FEATURE ARTICLE

Building Public Works projects one Brick at a Time

BY PAM BRUZAN

The construction process is like a construction project - put together one brick at a time. The mortar holding the process together is communications.

This is the last in a series of articles written to introduce construction from a public works perspective, and it presents an overview of the major components of construction. The series is co-sponsored as a public service by the American Institute of Architects-Illinois, Central Illinois Builders chapter of The Associated General Contractors of America, Consulting Engineers Council of Illinois and Illinois Society for Professional Engineers.

Design
Design professionals-who for the purposes of this series, are architects and engineers-translate an owner's expectations into drawings and specifications that are collectively termed "construction documents." These are used by contractors to bid and construct a project.

"Construction is a game of bricks and paper; it's an amazing process," says Bruce Bonczyk. An engineer and attorney, Bonczyk is the former general counsel to the Capital Development Board and now serves as legislative counsel for the Illinois Construction Industry Committee.

During the process Bonczyk recommends frequent communications, confirmed on paper. He emphasizes that owners must talk with the design professionals who represent them throughout design and construction. Design professionals know only what they have been told about an owner's expectations. Owners who are dissatisfied must express that early in the design process. If they neglect to seek changes early, owners may face extra charges to make the same changes as the construction documents approach completion.

Bids... and Rebids
Communications continue during the bid process. "Putting a project out for bid" is the process by which construction companies are asked to submit their lowest price to complete a project, explains Jeffrey C. Evans, assistant vice president of Evans Construction Company, Springfield. In calculating their bids, contractors refer only to the construction documents. Design professionals answer questions that arise during bid preparations by distributing written addenda to the bid documents. All bidders receive these addenda, thereby ensuring that every contractor works from the same set of information.

In order to ensure fairness in the process, bids are opened publicly at a set time and evaluated prior to any contract award. The project is awarded to the lowest responsible bidder-usually the low bidder. If all bids are significantly over the estimate, owners may be justified in asking to rebid the job, agree Evans and Stuart W. Broeren, president of Broeren Russo Construction, Inc., Champaign.