Owner’s Representative Construction ServicesProject Oversight through MI Construction inSites (MICI)
Construction in any location is a challenge, particularly in an unfamiliar country. There are constant concerns about price, schedule, and quality, which must be consistently monitored to ensure that a facility is completed on time, within budget, and that it meets quality expectations. Through MI’s sister company, MI Construction inSites (MICI), our Owner’s Representative Services provide construction project oversight to ensure the facility the client builds in the U.S. conforms to U.S. standards while meeting the client’s specific requirements.
Control
Foreign investors benefit from an advocate who monitors and controls the project on their behalf. This must be done consistently to ensure that the contractor understands the investor’s expectations and requirements, and performs accordingly. An advocate can ensure the replacement of non-conforming materials identified by testing services, confirm that finishes meet the investor’s expectations, and monitor that adequate resources are deployed to ensure the timely completion of the project.
Coordination
The Owner’s Representative will provide construction project oversight through the coordination of production equipment manufacturers, racking system providers, material testing, and architectural finish selections, and assist in start-up and commissioning of equipment. In addition, the advocate will monitor payments, builder’s risk insurance, and review potential change orders. If these are not done in a timely and knowledgeable manner, poor quality, construction delays, and overpayments may occur.
Technical Cultural Link
Communication is key on large projects. The Owner’s Representative will provide the ability to translate, from a language and cultural standpoint, the desires and requirements of the foreign investor to the U.S.-based contractors. An advocate will also communicate technical constraints back to the investor. Expediting understanding and finding efficient solutions is in the best interest of the project and the investor’s future business in the U.S.
Frequently Asked Questions
An Owner’s Representative acts as an extension of the owner’s team, managing the day-to-day operations of a building project. An Owner’s Representative can advise and represent the owner from the earliest stages of the project, through design, permitting, pre-construction, bidding, commissioning, move-in, etc. Owners Representatives represent your interests only – and not those of the contractors, designers, or suppliers.
Construction in any location is a challenge, particularly in an unfamiliar country. There are constant concerns about price, schedule, and quality, which must be consistently monitored to ensure that a facility is completed on time, within budget, and that it meets quality expectations. Through MI’s sister company, MI Construction inSites (MICI), our Owner’s Representative Services provide construction project oversight to ensure the facility the client builds in the U.S. conforms to U.S. standards while meeting the client’s specific requirements.
Yes, the design-build process can be a challenge because there are more moving parts than in a normal design-bid-build project. This requires constant attention to ensure proper execution of the project, and that is something an Owner’s Representative can provide.
MICI’s Owner’s Representative Services can provide basic cost estimates through its extensive knowledge of construction to help budgeting and evaluating whether to purchase an existing structure or build.
Our staff has 20+ years of extensive experience on construction projects valued at over $35M across several industries. MICI’s managers, who have been Consultants, Project Managers, Inspectors, and Auditors on past projects, have the technical expertise and the interpersonal skills needed to navigate complex projects, approach serious issues, and resolve in a professional manner all the conflicts that normally arise during the construction process. MICI’s CEO is also a licensed General Contractor in both North Carolina and South Carolina and is able to fully support our clients in understanding the local requirements that are peculiar to the construction industry in our region.
Normally, we do not provide 100% onsite supervision. However, we establish an open and continuous communication channel with the general contractor across the entire period of the project and we do guarantee a presence onsite based on the complexity of the project. For large projects, we can hire ad-hoc project inspectors to reside onsite and assist full-time during the construction process.
With any project, our Managers will perform regular inspections and audits, monitor the schedule and progress made along with the project, and comfortably support our clients in the payment application and purchase orders review process.
Contract structure and risk transfer are very important in the U.S. MICI will help review and will work with your council to develop contracts that best protect your interests. Additionally, insurance and lien rights differ in the U.S. and from state to state. MICI has experience managing these requirements and processes and can help reduce risk.
MICI’s Owner’s Representative acts as an advocate on your behalf. We communicate directly with the contractors and negotiate terms. While not every unexpected cost is unavoidable, we have the knowledge to determine what is necessary, and what is unreasonable. We can then communicate everything to you so that you can make an informed decision.
Where necessary, MICI can step in and take more control over the project by closely monitoring the process. We can try to expedite where possible, and hire different contractors when necessary. While some things like the timing of work permits are out of our control, we take the reins elsewhere to make sure the project stays as close to schedule as possible.
At the beginning of the project, you and the Owner’s Representative will decide on the best means of communication: frequency, channel, etc. If an urgent matter arises, MICI will alert you as soon as possible.