The importance of effective construction preparation has never been more evident, says Brett Poulos, national director of construction preparation and estimating at Burns & McDonnell, a construction firm based in Kansas City, Missouri.

Building material prices Costs rose again in July, largely due to increases in oil and natural gas prices, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Although these costs began to stabilize over the past year, they are still nearly 40% higher than they were in February 2020.

As construction projects face increasing cost pressures and procurement challenges, the role of the pre-construction phase in mitigating these headwinds is becoming increasingly important. During the pre-construction phase, owners and developers increasingly gain a better understanding of the project’s cost, scope and schedule.

Here, Poulos talks to Construction Dive about his experiences in the construction industry, his focus in preconstruction at Burns & McDonnell, and the overall role of technology today.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

CONSTRUCTION DIVE: What is your background in construction and how has it prepared you for this role?

BRETT POULOS: I began my career in this field working for an independent general contractor, operating a total station and grading and grading for independent crews. As I began my career in this field planning jobs and learning from tradesmen as well as foremen, assistant site managers and construction managers, I gained a solid understanding of what it takes to plan a job and build a project.

Over the years, my responsibilities expanded and I worked my way into a project management role, managing projects of varying size and complexity in the public and private sectors.

During my career, I developed a deep understanding of project preparation and moved into leading pre-engineering for several business units and eventually worked my way into my current area of ​​responsibility.

What do you focus on most as a construction preparation manager?

Our industry continues to evolve.

Skilled trades are not as well trained as they once were. The industry has a collective duty to raise awareness of the benefits of working in the skilled trades, including creating career opportunities for experienced tradespeople on the construction preparation and estimating teams.

I don’t require a college degree to work as a cost estimator or pre-construction professional on our teams. Time on site and with the tools can be just as valuable as a college degree – especially for independent professional cost estimators.

However, our industry is also evolving rapidly in terms of technology. We need to ensure that our processes, systems and teams are structured to embrace and leverage this technology to maintain our competitive advantage.

What role does technology play in construction preparation?

Technology is one of the most powerful tools in our toolbox. Technology enables us to connect and leverage data in ways that deliver tremendous benefits to our clients and project teams.

For our business as an integrated EPC and design-build company, we can bring together technologies, teams and workflows and leverage the entire design and construction process and associated data, providing tremendous value to our clients.

We leverage technology, AI and machine learning in our pre-construction services and develop some truly innovative offerings for our clients.

However, as technology evolves and advances, comes a great responsibility to ensure robust processes to maintain data integrity.

Why is the pre-construction phase important, especially given rising costs and supply chain issues?

The pre-construction phase is probably the most important phase of a project.

I’m admittedly biased, but let me explain: A robust pre-construction process allows the client to make data-driven decisions early in the design process so they can complete their brief.

If your goal is to deliver a project within a target budget or bring your factory or plant online by a specific date, the data we provide during pre-construction is critical to your success.

The pre-construction phase is the bridge between communication, data and decision-making processes between the parties involved. The foundation for the success of a project is created and consolidated during the pre-construction phase.

What challenges are you facing this year?

In recent years, it has become difficult for anyone to predict the future and make forecasts on market trends, commodity prices, etc. Due to unprecedented volatility, this has been an industry-wide challenge.

Aside from industry-wide hurdles, the biggest challenge we face is developing and implementing our strategy for the future.

By this I mean that we optimize our processes and technologies to adapt to new technologies and the future of the industry. One thing is certain: technical innovations will change our industry and the entire pre-construction process – especially for integrated EPC companies.

In your opinion, are there any other important trends in construction preparation that readers should be aware of?

Pre-engineering can be a broad term. We consider pre-engineering to be the entire pre-process of safety analysis, constructability, lead time and schedule analysis, target value design and cost estimation.

If your projects are EPC, Design-Build or Collaborative Delivery projects, the pre-construction process is very different from the Design-Bid-Build process. The level of integration and involvement in pre-construction can vary depending on the project delivery method and the capabilities of the pre-construction team.

We’ve found that projects are more successful for both the general contractor and the client when pre-construction teams are involved as early in the project as possible. This makes it much easier to communicate a clear vision of the project and allows time to make data-driven decisions.