Why is collaborative construction a smart idea? Short answer: it just works better. Collaborative construction means exactly what it sounds like: truly working together to design and build a project with input from all key stakeholders as early and as consistently as possible.

A seat at the table

Data from ELECTRI International research on integrated project delivery and design-assist models show collaborative projects consistently outperform traditional design-bid-build on cost, schedule, safety and “really across the board,” said Josh Bone, executive director of ELECTRI International.

When all the key players are brought to the table early—owners, designers, general contractors, and electrical and mechanical contractors—“it’s a smarter project from day one,” Bone said. 

“For our electrical contractors, collaboration gives them a seat at the table where they can plan more effectively, manage their crews better and cut way down on the rework that just eats into profitability,” he said. “It moves them from being a downstream installer to a genuine project partner, which is where contractors absolutely belong.”

Electrical systems are arguably the most complex and far-reaching in any building, and no one on a project knows the practical realities of installing those systems better than the electrical contractor, Bone said.

“How do you route conduit through a congested ceiling space? How do you coordinate an electrical room with all the mechanical equipment surrounding it? How do you sequence the energization of complex switchgear safely and efficiently? Those aren’t questions a designer sitting at a desk can fully answer. You need the people who do the work weighing in,” he said.

When electrical contractors are brought in early, they can catch coordination conflicts before they show up in the field, Bone said. They can offer practical alternatives that keep the design intent intact but make it substantially more buildable.

Electrical contractors help with realistic load calculations, smart equipment sizing and prefabrication strategies that save real time and labor on-site, he said. They can also flag long lead times on critical equipment, which have been a “major headache” for many project teams in recent years.

“Without that early input, you end up with designs that look great on paper but cause real problems during construction,” Bone said. “And those problems become change orders, schedule delays, safety concerns—it’s a domino effect that hurts everybody on the project.”

To make collaborative construction projects successful, key stakeholders must create an environment where team members feel comfortable raising issues and offering ideas without worrying about finger-pointing, he said. Incentives must also be aligned.

“This is one of the most powerful things about truly collaborative delivery models, as when everyone has skin in the game and you’re sharing risk and reward together, it changes behavior,” Bone said. “Decisions start getting made based on what’s best for the project, not what’s best for any one company.”

Stakeholders can boost the project’s success by leveraging technology, including BIM coordination, cloud-based project management and digital twins.

“The more data-driven and visually compelling your input is, the more influence you’re going to have at that table,” he said.

ELECTRI International has published studies on integrated project delivery, lean construction, design-build and other collaborative models, funding new research to help “contractors make the case for early involvement and team-based project delivery,” Bone said.

Sharing your expertise

In collaborative construction projects, mechanical, electrical and plumbing teams work with 3D models to develop their detailed design and shop drawings, said Carrie Sturts Dossick, a professor in construction management and the associate dean of research in the University of Washington’s College of Built Environments.

They then coordinate those designs together in federated models and coordination meetings, which support the fabrication and construction of building systems.

“You need people to represent those areas of expertise at the table to have conversations around design development,” Dossick said. “The model itself gives you a clue as to who should be in the room for those cooperative conversations.”

For each one of these trades, it helps them to be in the room even earlier than when they’re typically brought in, she said. It allows them to have a much better sense of the design intent—what the owner and designers are trying to accomplish. That allows them to align their own scopes of work with the broader project goals. 

In the design-build delivery method, contractors are getting brought in much earlier and being asked to consult in the design, Dossick said. To be most effective, contractors need to learn the design process and how they can bring their expertise to add value.

“Often, contractors will sit on the side and just listen, and they really won’t know how to engage,” she said. “The team leadership needs to do the work of helping people understand how to contribute. As well ... individuals need to be curious about the design process, be curious about design thinking, be curious about how to make contributions and how to provide information and feedback that helps the design process move forward.”

As collaborative models continue to evolve, so has the blurring of lines in design, engineering and construction, Dossick said. Today, many design-build managers at construction firms have architecture and engineering degrees, and individuals with construction management experience are being hired by design firms. They are all working in much more integrated teams than before.

While collaboration is always the goal on these types of projects, each stakeholder should acknowledge the tensions inherent in a project with a network of companies, she said. Each company has their own fiscal position in the marketplace, and when there are problems, individuals representing a company may become defensive in their posturing if the project seems to threaten their company.

“But there’s also this shared responsibility for the success of the project,” Dossick said. “Individuals have to navigate conflicting obligations to their company’s fiscal risks and the opportunities or challenges that the project holds for their company’s participation. The more acknowledgments that teams have of these different interests and the work that those teams can do to align those interests, the better.”

Collaborative construction projects can deliver savings to clients and contractors—if done correctly, said Hakob Avetisyan, professor at California State University Fullerton and CEO of Estimate and Build, a project management consulting firm based in Lake Forest, Calif.

“It allows iterative analysis of projects and hence reduces the potential losses through continuous analysis and problem elimination,” he said.

A meeting of the minds

Electrical, mechanical and HVAC subcontractors are the largest contracts on construction projects, and therefore the early involvement of these subcontractors allows them to help develop the project around the best possible and most feasible solutions that designers and engineers may not have been aware of, Avetisyan said.

Specifically for electrical work, electrical contractors know exactly what the code requirements are or what it takes to have the entire system in place, he said. However, often the electrical design is left almost at a conceptual level, assuming that the electrical contractor “will take care of it.”

“What is not always welcomed after that is the differences in offers and expectations,” Avetisyan said. “Therefore, early involvement and collaborative approach make it much better. It is not always an easy task given the involvement of many minds, yet if done professionally, it allows all stakeholders to harvest the benefits.”

One of the most common problems in the industry that hurts efficiency is the avoidance of bringing the key players into the projects in early stages, he said. The “I or we know it all” or “I or we know it better” approach simply costs money because the potential savings due to possible improvements stay unknown.

If this culture changes, it can help in the process by itself.

Another problem, however, is inefficient communication, Avetisyan said. He recommends that project stakeholders take that extra step and ensure that communication is clear and assumptions are eliminated as much as possible. 

“There is much more in making the project delivery as cost effective as possible, but not everyone sees through those lenses and almost always the cherry-picking is not the best approach,” he said. “If either client’s team or the contractors think they know it all, it is already overdue to get help for collecting all possible and reasonable cost savings.”

Why should electrical contractors push for collaborative construction on projects? Because demands on electrical systems are only increasing, Bone said.

Buildings today are smarter, more energy-­intensive and more connected than ever before, he said. There are also massive electrical loads from data centers and increased movement toward full electrification and distributed energy resources. Electrical systems have really become “the backbone of modern construction.” The design decisions that are made early on have a ripple effect on everything that follows.

“Collaborative construction isn’t just a buzzword or a passing trend; this is the future of how we need to build,” Bone said. “The projects going up today are more complex, more technically demanding and held to higher performance and sustainability standards than anything we’ve seen before. The old way of designing in a vacuum and then throwing documents over the wall for competitive bidding just doesn’t cut it anymore for these kinds of projects.”

Electrical contractors should see this as an opportunity, a chance to differentiate their firm and elevate the role of the electrical trade, Bone said.

“When you’re sitting at the table during design, contributing your expertise, solving problems before they happen, you’re showing value that goes way beyond just installation,” he said. “You’re positioning yourself as a trusted adviser and a real project partner. That’s a competitive advantage that’s tough for anyone else to replicate.”

stock.adobe.com/VectorMine