3 Golden Tips to Furnishing a Construction Project on Time
Construction delays are common in the commercial sector, and they can quickly derail your project delivery. One common delay is the FFE. (Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment).
This is usually the last phase of any construction project, but unfortunately often neglected, or worse not discussed or agreed upon in construction contracts, which can lead to misunderstanding and hidden costs.
So, follow these simple tips to ensure that you complete your project on time successfully without any setbacks and failures.
1 - Discuss FFE as early on as possible
If you’re the business owner of the construction, please carefully consider and evaluate your interior design needs in parallel with your architectural designs. This interior design planning is best handled as a separate project parallel to your construction project, and it is best handled by professional interior design consultants. If you haven’t worked with interior designers in the past, you could ask your construction company if they deal with interior designers that they could recommend for your project.
If you’re a construction project manager, sit with your client during the planning and design process, and assist them in trying to identify all of the costs associated with their building project so that they have a very clear picture of the total cost, including the furnishing costs. The last thing you want is an angry client getting surprised with unexpected costs and blaming you for it.
2 - Communication between construction & designer companies
If you’re the business owner of the construction project, and you are already working with an interior designer person or agency, do connect them with your construction project’s architects so they can align their designs according to your vision. This is probably THE golden secret that makes any furnishing or renovation project succeed with minimal issues.
If you are a construction project manager and your client is already dealing with an interior designer and has furnishing plans as mentioned above, then it might be worth your while to get in touch with them to review and align your design plans. If your client does not have any interior design plans, you could suggest they work with interior designers you’ve worked with in the past and explain to them the importance of establishing these plans early on in the project.
3 - Approve plans and documents ASAP
In both cases, whether you are a business owner or a project manager, make sure an agreed upon construction schedule is approved and signed. This doesn’t mean rush it by any means. The schedule should take into consideration the time it takes to procure equipment, materials, & resources required to start and finish the project. Preferably a logistics plan should also be in place.
Other legal documents that involve third-parties like construction permits and insurance should also be obtained & approved as soon as possible, since those usually depend on government workers and go through bureaucracies that take a lot of time. It’s highly inadvisable to have legal documents pending in parallel while you work on the project.
Finishing a construction project on time takes an enormous effort and focus. Many construction projects fail because of bad planning, vague requirements, and terrible communication. To have your vision executed right you must be on top of things and always hire professionals who have a proven track record and are highly organized and punctual.
