When you engage us under an Early Contractor Involvement Model, the first step in our process often looks at the buildability aspects of the project. Our expertise and construction know-how allow us to take into account construction costs in parallel with the design phase. In this first phase, the Contractor is engaged to prepare the preliminary design. We work closely with the whole project team including the architect, engineer, quantity surveyor and subcontractors to design the project with the end budget in mind.

This creates a holistic design that drives better value, reduces risk and delivers the best result for your project. The Early Contractor Involvement Model is a delivery method akin to an open book approach that gives you maximum visibility, provides you with a level of confidence knowing that the project will be cost-effective and can speed up delivery.

Benefits of an Early Contractor Involvement Model:

• Cost planning occurs at each stage of the project and sets a benchmark for the project partners to work towards.
• Procurement typically occurs during design development to avoid delays for long lead time items.
• Designers, Service Engineers and Builders work together to ensure buildability advice is captured in IFC documentation and considered during the concept and design development.
• The Early Contractor Involvement Model allows the builder to test the market through an open book tender process at each stage of the design to ensure cost plans are maintained.
• Greater transparency over subcontractors and trade pricing throughout each stage of the project.
• Opting for an Early Contractor Involvement Model can speed up the construction process and allow certain aspects of the build to commence in conjunction with the design.

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Under a Design and Construct contract, the Head Contractor is responsible for commissioning the design of the project and the actual physical build. We pride ourselves on identifying all site-related constraints and challenges in the preliminary design phase; ensuring the solutions to these challenges can be factored into the designs so that budget impacts are minimised and works can be delivered efficiently.

Key benefits of the Design and Construct model:

• Quality control at each stage is a priority as responsibility lies with us.
• Buildability to addresses during design and captured in final IFC documentation for both design and services.
• Value Management can occur during design development to ensure budget is maintained.
• Coordination of services and design documentation removes the likelihood of clashes on site during construction.
  Single point of contact allows for a more streamlined approach to project delivery.
• Opting for a Design and Construct model can speed up the process and allow certain aspects of the build to commence in conjunction with the design.
• Cost effective solution for the principal due significant savings in professional consultants fees.
• The Design and Construct model allows the builder to test the market through an open book tender process at each stage of the design to ensure budgets are maintained.
• McCormack exercise transparency during our internal tender process by using an open book or CM approach to procurement.
• Fewer variations during the construction process as we are responsible for both the Design and Build
• Provide greater value than traditional procurement models.

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McCormack can then manage the process by collaborating with your design team and engineers through all stages of the project lifecycle, including feasibility, design, procurement and construction.

Key benefits of a Managing Contractor Model:

• A key benefit of the Managing Contractor Model is that it facilitates the early involvement of the contractor on a project. This makes it particularly suitable where the design and scope of work is not yet resolved.
• Project feasibility; McCormack can coordinate a feasibility report and provide advice to the Principal on the viability of the project including Cost Plans.
• Project Principal Requirements (PPR); Develop the PPR to be distributed to all consultants during initial stage of the contract and to be sent to all contractors and suppliers during the Tender process.
• Design Stage; we can prepare a design brief and Request for Tender (RFT) to obtain suitable architects and Designers for this project if the Principal has not already engaged them.
• Tendering Stage; McCormack will manage the Tender process including RFT period, Site Inspections, RFI’s, Addendums and Coordination with all design and services engineers to ensure Scope, Design and Specifications are captured in the final documentation and Cost Plans.
• This model has the ability to fast track the tendering process and allows for the construction to commence earlier.
• Procurement; following the Tender period, McCormack will provide a comprehensive vetting schedule with preferred subcontractors and suppliers for the final Principals’ selection.
• Project Certainty; Throughout the process as your managing contractor, we will provide continuous updates to cost plans, manage consultants, to ensure construction documentation captures the final scope and specifications. Prior to construction starting on site we will determine the Fixed Lump Sum (FLS) and obtain approval to ensure no ambiguity during construction stage
• Construction; our Projects team will manage and construct the project as per final construction documentation, specification and budget.
• Project Completion; as managing contractor we will coordinate the final handover of the project, including relevant inspections, quality walk-throughs, Certificate of Final Inspection (CFI) and Soft Landing, all the way through to the Defects Liability Period (DLP).

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In this model, we are generally engaged through a competitive tender process with a fixed lump sum contract as per the documentation and specifications provided. We coordinate all Construction works with the utmost attention to detail, and provide our management services to all subcontractors and trades to deliver the project to completion.

Key benefits of the Head Contractor Model for the Principal:

• Competitive tendering process.
• Generally, QS are involved during design stages to ensure a budget is set prior to tendering
• The design and scope finalised which removes ambiguity before it goes to the market
• The Principal has full control of engaging their project partners
• The Principal can adopt recommended value-engineering obtained during the competitive Tender process

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