![Frequently Asked Questions](https://sbegroupllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Frequently-Asked-Questions.jpg)
What is an Owner’s Representative?
An Owner’s Representative is a qualified individual that acts as an agent and advocate for an Owner as they construct or modernize their facilities. An Owner’s Rep will guide you through the design and construction process from concept to completion or any phase in between.
As an experienced construction professional, an Owner’s Rep will proactively manage in whole or parts of your project to minimize your risks, prevent problems and eliminate costly surprises.
This allows an Owner to continue with their daily routines while the Rep acts on their behalf and ensures their project remains on‐time and on‐budget.
What's the Difference - Owner's Rep vs Project Manager?
A Project Manager will focus on the completion of specific tasks associated with construction. These tasks generally do not include coordination of the ongoing progress of all related projects on a job — assessing what changes in one area will affect progress in another area.
A Project Manager, unlike an Owner’s Rep, does not assume the role of Owner advocate when it comes to contract negotiations with consultants, contractors, trades and suppliers.
How do I know if I need an Owner’s Rep for my project?
The construction process is not easy to understand or perform with explicit instruction and can be a virtual minefield for people without experience.
An Owner’s Rep has that full process experience and can provide you with clear, concise advice every step of the process.
This ensures the Owner is treated fairly when it comes to dealing with contractors, architects, consultants and vendors.
How do I save money by hiring an Owner's Rep up front?
When a project is run well, it becomes cost-effective. Failure to provide timely input, properly sequence work activities, order long lead materials on schedule and coordinate all involved parties can have a significant impact on construction costs.
An Owner’s Rep will ensure the project flows smoothly, will make the Owner aware of critical deadlines, will monitor costs and changes, ultimately saving an Owner more than the cost to hire him or her.
When is the best time to hire an Owner's Rep?
In a perfect world, the Owner’s Rep is the first person you should retain at project inception if you are not familiar with the construction process.
An Owner’s Rep can help in optimizing the design and determining the appropriate form of contract — essential activities that need to occur before work begins.
Owner’s Reps, however, can be brought on board at any phase of a project but the earlier the better.
How much does an Owner's Rep cost?
The cost of an Owner’s Rep depends on the type of services contracted. We use a pricing method tailored to the best interest of the client. This can be calculated several ways:
- Lump Sum Fee
- Cost per Square Foot of the Project
- Hourly
We prefer a Lump Sum fee as the most straight-forward method. This way there are no surprise invoices at the end of the project because the client knows and can budget for the exact cost of our oversight services. The lump sum fee also allows and owner to feel comfortable using the full capacity of services offered.
The Price per Square Foot may be based on an Owner’s preference as this is common in pricing other disciplines such as leases, engineering and construction. From a project management perspective, however, a price per square foot does not capture the full scope or involvement in a project.
The Hourly Rate charge may be based on limited scope and an Owner’s preferences. Ideally, however, a client should not have to be concerned about added Owner’s Rep costs if a project should require more time than originally planned.