Selecting a General Contractor for Your Project

Selecting an experienced, and qualified general contractor (GC) is an important decision when choosing team members (owner, contractor, and design firms) for a construction project.  The selected GC should have knowledge and experience constructing similar projects and can be utilized as a consultant to the owner and design team during the project design and construction and help preserve the project’s budget and schedule.

Based on the owner’s preference, contractor selection is normally done by:

• Owner’s past experience
• Referrals and recommendations from local sources such as architect or engineering firms, owners with similar facilities, local Chamber of Commerce or Economic Development groups, etc.
• Developing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) or Request for Proposal (RFP) that is sent to potential GC firms. When the responses are compiled and reviewed, a ‘select’ list of firms (typically 3-5) is generated, the selected candidates are then interviewed, and the most favorable contractor selected for the project

Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and Request for Proposals (RFP)

(Note: Typically, these requests are developed for either general contractors or design firms and will need to be developed independently depending upon what services, construction or design, are needed.  They are combined here because of similarities.)

There are several ways to determine construction contractor or design firm qualifications for your project.  For larger projects, the most commonly used methods are: RFQ (Requests for Qualifications) and RFP (Requests for Proposals).  These can be used separately or combined for the selection process of a contractor or design firm.  The differences are as follows:

Request for Qualifications

This is typically the first step of the selection process and is used when the owner has not defined the scope of work for their project. The RFQ requests information about construction or design firms and the teams that they will provide to complete the construction or design / engineering tasks. The proposal will typically ask for firm information, project team members, project experience, and any other unique qualifications that the firm may have that would be a reason to select them for the project. The RFQ usually does not ask for a fee for the project. After the qualifications have been received by the owner, reviewed and ranked, the owner is then ready to go to the next step and create an RFP, which will summarize the project’s scope of work and request a fee proposal. A RFQ can also be incorporated into the RFP thereby expediting the overall process with a single document.

Request for Proposals

After a short list of qualified construction or design firms has been selected, the RFP process will allow the firms to provide a more detailed project approach and fee proposal for the project. The RFP will provide the firms with a scope of work for the project, including relevant terms and conditions. This allows the responding firms to provide a fee for services based on specific project information and a more complete understanding of the project scope. When the project does not have a specialized or difficult scope, it is common to combine the RFQ and RFP elements together in order to streamline the process with a single document.

Determination of Owner’s Needs and Goals.  

Prior to requesting qualifications or proposals, the owner must determine specific needs and goals for the project. The more detailed the information on the project, the greater the construction or design firm’s ability to develop a detailed and accurate proposal. The three factors that will have the greatest impact on the design and construction process are project scope, budget, and schedule.

It is common for several firms, 3-5, to be interviewed determining those that will be available when the owner is ready to begin construction, have the necessary resources for the project, and have experience with similar projects.

Considerations when interviewing a general contractor include:

• General company overview and history
• Required licenses and insurance
• What construction services does the firm provide
• References and reputation
• Experience with comparable projects
• Safety record, practices, and programs
• Project Management
• Construction site supervision and management

General Contractor / Construction Manager Responsibilities

• Construction budget
• Construction schedule
• Constructability reviews of design
• Project construction administration

Selecting an Architectural Design firm

Selecting an experienced and qualified design firm is an important decision when assembling the Team (owner, contractor, and design firms) for a project.  It is important that the firm has experience and embraces working as a team member with the owner and contractor. The selected firm should have the knowledge and capacity to design and engineer the project, consult with the owner to provide solutions to issues as the design is developed, and be able to move the design through the local government approval process to construct the project.

The design firm should also have the appropriate contacts for additional requirements such as civil and structural engineering, geo-technical reports, etc. that are needed to begin construction.

Based on the owner’s preference, design firm selection is typically done by:

• Owner’s past experience
• Referrals and recommendations from owner acquaintances, local sources such as contractor or engineering firms, owners with similar facilities, etc.
• A ‘Qualifications Based Selection’ by supplying a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) or Request for Proposal (RFP) to potential design firms.When the responses are compiled and reviewed, a ‘select’ list is created and the selected candidates are then interviewed with the most favorable firm selected for the project.  This method is required for Federal funded projects; many local, larger public funded projects; and is recommended and supported by the American Institute of Architects (AIA)

It is common that several firms be interviewed to help determine those that will have the capacity available when the owner is ready to begin design, have the necessary resources for the project, and have experience with similar projects.

Considerations when interviewing a design firm include:

• Company history
• Past experience with similar projects
• References and reputation
• Required licenses and insurance
• Accreditations and certifications
• Principal and associate architect’s education and background
• Extent of design services the firm provides
• Familiar with state and local building codes, permits, and regulations

Architect and Engineering Responsibilities 

• Project design
• Material and component specifications
• Building code adherence