Getting more from less through turnkey delivery in project contracting:
The ‘less is more’ approach is no longer the preserve of artistic or aesthetic work but is the foundation of efficient project contracting in construction. Namely, involving fewer sub-contractor teams delivers a range of benefits for main clients.
Turnkey projects continue to be on the rise in the construction sector as clients are reducing risk, accelerating projects and ensuring certainty of costs by assigning responsibility to one lead contractor.
A turnkey construction contract is one which sees a single contractor assume responsibility for the design and construction of a development. This gives clients a risk-free programme with one point of contact and immediate cost certainty; reducing their own resource requirement for a new development as responsibility is handed to experienced contractors.
Turnkey construction projects are particularly beneficial in public sector spending, allowing publicly funded bodies to delegate to experts who assume full responsibility for a development at a fixed cost.
Unlike design-and-build contracts, turnkey projects do not necessarily have design input from the main client though. This means this type of project contracting is often used on industrial or infrastructure projects, such as new manufacturing facilities or transport links where design and aesthetic is not a primary consideration.
The use of multi-disciplinary teams, comprising architects, engineers, surveyors and construction professionals, has been growing for decades. This has been fuelled by businesses’ growth and adaptability and aided by the growing use of digital information management systems which align all contributors. Some businesses have become multi-disciplinary, offering all services under one roof, while others have developed strong partnerships of consultants, constructors and suppliers for project contracting.
In the steel sector in particular, one-dimensional steel fabricating is becoming a thing of the past as we rise to the challenge of more being expected of steelwork contractors.
Steelwork contractors who offer a full structural package are in demand – managing other sub-trades, such as concreting or edge protection, delivering services such as groundworks or fire protection, and designing builds with complementary materials, such as glulam timber. Multi-disciplinary steelwork contractors deliver every element of steel project, from design and detailing, to in-house manufacturing and fabrication, through to erection and full on-site project management, overseeing other trades and support services.
For clients and main contractors with the project management infrastructure to support this, this type of full structural package delivers real benefits. Testament to this is in the fact that turnkey construction projects reduce programme schedules by more than 20%. This close collaboration of one team allows for all aspects of a build, from securing planning permissions and licenses and undertaking inspections, to managing multiple or complementary trades teams on site, to take place simultaneously.
Choosing a steelwork contractor who is experienced in delivering all aspects of a project and managing multiple trades will bring you these same benefits.
See here how we are adept at handling multiple areas of a structural package.
