Program Management

Compiling an accurate assessment of the condition of all existing buildings, including mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems; roofs and envelopes; interior finishes; and ADA compliance of interior and exterior spaces is an essential first step in developing a realistic master plan. Preparing a comprehensive site and building survey helps define a feasible work scope that is consistent with client and community priorities. Our assessment, which includes cost analysis, prioritization of projects and a required time frame for each project, is conducted in a three-step process that includes: survey preparation, facility survey and report preparation.

Our services include:

• Review of existing building data and equipment
• Conduct interviews with maintenance and custodial staff
• Survey facility occupants
• Prepare conceptual budget estimates and schedules
• Prioritize projects based on various needs and availability of funding
• Prepare capital asset schedules
• Prepare cash flow projections
• Prepare funding applications

We have extensive experience providing condition/needs assessments to our clients, allowing them to make better-informed decisions on their capital planning goals.

At Vanir, we understand that constructability reviews are key to avoiding disruptions and potentially costly and unnecessary change orders. We approach the constructability review process as a structured review of project plans and specifications, with a focus on buildability, biddability and efficiency.

Our reviews bring to light problems in the following areas:

• Reasonableness of the work sequence
• Comprehensiveness and completion of construction documents
• Coordination of documents and disciplines
• Identification of long lead time for material and equipment procurement
• Site restrictions
• Adequacy of access due to phasing constraints

Our clients have recognized significant cost savings and reductions in change order rates, claims and schedule delays through properly conducted constructability reviews.

During the review task of constructability, we focus on improving:

• Clarity and completeness of construction drawings and specifications
• Consistency, applicability, enforceability and comprehensiveness of the general condition (“front-end” documents)
• Applicability of construction installation technology, methods and materials
• Consistency between plans and site conditions
• Identification of project-specific issues, their probable consequences and proposed mitigation recommendations

Vanir is a leader in program, project and construction management, and our constructability reviews are just one of several ways we bring quality to your project.

Vanir has extensive experience assisting clients with determining a project’s feasibility to be completed successfully – based on economic, technical, legal and scheduling factors – during the planning stage before design begins. We understand that capital and lifecycle costs are often the determining factors in a cost-benefit analysis for any facility. As such, our team begins by pricing out various options to compare with the project budget. Our feasibility studies also include reviews of the site location, regulatory constraints, configuration and geotechnical conditions.

Our services include:

• Client vision and needs assessments
• Economic cost/benefit analyses
• Development of project scope
• Market trend analysis
• Risk assessments
• Planning requirements and restrictions
• Operational capacity
• Schedule analyses
• Conceptual estimating analysis

Our experience has shown that clients avoid additional expenses and lost time when a feasibility study is performed.

Vanir partners with clients to provide grant writing and funding assistance services to address financial challenges and meet their project needs. We begin by researching the availability of federal, state and private grant programs to identify appropriate funding sources. This process includes reviewing and assessing unmet project needs, including disaster prevention and recovery, mitigation and resiliency options. We then facilitate the application process and provide documentation throughout the project to meet grant requirements.

Our full range of services include:

• Funding source research
• Grant application preparation and submission
• Payment request preparation and submission
• FEMA funding management
• Capital improvement planning
• Issue resolution and technical assistance
• Tracking and monitor grant progress
• Responding to requests for information from funding sources and agencies
• Accounting, compliance and audit support services
• Document storage, retrieval and retention advisory services
• Closeout assistance

Our experienced team of in-house public assistance specialists, project managers, technical support staff and other advisory personnel have served clients in the healthcare, justice and essential services, education, state and local government, technology, water and transportation market sectors.

We are proud to say that we have extensive experience with a variety of federal programs, including:

• The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant Programs
• The Department of Housing and Urban Developments’ Community Development Block Grant Program
• United States Department of Agriculture Rural Loan Applications
• The Federal Clean Water Grant Program

Vanir specializes in providing master planning services that allow our clients to get the most out of their long-range building programs. We collaborate with our clients to develop an overall plan that informs current and future design and construction decisions. Our master planning efforts include space programming, scope development and development of a master program budget and schedule that indicates the phasing of work on a building-by-building basis, taking into consideration procurement and contracting strategies, authorities having jurisdiction and construction logistics for each potential project. Master planning could also include:

• Providing accurate assessments of all existing building structures; finishes; and mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, as well as accessibility and ADA compliance issues
• Defining a realistic scope of work that is in line with the client’s priorities
• Providing program and project budgets that include construction costs as well as “soft costs” such as design fees, staffing, permits contingencies and escalation for each project within the program
• Developing criteria documents to guide and inform the development of the design and construction.
• Developing a management plan outline that provides the structure for ongoing management and control of the project

Our services include:

• Condition/needs assessments
• Occupant and space usage studies
• Market analyses
• Building information modeling
• Facility improvement prioritization
• Scope development
• Project phasing plan development
• Management system structuring
• Roles/responsibility definitions
• Cash flow analysis and forecasting
• Preparation of applications for funding

Master planning ensures that your program goals are met through both long-range and short-term project decisions.

Programming, also known as pre-design, helps owners finalize their objectives, determine building and user requirements, establish a total building area and set the scope of work. At Vanir, we also use this time to conduct group and individual interviews with building occupants and users; review state and local building requirements; identify any life safety, fire, environmental and barrier-free code issues; and determine the effect on existing facilities or projects-in-planning and the need for corollary projects such as parking lots or new utilities services. This process results in a comprehensive description of the necessary components of the construction project and allows us to estimate a realistic project cost (to which escalation factors may be added to account for construction or occupancy delays). The project program, or end result of programming, describes how the finished facility will meet all project requirements and function for building occupants.

To manage the programming and pre-construction process, we offer a variety of services, including:

• Master planning and programming
• Feasibility studies
• Condition/needs assessments
• Growth projections and adjacencies
• Space standards
• Cost estimating and management
• Scheduling
• Strategic real estate and “stay vs. go” analysis
• Team assembly, including a real estate broker, architect, engineer and general contractor
• Contract negotiation
• Property evaluation, site selection and due diligence
• Lease review and work letter negotiation
• Architecture, design and planning
• Value engineering

Good schedule management is a strong reflection of the old adage, “plan the work and then work the plan.” At Vanir, we believe there are five keys elements to successful schedule management:

• Understanding individual site and operational issues, construction time windows and constraints
• Developing sequencing strategies that match and support client priorities
• Actively managing the funding, design, approval and permitting processes prior to the start of construction
• Collaboration with the general contractor and primary subcontractors
• Constant, hands-on anticipation and mitigation of potential schedule impediments

When planning, we incorporate our extensive project sequencing experience to create schedules based on each project’s unique conditions and scope. The schedule is then integrated with projected budgets to develop cashflows that enable appropriate use of funding and avoid cash deficits. Our use of 3D building information modeling (BIM) and scheduling technology further leverages the schedule as a 4D construction management tool.

When reviewing construction schedules, we verify that the contractor has planned for the complete scope of work and has accounted for all of the contractual and notable constraints and milestones. We provide a detailed analysis of the contractor’s planned phasing, work breakdown structure (WBS) and activities and logic to verify conformance with the contract documents and general constructability of the plan. We then review all changes made to the plan in each subsequent schedule submittal and time impact analysis.

Our services include:

• Program planning and scheduling
• Baseline and monthly progress schedule management
• Critical path method schedule reviews and updates
• Earned value management and reporting
• Time impact analysis and mitigation
• Change management
• Risk management
• Quantity surveying
• 4/5D modeling (BIM + schedule)
• Resource and cost loading of schedule
• Claims mitigation

Knowledgeable scheduling and proactive schedule management from the initial planning stage through move-in ensures successfully delivered projects. Our team will anticipate challenges, provide proven solutions and work with you to deliver your project on-time and within budget.