Preconstruction Services
The decisions that control your budget are made before anyone breaks ground. We put a licensed builder on your team while the drawings are still changing.
Know what it costs before you commit
Most construction budget problems are not built in the field. They are built in the six months before the field, when a program grows, a system gets specified late, or an estimate is carried at a number nobody stress-tested. By the time those show up as change orders, the cheap fixes are gone.
PeakCM comes into a project during design, not after it. We price the drawings as they develop, flag the assumptions that are carrying risk, and give you real options while they still cost nothing to take - a different structural approach, a different mechanical system, a phasing plan that keeps a floor of your building open and earning.
For owners in healthcare and hospitality especially, this is where schedule gets won or lost. Long-lead equipment, AHCA review, and franchise brand standards all have to be sequenced backwards from your opening date, and that sequencing has to happen before construction documents are final.
What preconstruction covers
- Feasibility studies Site and building assessments that tell you early whether a project pencils out - before you spend design fees on it.
- Conceptual and detailed estimating Budgets at every design milestone, from a program-level order of magnitude through a fully quantified GMP estimate.
- Value engineering Alternatives priced side by side, with the schedule and lifecycle cost consequences of each stated plainly rather than buried.
- Scheduling and phasing Critical path schedules, long-lead procurement plans, and phasing strategies for buildings that have to stay occupied and operating during construction.
- Constructability review A builder reading the drawings for conflicts, missing scope and impractical details while there is still time to redraw them.
- Permitting strategy Which authorities have jurisdiction, what they will want, and how long they will take - mapped onto the schedule from day one.
How a preconstruction engagement runs
- Program and budget alignment We start from what the building has to do and what you can spend, and tell you honestly whether those two things currently agree.
- Milestone estimating Estimates at schematic design, design development and construction documents, so drift gets caught at each stage instead of at bid day.
- Options and value engineering Where the number is over, we bring priced alternatives rather than a request for more budget.
- Procurement and schedule plan Long-lead items identified and sequenced, subcontractor interest confirmed in the actual market you are building in.
- Handoff to construction The same team that priced the job builds it, so nothing is lost in translation between estimate and execution.
Projects that started in preconstruction
Preconstruction FAQs
When should we bring a contractor into the design process?
As early as you have a program and a site. The value of preconstruction drops with every design milestone that passes - by the time construction documents are complete, most of the cost of the building is already locked in by decisions that are expensive to unwind.
Do you charge for preconstruction services?
It depends on the delivery method and the scope. On negotiated CM at Risk and design build work, preconstruction is often carried as part of the overall engagement. On standalone feasibility and estimating work, we quote it directly. We will tell you which applies to your project before you commit to anything.
Can you work with our architect, or do you have to bring your own?
We work with your design team. PeakCM has completed projects alongside owner-selected architects and engineers across healthcare, hospitality and entertainment work. On design build engagements we can also assemble the design team if you would rather hold a single contract.
What makes an estimate reliable this early?
Two things: quantities taken from the actual drawings rather than square-foot averages, and subcontractor pricing from trades who are currently working in your market. We state our assumptions and our contingency in writing so you can see exactly what the number does and does not include.
Other Services
Talk to us about your project
Offices in Orlando, Florida and St Albans, Vermont. Licensed CGC#1522055 and CCC#1334096.