General Contracting Services

Our Construction Management Service includes full engagement during Preconstruction plus the following.

Overview in the Office

The founder and president of Montagno Construction Kurt Montagno has ultimate responsibility for each project. The project benefits from his focus on creating satisfaction and peace of mind, directing the organization toward the highest level of customer service and project quality performance. As principal-in-charge, he advises on schedules, materials, methods, clients’ priorities and other conditions, enforces our Affirmative Action Policy, and responds directly to clients’ concerns and questions. He is accountable for all facets of operations and governs our project management teams.

Our experienced project managers oversee subcontract negotiations and buyout, document control, coordinating materials fabrication and delivery, and client relations. They manage the overall construction budget for each project, oversee schedule, and ensure that clients’ expectations are met. They administer the financial aspects of each project, such as billing, project changes, monitoring worker hours, and applications for payment.

 Project Administration

We log all submittals, shop drawings, and RFIs as they are received from subcontractors. Upon receipt of RFIs, we discern whether the question has already been answered via the drawings or the specifications; and if not, we forward the question to the appropriate team member. Outstanding RFIs, submittals, and shop drawings are tracked for responses and timeliness. They are discussed and addressed at weekly progress meetings, included in meeting minutes and reports, and followed until resolved or approved.

Procore, an online construction management system, streamlines our document processes. The platform efficiently provides document control, improved communication, and more accurate forecasting. Procore allows everyone on the project team and stakeholders to have access to current project information, status, correspondence, and reports in real time to help make better decisions, faster. One other helpful feature of Procore is that it integrates with Sage Timberline, our project accounting system. With Procore, all project data is brought together, consolidating our processes, increasing transparency, and confirming our legendary accuracy.

Managing Costs During Construction

We use the Timberline system, a completely integrated job cost accounting system that handles all phases of job costing and contract management, payroll, and general ledger functions, to manage project costs. We program cost types and values that we converted from the final estimate or the results of the hard bid into Timberline.

Each week throughout construction, we produce and analyze the financial reports, looking for cost variances compared to the established budget. If deviations are due to program changes or unforeseen conditions, the variations are integrated with the project budget and tracked for overall conformance with the established final project budget.

Applications for Payment are discussed at the last job meeting each month, which includes a walk thru of the job site with a pencil copy of the Application and the owner or their representative. The Application for Payment is finalized, reflecting any adjustments identified during the walk-thru.

Oversight in the Field

Montagno Construction’s experienced, certified, and trained superintendent will be onsite every day of your project, holding safety training for subcontractors, scheduling the trade contractors, overseeing their progress, coordinating between subcontractors, inspecting for materials, processes, and work in accordance with the drawings and specifications, inspecting for OSHA compliance and a safe, clean worksite, verifying subcontractor hours, and securing the site at all times.

Our superintendent maintains control of the job by being acutely aware of schedule and quality. Each week he creates a 3-week look-ahead and compares actual work completed with the established master schedule. If he perceives a potential slip in the schedule, he addresses it immediately with the subcontractor responsible and gets a commitment that they will bring their performance back into compliance; he continues to monitor their success.

The superintendent participates in jobsite meetings with the project manager, the owner or their representative, and the architect, inviting subcontractors as applicable. The superintendent is the liaison between city and town-building officials, and he accepts responsibility for prompt, efficient close-out of the project.

Managing the Schedule During Construction

The project manager receives the established schedule and examines it to resolve any foreseeable glitches. He is responsible for the final overall project schedule and maintains it in Microsoft Project. At the same time, the superintendent mobilizes the project by performing various functions, such as permit filing and setting up the temporary offices on the job site. The formal kick-off involves a meeting with the entire project team, which fosters understanding and communication among all parties.

The superintendent conducts subcontractor meetings to address schedule, quality expectations, compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and safety guidelines. The superintendent monitors the project schedule on a daily basis using the 3-week look ahead and a 3-week as-built schedule and keeps everything moving forward according to plan. In communication with the superintendent, the project manager updates the overall project schedule each month in Microsoft Project to reflect any changes or modifications resulting from progress in the field.

Recording and Reporting

Project meetings are held each week to discuss progress in the field address current issues. We produce concise, comprehensive minutes of every meeting, notes are entered into Procore and Timberline, and minutes are distributed to the team. Between meetings, any conversations of consequence are documented with a follow-up email, and correspondence is stored for future reference. The use of Procore and Timberline guarantees that old business remains active until resolved, at which point the resolution is documented in the subsequent minutes for the record.

Procore also facilitates communication among all team members and real time access to plans, drawings, sketches, specs, and addenda, minutes, contracts, financials, reports, payment requests, etc.

Project Completion and Closeout

As the project nears completion, the superintendent proactively prepares pre-punch lists that are issued to subcontractors, who are instructed and scheduled to complete these items promptly. This practice minimizes the formal punch list created by the owner and architect. At the same time, project manuals, O&M manuals, and as-builts are prepared.

After substantial completion and with the formal punch list in hand, all-out effort is exerted to final completion. We conduct a project closeout meeting with all parties present to confirm that the project is complete and that the owner is a satisfied client.

Communicating and Reporting

When Montagno Construction is engaged for preconstruction services, our team begins a dialogue with owner, architect, and consultants; studies available plans; evaluates constructability of design ideas; and suggests materials, methods, procedures, coordination, or phasing that could reduce or influence schedule. Through a practice of both formal and informal meetings, we establish communication among all stakeholders and develop a formal reporting system. We capture schedule benchmarks to track, keeping everyone informed about these benchmarks throughout design development and as estimates are fine-tuned. While schedule and budget are adjusted on an on-going basis, formal reports are generated at least once each month.

Budgeting and Estimating

As soon as major building systems are identified, project budgets are prepared. Cost parameters are established by examining similar projects for comparison and by making quantity and quality adjustments. Using these cost parameters and current data from vendors and subcontractors, the budget is established on a trade division basis following the CSI format. When essential to project funding, we factor in federal, state, and any local prevailing wage requirements.

If the project requires, we can provide program estimates based on block schematic design for numerous alternative schemes that may be under consideration. As project elements are finalized, the estimate is updated and the impact on total project cost is tracked using proprietary worksheets we developed in Microsoft Excel.

 Value Engineering

An integral part of estimating and budgeting is value engineering. We review materials, building systems, equipment, methods, code compliance, and building permit requirements with an eye toward reducing budget, improving functionality, and minimizing impact on design aesthetics. We present a menu of cost-saving options for consideration as alternative solutions are identified.

When budget constraints require, we can approach this most aggressively with program function being the highest priority.

 Construction Planning & Safety

Our preconstruction services include planning the logistics of how construction will take place on the site, including access points, options for locating temporary offices, utilities, parking, and staging areas. During this phase, we develop a comprehensive project-specific safety plan for everyone who may have access or proximity to the construction site. Our safety procedures include open and often communication, signage, fencing, temporary walls when needed, pedestrian corrals if warranted, and more.

 Project Scheduling

An important aspect of preconstruction services is scheduling the construction timeline with our knowledge of procurement periods for all building systems and materials. Long-lead items include those that require unusual shop drawing or fabrication timelines, items that require custom finishing or design, and/or owner-furnished items. Focusing on the expectations of the owner, we propose a project schedule that incorporates these components, phasing, and accurate construction times for the trades.

We establish controls for the long-lead items and special materials through detailed narratives in the bid packages.

 Bid Package Preparation

We assemble bid packages on a trade division basis following the CSI format based on our experience and best practices regarding division of work. Our packages are formed to minimize construction duration, overlapping trade jurisdictions, and the necessity for additional temporary facilities to save costs and avoid disputes in the field. We set bid schedules that allow enough time to increase participation and award of trade contracts in line with the project schedule.

We send solicitations to qualified tradesmen, small and minority businesses, woman-owned enterprises, local contractors, any bidders of special interest to the owner, and we publicize the bid in iSqFt, in newspapers, and with local trade associations, as appropriate.

We conduct pre-bid conferences to familiarize bidders with the bid documents, management techniques, and with special systems, materials, and methods selected for the project. We facilitate the flow of questions and answers among the bidders, architect, owner, and consultants; and we assist in the issuance of addenda and responses to RFI’s.

 Post-Bid Recommendations

Upon receipt of all the bids, we evaluate them to confirm that all details of the bid documents are accounted for in the bids. We verify qualification statements, work load, quantities, and bidders’ understanding of the scope of work. We then recommend to the owner a qualified list of contractors for award. Except in the case of Construction Manager as Advisor, Montagno Construction assumes the responsibility for selection and individual trade contracts after consultation with the owner.

Contact us for more information on our preconstruction services.