J.M. Wilkerson Construction Co., Inc. provides general contracting services from Design/Bid/Build to negotiated contracts. We have a commitment to construct a quality project that is completed on time and within budget.
The construction services we provide include Schedule Management, Cost Control, Subcontractor Management and Design/Build.
Schedule Management
J.M. Wilkerson Construction prides itself on delivering a project on time and within budget. We believe that through effective staffing and communication this goal can be reached on every project. Reaching these goals are often a direct result of our teams’ efforts, both internal and external. JMW’s managers and field staff make every effort to have impact on the critical path.
The first critical step is outlining proposed timelines and schedules. Each are reviewed in detail placing information into both scheduling software, such as Microsoft Project, as well as other forms that our teams have developed. This information includes, but is not limited to, milestone dates, meeting timelines, reviews and approvals by governing bodies, shop drawing production and review, long lead items, subcontractor interaction and sequencing.
Prior to the beginning of construction, we hold site meetings to coordinate efforts with staff, subcontractors and suppliers to secure delivery timelines and identify long lead items. While this activity is taking place, we also meet with local review agencies and officials. The introduction of our team to these entities is a critical step in securing open lines of communication, as well as understanding the approval process for a project.
Schedule management is facilitated by Project Managers and Superintendents throughout the construction process. One point of contact is created to document, track and organize the decisions. That said, schedule control is the responsibility of everyone involved. This interactive process includes the owner so we can create a road map that tracks through the project from start to finish.
Keys to Controlling Schedules
- Design and Owner Reviews
- Value Engineering/Constructibility Reviews
- Long Lead Procurement of Materials/Equipment
- Trade Partner Evaluation & Bidding
- Tracking Project from Start to Finish
Each member of the JMW team brings their own skills and talents to complementing each phase of the project. Our past history and experience of working together helps to ensure that our services are of the highest quality and our team’s collaboration meet the best standards.
Cost Control
Aggressive cost control for a project is essential to its overall success. The management of cost control starts early in a project’s creation with the decisions having lasting impacts on the overall financial outcome. Discussions involving timelines, value engineering, long lead items and procurement of trade packages are scheduled and tracked for each discipline. Additionally, items like permits and the approval process are often overlooked, but are equally as important. Schedule-driven items can have huge impacts on financial costs created by delays and time extensions.
Cost control must be managed by everyone working on the project team. Our organization utilizes Project Managers from both the design and construction groups to act as the champions for this task. These project facilitators will track and organize the decisions associated with budgets and schedules that could affect the project. They create detailed schedule documents, initial budgets and facilitate all meetings necessary for the project. These initial steps help to set the project’s overall baseline, target costs and budgets. These vital documents will be utilized from the beginning of the project through close out.
Cost control and adherence to contract amounts are monitored in real time. With the help of experienced project estimators, we can coordinate decisions as they are made and understand the cost impact to the project. This collaborative interaction allows our project managers to see project costs in daily, weekly or at monthly intervals. Project Managers also work directly with the design team, creating detailed unit costs and division-based spreadsheets showing budgets, lead time procurement actions and actual expenses. We use this as a tool to work with the designers and owners throughout the project to provide reviews at each phase. JMW strives to deliver a high quality project for the most competitive financial expense.
Trade Partner Management
Trade Partner management and coordination is one of the contractors’ primary responsibilities throughout the design and completion of a project. During various milestones in the design and preconstruction process solicitation of quotes from reliable and reputable Trade Partner are required to check the baseline pricing. The utilization of qualified subcontractors is imperative, and we work hard to employ only the most qualified teams.
Once the Trade Partner(s) are on the job, the J.M. Wilkerson Construction team utilizes a system of standardized coordination procedures aided by electronic files, project management software and field practices. These procedures have been developed and tested for over 40 years. Project meetings and the recording of the information, decisions and publication of meeting minutes are facilitated by Project Managers from the construction team. Regularly scheduled meetings are set with the Trade Partner at the beginning of each major phase of work. Timelines for such meeting take place on a monthly, weekly or bi-weekly basis and can include, but are not limited to, some or all team members as well.
At a minimum, a formal monthly meeting will be conducted throughout the project’s timeline where the Project Managers from the construction team will prepare meeting reports and manage coordination and distribution of information. The regularity of meetings can and will vary on projects depending on the project’s needs. The more complex or aggressive a schedule, the higher number of meetings are typically required. These meetings are vital for everyone to stay on the same page and ahead of potential issues.
Design/Build
J.M. Wilkerson Construction’s Design/Build partnerships are accustomed to working on both large and small projects with aggressive schedules. Our team is committed to working with clients to provide the earliest possible project completion and the most competitive pricing. To learn more about our Design/Build process, click here.