Haines/Office Space Planning, Part 4

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design-builder will give the owner a guaranteed price early

· How to size the implications of your needs.

in the project.

· How to determine whether to remodel and expand or

The disadvantage of the design-build approach is

build new.

that the early guaranteed price is often based on prelimi-

· The design process for your project.

nary design documents; the relationship between scope

· Financing options for your project.

and cost is ill defined. The owner accountability on the

· Construction delivery methods.

design-builder is not as comprehensive as it is in the de-

Taking these issues in sequence, answering each

sign-bid-build process in which a complete set of contract

question before proceeding to the next will allow you a

documents has been prepared.

smooth development process with the least amount of re-

dundancy and the least risk of pursuing a project that will

not come to fruition. Ultimately you may spend a year or

The disadvantage of the design-build

two going through all these steps.

approach is that the early guaranteed price

is often based on preliminary design

Taking these issues in sequence . . .

documents . . .

you may spend a year or two going

through all these steps.

Another disadvantage of design-build is that there is

no true marketplace test for the value of the project. The de-

However, when properly done, you will be able to

sign-builder has promised to deliver the building at a cer-

enjoy the results of this endeavor for many years. In re-

tain price. However, the design-builder's team develops

sponse to a comment that "it costs just as much to build

the quality and cost of the project is independent of the

a bad facility as it does to build a good one," a practice

owner or the owner's team. The savings that accrue to the

manager responded "Oh no! It is much more expensive

design-builder do not necessarily flow through to the owner.

to build a bad office." Of course, she was referring to the

operational realities of a bad office compared to that of a

CONCLUSION

good one. Economics aside, there is also an issue of qual-

ity of practice life. In the final analysis, you will spend

With this series of articles you have now learned:

many hours in your office. It should be an enjoyable place

· How to assess your needs.

■

to work, not only for you but also for your staff.

· How to assess your productivity potential.

Journal of Medical Practice Management

Greenbranch Publishing · 1-800-933-3711