Construction Management & Consulting Pre-Construction Services Construction Phase Services Construction Claims Services Construction Scheduling Services Surety Industry Services Document and Policy Audit Services Pre-Construction Services INTERACTION between the owner, architect, engineering, consultants, general contractor and subcontractors from schematic design through final working drawings is a key element in the pre-construction management phase. MCSI fully believes that its clients must receive timely & accurate estimates, value engineering, & scheduling inputs during the design phase to insure that the final design, timing & cost of the work are totally consistent with the project objectives. Assist in site selection & feasibility evaluation. Establish the project design development team. Provide preliminary cost estimates & construction schedules. Coordinate consultants and Architect / Engineer services. Provide cost & quality control guidelines. Evaluate bonding & insurance requirements. Prepare bidding documents with the Architect & Engineer. Coordinate selection and qualification of bidders. Prepare scope of work and invitation to bidders. Hold pre-bid conferences & establish bidding requirements. Address pre-bid questions and clarification of bidding documents. Provide final cost analysis & evaluation of bids. Perform final contract negotiation with prospective contractors. Provide value engineering analysis of alternate design systems. Construct anticipated monthly cash flow projections. Assist in the preparation and execution of construction contracts. Construction Phase Services Proactive field management provides significant control over the schedule & quality of construction. MCSI's project management team, engineers & superintendents are supported with time tested procedures as well as state of the art facilities which enable them to anticipate & resolve problems expeditiously. MCSI utilizes Expedition Project Control & Primavera Scheduling software as well as in-house developed software to control all aspects of the management process. Preparation & execution of construction documents. Facilitate pre-construction conference with successful bidder. Expedite permits, special zoning agreements & required licenses. Issue notice to proceed & coordinate job start up procedures. Refine final construction budget & project schedule. Set up onsite project facilities & hold pre-work meetings. Establish & inspect QA, QC & Safety program compliance. Process, track & expedite submittals, RFI's & PCO's. Provide onsite quality control over workmanship & materials. Insure compliance with specified standards & contract requirements. Provide laboratory & field testing & inspection. Monitor & update project schedule & budget. Provide cost accounting of actual work completed & cost to complete. Conduct progress meetings with A/E, owner, contractor & subs. Review & process monthly applications for payment. Provide claim avoidance & change order administration & negotiation. Perform substantial completion inspection. Provide reporting of punchlist inspections & completion tracking. Review of as-built drawings, O&M manuals, warranties & certifications. Provide equipment start-up, training and documentation turnover. Construction Claims Services SOLUTIONS are what Milestone's Construction Claim Services provide for construction contract disputes. MCSI provides claim services to Sureties, Architects, Engineers, Developers, Owners, General Contractors, Subcontractors and their counsel. MCSI defends claims brought against these parties as well as preparing affirmative claims typically asserted by General Contractors and Subcontractors. MCSI can handle the claims process from simple consulting activities to final presentation. Assist in providing proper notification required by contract. Support proper record keeping & documentation for entitlement. Establish claim cost accounting systems to segregate costs. Evaluate project delays utilizing CPM & As-Built schedule analysis. Analysis of claim to determine acceleration & inefficiency damages. Calculate impact costs incurred as a result of delay or disruption. Provide audit experience to prepare claims that survive the audit process. Provide turnkey claims services from initial preparation to final resolution. Create claim presentation utilizing state of the art software & graphical imaging. Provide expert testimony in the area of schedule delay & acceleration. Construction Scheduling Services Milestone's personnel have advised and assisted contractors and owners in the preparation of CPM schedules on major construction projects for over 10 years. A plan created prior to start of construction carries more weight in claim situations than one created after. Moreover, MCSI is committed to the belief that a successful project requires use of a realistic and detailed schedule as a fundamental project tool and not merely as a contract requirement. Provide analysis of the project incorporating submittals, materials, inspections, construction tasks, etc. Create an effective & realistic schedule from the start of the job. Identify & evaluate possible problem areas to mitigate claim situations. Assess all schedule items to show the effects & impacts of delays. Monitor the progress of the project & provide timely schedule updates & narratives listing critical deviations. Provide detailed audits & schedule analysis at all phases of the work. Present seminars on how to create & use effective CPM scheduling. Provide advice & assistance in maintaining & updating schedules. Surety Industry Services Milestone possesses the proper blend of professionals to augment the claims personnel of a surety. MCSI has professionals with civil engineering degrees, construction industry litigation experience, project management experience with ENR top 20 contractors, estimators and seasoned field supervisors to provide all aspects of pre-default and post de-fault consulting. MCSI is also a Class A licensed GC who can be utilized in the management and completion of defaulted projects. Pre-Default Services Prepare exposure evaluations & estimates. Provide cost to complete evaluations & estimates. Present means & methods evaluations & recommendations. Prepare project status evaluations & schedule to complete documents. Evaluate contract conformance & audit change orders. Conduct an evaluation of potential change orders & claims. Review contract delays, disruption & accelerations. Provide mediation between parties and monitoring of remaining work. Post-Default Services Create project status evaluation & performance strategies. Conduct project completion acting as Construction Manager or GC. Provide scheduling and management of ratified subcontractors. Preparation of bid documents and project re-letting. Provide monitoring of completion contractor for compliance. Analyze bonds & claims and negotiate subsequent settlements. Prepare financial and operational oversight of project & cost accounting review. Conduct delay and disruption claims analysis, preparation and resolution. Document and Policy Audit Services Milestone can come to your office with a staff consisting of representatives with legal, project management and accounting backgrounds. MCSI will review the existing management and accounting procedures currently in use and identify areas of concern as well as recommend suggested improvements. MCSI will assist you in the implementation and training required to incorporate the revisions into your system and help establish standard company policies and procedures. Accounting Procedures Review job cost systems & provide estimated cost to complete. Evaluation of accounting tax basis & tax reduction strategies. Analysis of procurement & estimating systems for job tracking. Review of home office overhead & means of reducing. Complete accounting review or audit as required. Equipment maintenance tracking & associated ownership costs. Safety Programs and Policies Review of safety policies, procedures & guidelines. Insurance cost & coverage for Workers compensation, liability, etc. Accident reporting procedures and ways to reduce insurance costs. Legal Issues & Claim Avoidance Letter writing procedures, responses & tracking. Review of typical claim situations & avoidance techniques. Proper procedures and specific language to include in change orders. Affirmative claims procedures and reservation of rights. Bid documents & unenforceable contract terminology. Subcontract documents: the AIA and beyond-what you need to know. Project Management Procedures Proper job set up and start up - identify standard procedures. Project schedules - utilizing to manage tasks & subcontractors. Submittal logs, daily reports, CO work, job files & proper paperwork.