DESIGNING TO REDUCE CONSTRUCTION COSTS
This paper describes interrelationships between engineering design, construction, and operation costs for a facility, and shows how the "level of influence" over those costs decreases precipitously as the project evolves. The level of influence is by far the greatest during engineering and design, while actual expenditures at that stage are relatively small. The level of influence concept can be helpful in forming contractual arrangements that minimize the suboptimization of costs for one party at the expense of overall project costs and benefits. Contractual arrangements should be drawn so as to assure that current construction and operations knowledge will be injected in the design process. "Construction Management" and "design-construct", if appropriately tailored to the needs of a particular situation, can be helpful for this purpose. A second important conclusion is that efforts to suboptimize design costs by requiring competitive bidding for professional servics are likely to produce much higher project costs in the long run.
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Supplemental Notes:
- This paper was presented at the April 5-8, 1976, ASCE National Water Resources and Ocean Engineering Convention, held at San Diego, Californio.
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Corporate Authors:
American Society of Civil Engineers
345 East 47th Street
New York, NY United States 10017-2398 -
Authors:
- Paulson Jr, B C
- Publication Date: 1976-12
Media Info
- Features: Appendices; Figures; References;
- Pagination: p. 587-592
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Serial:
- Journal of the Construction Division
- Volume: 102
- Issue Number: C04
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Competitive bidding; Construction; Construction management; Contracts; Costs; Design; Operating costs; Professional personnel
- Uncontrolled Terms: Construction costs
- Old TRIS Terms: Design costs
- Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Construction; Design; Finance; Highways;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00148673
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Mar 15 1977 12:00AM