget and constructability advice during the project planning and design phases , as well as advisory professional management assistance to the Town prior to construction . With CMAR project delivery , the construction manager and contractor are a hybrid of the
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traditional DBB roles . Another way to look at this is that the CMAR manages the construction of the project .
Having pre-construction Construction Manager advisory services can identify advantageous changes that can reduce project costs and / or allow construction of certain portions of the project to begin before the design is finalized . For example , the CMAR can bid out portions of the project with approved designs at any time , without having to wait for the entire design to be completed . The CMAR and owner can come to an agreement on a guaranteed maximum price ( GMP ) based on a partially completed design , which takes into account the cost to complete . Coming to an agreement early on in the project on preferred materials , equipment and project features can also be helpful in allowing the use of performance specifications or reduced specifications rather than standard specifications . This can reduce design costs as plans developed for a DBB procurement generally need to be more detailed than those used for a CMAR procurement process .
The following is a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the CMAR project delivery method :
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Advantages :
• yCMAR project delivery gives the Town the opportunity to incorporate a contractor ’ s perspective and input into the planning and design phases of the project . Because the CMAR is involved in the design process it is much more difficult for them to make a claim related to the clarity of the plans or that they didn ’ t fully understand the scope of work . This is why CMAR generally results in lower cost growth ( fewer change orders ) than other methods .
• yThe CMAR participates in Value Engineering and Constructability reviews which can lower costs and achieve schedule efficiency .
• yPortions of the construction can be “ fast-tracked ” prior to fully completing the design .
• yThis project delivery method can arguably require the least number of owner employees because the CMAR can expand to meet the Town ’ s staffing needs . The CMAR takes much of the burden of construction management off the Town staff and provides professional advisory management assistance during design . The CMAR may eliminate the need for the Town to hire additional staff to support the project .
• yThe Town maintains a greater degree of control over the construction budget as this is discussed throughout the
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