The construction administration (CA) phase of a project can be the most exciting phase where construction actually begins
However, it can also be the most stressful as contractor and design teams must coordinate to ensure that the final product delivered meets design specifications, building standards, and owner requirements.
Law Insider defines construction administration as “administrative services provided by a governing body or an architect, a landscape architect, or an engineer, and includes providing clarifications, submittal review, recommendations for payment, preparation of change orders, and other administrative services included in the agreement…”
For design teams, the administrative burden to respond to Requests for Information (RFIs) and review hundreds of submittal packages for each project can be time-consuming and costly. Contractors rely on prompt responses from the design team to keep the project on schedule and on budget.
In today’s fast-paced construction world, having an electronic system for processing submittals and RFIs is most often specified as a contractual requirement. And many AEC firms spend hours researching software solutions and spend thousands of dollars a year on software licenses and subscriptions. However, recognising a return on these investments requires more than just installing software.
There are several areas outside of the scope of CA software solutions that project teams should address to ensure that they are getting the most value from their software investment. Taking time to address the people and process aspects of the construction administration process before logging into the software will certainly pay off.
Project teams should also understand what software features and functions are available and applicable to the project prior to purchase and use. Many features are difficult to implement once submittal and RFI processing has started. In addition, taking time to properly configure the software and train the project team will also increase the probability of a positive outcome from the software investment.
