CHOOSING THE RIGHT BUILDER
You may be considering a large, established building company working on multiple projects at the same time. Or you may want a builder who is a ‘one-person band’ with a ute and tools, a builder who is hands-on, highly responsive and a craftsperson who loves the detail.
Every builder has strengths and weaknesses.
Our builder selection process teases out the best builder available —based on your requirements for quality, cost, time and value. Our process helps to gain insights into the value of the builder, their experience and suitability to your project and to unveil any hidden risks.
This is the beginning of your potential relationship with the builder. Aspects that we consider through this stage include exploring whether the builder understands the nuances of the project, such as the site, and the details of the design. It also assists us to understand (if we haven’t already worked with them) how they work— are they organised? Are they clear communicators? What other commitments do they have? How invested are they in this project?
Establishing a good relationship with your builder from the start will assist the project and will influence how successful the quality of the finished product is and how smoothly the construction process will be.
“We have collaborated with Cathi Colla Architects on a number of projects. We have found Cathi and her team considers all aspects of the design – from idea, to design, through to construction. With clear communication, and a willingness to sift through ideas before they become problems makes our job easy.”
There are two ways that you might find the right builder for you and your project.
OPTION 1 – COMPETITIVE TENDER (Recommended)
Undertaking a competitive tender process provides you with the opportunity to secure a commercially driven competitive cost and timeline for the construction of your project.
OPTION 2: NEGOTIATED OFFER WITH A BUILDER
Perhaps you have a particular builder in mind who you have worked with before — a builder who you know well, gets good results, is reliable and is one that you trust.
If this is your preferred option, we’d request your preferred builder to provide an ‘offer’ for cost and time to construct your project.
In either the Competitive Tender process or the Negotiated Offer, our activities and deliverables typically include:
- Helping you determine whether to use the Tender or Negotiated Offer process to select your builder
- Providing the Construction Documentation, including all consultants’ designs and specifications, to tenderers or your preferred builder
- Helping you with the tender process and the selection of potential builders
- Answering any clarifications or questions from tenderers (or your preferred builder)
- Assessing the tenders (or your preferred builder’s offer) alongside the cost consultant (if any)
- Preparing reports on tenders (or preferred builder’s offer) and presenting these to you