United development Solutions.

Project Management is the systematic analysis and exploration of options to stay on budget or save costs. Thus, the ultimate objective of UDS is project completion, while finding alternatives to lower the cost.

Although Project Management Services can save clients substantial dollars, it is much more than a simple cost-cutting exercise or value engineering. Our Project leaders evaluate, at a minimum, first cost, schedule impacts, constructability issues, and life-cycle costs including capital, operating, maintenance expenses, energy and systems costs, financing costs, and local laws. The goal of our project team is to minimize the total life-cycle costs during all phases of completion.

Systems analysis is at the center of the overall project management effort. Typical systems include site work, foundations, structural, architectural, mechanical and electrical, and exterior enclosure. During the systems review, we will make recommendations, which focus on construction feasibility, availability of materials and labor, installation time, associated costs and economies, and the impact on other building components.

For each project, a project management team will be established to include the Client, Architect/Engineer, and the Construction Manager. Our experience with project management has shown that the best results occur during the projects beginning phases. The team meets at pre-determined intervals to identify alternative materials, methods of construction, and issues affecting the schedule and operations. Each item is evaluated and accepted or rejected depending on the total impact on cost, function, program, schedule, and overall needs.

UDS will work with our professional design team to establish appropriate bid alternatives to maximize the design features included in each project while maintaining costs within the budget. UDS accounts for site development, utilities, structural systems, exterior envelope systems, finish systems, and equipment specialties. We prefer to develop the project estimate in “Building Component Format,” i.e. foundations, structure, exterior walls, finish trades, etc., which facilitates making comparisons and developing alternative solutions. This “monitorable” format provides a means of creating an audit trail from the initial estimate to the project’s completion.