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Construction Audit & Advisory Services – test

The unrivaled expertise you need to be confident you haven’t overpaid, while preserving relationships with both parties.

Negotiating a fair enforceable contract and ensuring that you are billed appropriately sounds deceptively simple, yet but often proves to be frustrating and complex for Owners. Fortunately, our team has audited and managed contracts within the construction manager at risk, and integrated project delivery model with excellence for decades.

Our comprehensive review of estimated or billed construction job costs, especially costs that are difficult for most Owners to quantify payroll and insurances, can often lead to savings in excess of 1-2% of project costs.

Unparalleled construction audit and contract services

Over the years, Owners of more than 3,000 construction projects valued at more than $50 billion have benefited from our team’s expertise with well over $200 million being recovered by our Owner and CM clients. No audit firm has worked on more projects in more locations or for more owners and contractors than HPM.

Comprehensive services from start to finish

Although HPM is highly specialized in our auditing and contract service expertise, we also offer a wide variety of other services covering the entire construction cycle that ensures that we will meet all our client’s needs. The team provides the full range of services an Owner needs from formulating a construction RFP to auditing the final construction cost.

“HPM’s Audit Division brought a level of experience and expertise to our project that we didn’t believe existed.”

(Find out who/what client to attribute this to)

“I have worked with Vince Chapman and HPM’s Construction Audit & Advisory Services team for more than 15 years. This group is comprised of some of the most knowledgeable professionals that I have had the pleasure of working with. Their collective background runs the entire scope of program management, and they serve as invaluable professionals starting with design and continuing through construction and close out. Attention to detail and contract language is the key to HPM’s success.”

John Igoe, Senior Director Development (Retired), Google

Our sole objective is to add value to each project.

Our goal during each engagement is to provide quality services responsive to our client’s needs. Our services are wholly devoted to providing the owner and builder with a team with their concerns in mind.

OUR SERVICES

 

Contract Negotiations

Independent Project Estimate Review

System Cost Control and Change Order Management

Contract and Bid Evaluations

Interim and Final Audits to Determine
Reimbursable Costs and Fees

 

Pay Application Reviews

Claims Analysis

Management and Defense

Tax Segregation of Building Components

Audit and Cost Control Training

IPD and IFOA Audits and Coaching

SELECT CONSTRUCTION AUDIT & ADVISORY SERVICES CLIENTS

CONSTRUCTION AUDIT & ADVISORY SERVICES LEADERSHIP

The nationally recognized Audit and Contract Services team is led by Vinson Chapman, along with principals Jake Ortego and Antonio Fratangelo. Vince and his team have been providing construction auditing and construction contract advisory services since 1988.

All HPM principals and associates are seasoned employees who have formerly worked at the highest levels of accounting and project management for large construction managers or engineering firms and therefore have firsthand knowledge of the construction industry and its costing approaches. We have no junior auditors or cost control consultants.

Vince Chapman
Jake Ortego
Antonio Fratangelo
Valerie Rogers Smith

Program Development

HPM’s Program Development team was created to help you validate and organize project information and processes. Planning budget, schedule and operations prior to launching a construction program adds significant value to the success of the program. Our team partners with clients to ensure the road map to completion is clear before a shovel ever hits the ground.

We organize your project information and processes, providing a clear understanding of constraints, timelines and goals. This level of clarity and focus aids in achieving desired outcomes and ensures all parties are on the same page.

HPM works with you to identify potential risks and develop strategies for mitigation, proactively increasing successful project odds. We establish an environment of collaboration and communication from day one, clearly defining roles and responsibilities. This promotes smooth interactions and positive rapport among team members, stakeholders, suppliers and other relevant parties.

Our Program Development team utilizes our keen understanding of the balance of cost and time to divide your program into well-defined projects, setting realistic timelines and stakeholder expectations. This leads to improved efficiency in time and cost management, reducing the risk of delays, budget overruns and unmet expectations. Whether you seek guidance in developing a construction program from scratch, or improvement for a current program, HPM is ready to transform your plans from ideas to reality.

Facilities Maintenance Capital

Capital improvement programs often do not necessitate construction but call for maintenance or upgrades. HPM’s facilities maintenance capital team is the perfect solution for clients looking to revamp their critical facilities rather than starting from scratch.

From planning and due diligence to execution and closeout, our facilities maintenance capital team is equipped to manage the many moving parts accompanying a maintenance initiative across an expansive company footprint. Though the projects may be minor, the volume adds up quickly. This is particularly prevalent for geographically diverse companies occupying many campuses with varying needs.

Our team has completed facilities maintenance projects on behalf of fortune 500 companies, healthcare facilities, and schools across the U.S., including assisting in developing capital planning. Our core responsibility in these scenarios is to streamline communication among all vested parties and stakeholders, regardless of their location or role. This includes critical reporting in real-time on all relevant project controls. These projects often include HVAC updates, changes in lighting, companywide technology changes, roof improvements and much more. HPM often spearheads vendor onboarding and management and continues to guide trade partners throughout the project’s life. This ensures smooth and thorough completion.

Extensive updates can be overwhelming, especially considering the tasks that accompany running a successful, growing company. HPM stands ready to partner with you to provide the highest level of support and peace of mind as you take on large-scale updates on your key facilities, data centers, headquarters, and more.

 

Move Management

As a project nears completion, HPM’s move management team guides the owner through the process of occupying the building. Our team has conducted large-scale move management projects for facilities in a variety of industries including healthcare, education, corporate and manufacturing.

With our multi-disciplined staff, we provide a variety of services to fit each client’s specific needs such as furniture and equipment inventories, space planning, furniture and equipment planning and procurement, furniture specifying, mover selection and coordination, move scheduling and logistics management including receiving, tagging and installing furniture and equipment and decommissioning of a space. Our team also manages the purchase and placement of artwork and hangs it if needed.

HPM’s move management team is composed of professionals with backgrounds and expertise in design. This uniquely qualifies them to procure and arrange furniture in your new spaces, no matter the industry. Our team of experts ensures that the interior components of your facilities exceed your expectations, both from an aesthetic and logistical perspective.

When new employees start or current employees move offices, the move management team coordinates the space change by ensuring the furniture, computer and phones are in place in the new location. HPM keeps track, electronically, of where each employee lives and what space is vacant. In doing so, we manage space allocation for the owner. This service allows owners to realize a seamless transition of people, furniture and equipment from their existing facility into their new facility.

Project Controls

Your project, our expertise – We’ll keep you on track for success

Large-scale construction projects require continuous oversight of systematic processes to maximize your investment and ensure the proper use of resources. By leveraging an in-house team to stay on top of projects throughout the pre-construction and construction management process, our clients and their projects are set up to reach their project goals and deadlines without unexpected headaches or surprises.

HPM Project Controls is your partner in effectively tracking and managing three pillars of controls:

  1. Financial Controls: Establishing and maintaining a budget for capital projects is key in achieving an overall success that is within the scope of all stakeholders. HPM’s Financial Controls team is experienced in meeting clients where they are, adapting to individualized processes for budget management based on client needs and leveraging industry-preferred tools like Procore to establish necessary financial controls and provide for effective budget management.
  2. Scheduling Controls: HPM understands that proper scheduling of large construction projects is often a delicate balance, involving many stakeholders and considerations. To ensure timely project completion with as little disruption to surrounding events and groups as possible, the Scheduling Controls team works directly with internal groups and leverages their expertise to proactively identify and mitigate risks to the schedule.
  3. General Controls: While budgeting and scheduling are major factors in project planning, adept risk management, clear communication and continued transparency throughout the project is equally important to maintain project expectations and provide any necessary updates. These projects take time, and HPM has the tools and team to share helpful reporting, documentation, and status updates throughout the project life cycle.

 

We adapt to your team’s needs – as support to your existing team, as a standalone service, or both.

 

Planning for a Flexible Future

Project Controls’ services include two phases for optimizing success: Pre-Construction and Construction. During Pre-Construction, our team works with you to understand project goals, plan based on personalized client needs, and create a comprehensive schedule for all stakeholders. In the Construction phases, our team continues to plan and adapt based on any needed updates and considerations that were not included in Pre-Construction phases. Throughout every phase, clients can expect clear communication and frequent reporting on progress and milestones.

Pre-Construction

  • Program/Master Budgeting Creation and Validation
  • Cost Validation
  • Cost Estimating
  • Bid Solicitation and Analysis
  • Constructability Analysis
  • Master Program Schedules
  • Conceptual Schedules and Program Validation
  • Timeline Presentations
  • Schedule Scenario Comparisons
  • Resource/Staffing Schedules
  • Progress Updates
  • Schedules Specification and Contract Scheduling

 

Construction

  • Program/Project Budget Management
  • Change Management
  • Payment and Progress Validation??
  • Progress Documentation and Reporting
  • Project Administration
  • Risk Management
  • Initial Schedule/Baseline Review
  • Schedule Quality Report
  • Schedule Update Analysis Report
  • HPM Schedule Risk Dashboard
  • Performance and Risk Analysis Presentations
  • Delay Claim Reviews
  • Recovery Recommendations

 

Additionally, HPM uses project controls related software, including Procore, OpenSpace, SmartPM, SiteTraxx, Microsoft Power Platform, DocuSign and more. Through these platforms, we develop and deploy customized dashboards that aggregate the data from these various software applications. This wholistic view of the performance of projects and programs assists our clients and project management teams in proactively monitoring and managing all the various aspects of performance including safety, quality, costs, schedule, risk, general documents management, and others.

Field Coordination

HPM is unique from other program management firms in that we were born of a construction company. Practical, in-depth construction knowledge is part of our DNA. This origin affords us the ability to place expert Field Coordinators on your site to protect your interests. Our group of Field Coordinators safeguard your priorities as HPM manages your project from the inside out.

Safety

The Field Coordinator takes an active role in identifying potential safety hazards affecting adjacent areas or pedestrian traffic around the perimeter of the site. Examples of such hazards would be pedestrian traffic at construction site entrances, maintaining a safe perimeter, stacking of materials close to the perimeter fence or securing materials which could become airborne in a high wind situation. The Field Coordinator works with the contractor to eliminate these hazards.

Schedule

One of the biggest risks associated with any construction project are schedule delays that impact the final delivery date. The Field Coordinator reviews the initial (baseline) schedule for completeness and viability for success. Updates to the contractor’s schedule are reviewed weekly in order to identify delays early and maintain progress. The Field Coordinator also ensures owner-related decisions are made in a timely manner and owner activities are implemented so the project schedule is not impacted.

Quality

In addition, quality poses a significant risk on job sites. Bi-weekly or monthly architect and consultant inspections only cover a fraction of the work being put in place and covered each day, and building inspectors are focused on code issues and do not inspect for compliance with materials or execution requirements. HPM’s on-site Field Coordinator observes the site daily for compliance, supplementing periodic inspections and assuring utmost quality. The advantage of daily observation is early detection and identification of deficiencies, allowing for remediation before deficiencies become widespread. This level of quality control increases end-product satisfaction and decreases maintenance and energy costs for the life of the building.

Owners’ Representation

When embarking upon an ambitious capital improvement initiative, it is imperative that you employ a trusted representative with proven, relevant experience to sit on your side of the table. Owners’ representation opens the door to an efficient process offering you peace of mind. At HPM we are more than owners’ representatives… we are owners’ advocates.

For almost 30 years, we have remained solely focused on our clients. During this time, we have developed a deep understanding of what our clients need. This allows us to deliver the highest quality owners’ representation services in our industry. We do not attempt to be all things to all clients, but rather the right solution for the right clients.

Stewardship

With stewardship as one of our core values, we manage your resources as if they were our own. This includes holding designers, contractors, decision makers and even ourselves accountable to all commitments made. HPM manages the design process to ensure our client’s programming requirements are achieved and scope is maximized. HPM conducts aggressive campaigns to develop pools of interested firms, while creating competitive conditions to drive the best value. We are diligent in prequalification and contracting so that risks with respect to safety, schedule, quality and cost are adequately managed.

Proficiency

Our commitment to excellence and proficiency from top to bottom often saves our clients time and money and provides transparency and integrity, helping all vested parties sleep better at night. HPM’s proven processes don’t break down under pressure. As your owners’ representative, we keep your projects lean and staff them with the right talent at the right time to uphold your efforts and ensure your success while keeping everything smooth for the ultimate end-user experience. We believe in the value of cutting-edge technology and transparent communication in order to ensure the priorities and goals of our clients become tangible realities.

Project/Program Management

The realization of any capital construction project hinges on the coordination of many different people working towards one goal. With so many moving parts, there is great potential for miscommunication and waste. At HPM, we’re dedicated to leading your program and its projects every step of the way—striving to ensure that your vision comes to life on time, under budget and beyond your expectations. Our project management services pave the way for successful realization of ambitious goals.

HPM is ranked by Engineering News Record Magazine as a Top 50 PM firm in the United States. Our team provides the experience, bench strength, flexibility, versatility and efficiency only a full-time program manager can offer. We are not a corporate giant, nor are we contractors or engineers who occasionally perform program management services. Simply put, program/project management is our specialty. Our proven processes weave accountability and proficiency through your program from top to bottom, ensuring commitments with excellence.

HPM has provided program management leadership for projects and programs across the United States utilizing a lean and efficient staffing model tailored to the specific and unique needs of the clients we serve. Our approach centers on the principle of providing a core senior leadership team, led by tenured executives, along with subject matter experts as necessary to provide the support and experience required by the client at the right time. We have earned the trust and respect of our clients by implementing sprint starts and well-developed management plans. We recognize that our leadership must come through close partnership and coordination with our clients. Our team is successful only so far as your team is successful. It would be our distinct privilege to manage your program or project, no matter the scope or size.

Procurement

A thorough procurement process holds significant value for both sides of the procurement process – the Owner and the Supplier. It ensures the efficient and effective acquisition of professional services needed for your building program. This operation ultimately fuels the overall success of your organization and the supplier.

HPM’s procurement team is here to assist you in identifying and procuring high-quality partners. These include designers, consultants, contractors, design-builders and construction managers to position your construction program for success. We work in conjunction with architects to make necessary adjustments in the design schedule to facilitate earlier completion of the work relating to pre-purchase items.

HPM’s procurement process brings numerous benefits to our clients. Clients gain cost savings, supplier management, risk mitigation, improved quality, transparency, compliance and strategic decision-making. By implementing and continuously improving our processes, our clients can enhance their operational efficiency, reduce costs, and gain a competitive edge in the market.

Preconstruction

Preconstruction services are a core foundation of HPM’s business. Lean processes are natural to our team, as we drive innovative solutions and bring value to the owner. For almost 30 years, HPM has delivered successful, measurable preconstruction services to projects across the United States.

Rather than being confined to a specific industry, our preconstruction team runs the gamut in facility types, recently ranging from large-scale sporting venues, aviation hangars, hospitals, K12 schools, university buildings of all sorts and large detention facilities. As preconstruction managers, we go well beyond delivering accurate estimates, detailed budgets and realistic schedules.

The HPM preconstruction team formulates construction cost data for budget development and verification based on the programmatic requirements. Information from historical cost databases, market surveys, cost verifications, comparative data on the project type and recent experience, are utilized to develop a total program budget. This cost information is used to make facility project decisions and revisions necessary to achieve the desired budget. Eventually, once approved by the owner, the program budget is used as the benchmark for design evaluation for budget compliance.

Upon the establishment of the total program budget, we bring the most value to a client through target value design. We work with the design team to design to the budget in lieu of the typical budgeting to the design. Systems analysis of all the major building systems empowers owners with information to make target value design decisions in product and systems selections to control cost and schedule throughout the design phase.

Ready to discuss your next project?