PRE-CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

Simpson believes in comprehensive pre-construction planning. Utilizing our own in-house expertise, we bring together our construction project team, the owner, architect, consultants and major subcontractors to discuss effective strategies for communication, site layout and conditions, value engineering, constructibility, cost/schedule studies, and procurement of long lead time items, as well as plans for safety, productivity, quality control and testing. Simpson can also provide clients with pre-construction services such as site test holes, contractor site evaluation, mock ups, renderings, rough sketch designs, budget estimates and proposals, etc...

VALUE ENGINEERING

Simpson’s expertise with this design review process is one of the ways we can save owners money. Value engineering involves critical evaluations of the many elements of a building to determine if there are other products or systems that provide savings while ensuring quality. Simpson personnel will also examine the projected costs of materials and construction operation (Life-Cycle Costing) and will establish rational and efficient procedures for field execution as part of the value engineering evaluation.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Simpson Building Contractors will have a full-time, veteran office and field staff managing and supervising your project site to ensure that the work is progressing according to the initial plans. Its staff will supervise activities to keep everyone moving in the right direction and at the right pace. To effectively manage the objectives of the project, Simpson’s staff will coordinate all construction activities, including trade contractors, shop drawing review, change orders, project documentation, planning and coordination of meetings, minutes and reports, cost and schedule monitoring, safety, testing, start-up, training and turnover.

BUILDING QUALITY

Simpson is continually working towards a Total Quality Management System fit for the construction process. Simpson currently integrates several quality related functions into their regular activities. Personnel profiling, employee incentive programs, safety audits & surveys,, electronic communications, and tools & equipment tracking software are some of their latest additions towards TQM. Other quality functions provided by Simpson include concrete testing, compaction testing, specification conformance evaluation, latest in digital and computerized estimating, etc... Simpson’s staff is fully aware of the importance and effects of a top quality project. Industry is changing and new technologies are being introduced. Simpson understands that to be innovative and competitive, they must accept and utilize these evolutionary changes in order to stay on top. Simpson’s dedication to quality ensures that the construction of your project conforms to the quality standards incorporated in your contract documents, and is constructed using latest in materials and technologies..

PROJECT SCHEDULE CONTROL

Schedule control is implemented on an ongoing basis through to project completion. It involves the monitoring of all project process activities against the master schedule. In short, it is the means by which Simpson keeps everyone involved with the project moving in the right direction and at the right pace. Simpson utilizes only the latest in scheduling software (Microsoft Project) to develop a GANTT chart format schedule. The project schedule is developed and issued during the beginning stages of the project and is closely monitored throughout construction.

PROJECT COST CONTROL AND MONITORING

The initial construction budget is constantly monitored, revised and refined, and approved changes are incorporated as they occur. All accounting and cost control for labour, material and subcontracts are controlled with the Jonas Management System. Good cost control enables Simpson to identify problem areas in their early stages, thus ensuring a smooth construction process. Cost control also allows Simpson to maintain detailed cost records which can be used for accurately estimating future projects similar in nature, which is ideal for repetitive clients.

HIGH TECH ESTIMATING

Estimating for Simpson’s projects is provided by a skilled staff of estimators with diverse experience in construction. The estimating department uses state of the art “Precision Estimating Software” by Timberline, complete with digitizer boards and work packages. All estimates are generated using latest in computerized software with unit pricing reviewed and updated on a regular basis. Simpson’s extensive experience has enabled them to develop detailed cost records for a variety of projects. This detailed history of its experience enables them to project accurate cost estimates for the client at the earliest stages.

CHANGE ORDER MANAGEMENT & SHOP DRAWING MANAGEMENT

Working with their client, Simpson’s field personnel will maintain a tight control over changes and will define the impact of such changes to the overall project objectives. Changes will be evaluated to determine their necessity, appropriate cost, and effect on the project budget and schedule. All variables associated with any change order will be reported to the owner for consideration in the approval process. Simpson will supervise the approved change order implementation to ensure that the work and materials are in place, are as specified, and are fairly priced. Change orders will be coordinated and documented through a well documented approval process. Using numerical, alphabetical and colour coding management tactics, change orders are managed efficiently and fairly.

PROJECT COMMUNICATION AND COORDINATION

Communication is ultimately the most important factor in ensuring a project’s successful completion. Simpson’s approach is to make communication a continuous, documented process, by working with the owner and other members of the project team to make maximum use of regularly scheduled project team meetings. To be effective, such meetings follow a set agenda and are well documented with action lists. Simpson’s approach to documenting includes a list of critical activities requiring immediate action. The list indicates activities each team member is required to perform and the date when the activity should be completed. Normally, these activities are distributed immediately following the completion of a team meeting. They thus provide immediate confirmation of tasks assigned during the meeting and eliminate any gaps or misunderstood issues.

POST CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

As part of our post construction services — which every owner receives — we take great care to make sure our clients have a thorough understanding of how their new building operates because we know it enhances their ultimate satisfaction with a project. We provide maintenance guidelines and performance expectations on key systems and equipment, as well as all warranty information. In addition, you can contact Simpson with questions at any time following the completion of your project.

STRATEGIC ALLIANCES

In an economic environment which constantly exerts pressure to downsize corporate staffing and maximize profit, there is a growing trend in the use of business-to-business “alliances”. These alliances are special relationships between companies, where one company wishes to out-source particular functions by hiring another company which specializes in those functions.

More and more owners are developing strategic alliances with contractors and reaping the benefits. For example, by buying a large amount of construction services from one source, the owner obtains better pricing. In the long run, a strategic alliance keeps costs down, allows the contractor to dedicate specific staff to the client, eliminates the learning curve required by new contractors, and increases the ability to turn projects around quickly while continually improving upon quality.

For clients who perform a significant amount of construction on an ongoing basis, a strategic alliance can be a very cost effective solution. Let us show you how this approach may be an effective strategy for your organization.