Nothing
is as important to the success of a new church building project as the people
you select to help with the task.
Assembling the right team of people is a critical decision, which should
result in a building that meets all of your facility needs and everyone
involved having an enjoyable and rewarding experience in the process. If you have the wrong people – the wrong team
– you will probably be very disappointed.
There are three components to the Building
Team: (1) Owner, (2) Designer, (3)
Builder.
There
are several possible ways to contractually organize the Team. This contract
arrangement is referred to as the “delivery method”. The key to success lies in organizing these
three groups into a highly effective team, all working toward the same goal. Each church should learn how to assemble a
successful Building Team and understand which delivery method is best for their
particular church.
OWNER
It
starts with the church having the right people in charge of the project. For many churches it will be a committee
structure. For some churches, it will be
pastor led or led by another staff minister or lay person acting as chairman. A project of any size cannot be handled by
just one person. Being pastor of a
medium size or larger church is a full time job. A pastor that thinks he can serve in the
capacity of Owner’s representative on a major construction project will come to
understand that such a task will soon consume a tremendous portion of his time
and there will be little time left for pastoral duties. An Owner’s committee, a group of people, will
be necessary because there are numerous decisions to be made. Some larger projects may require an outside
consultant to serve as the Owner’s Representative, sometimes referred to as a
Program Manager or a Project Manager.
Unless the church is willing to turn every decision over to outsiders,
most churches will still need a committee of members and pastors who can speak
for the church. We refer to this group
as the Church Steering Committee. In most cases, it includes both laymen and
pastors and is selected by the top leadership.
There is a right size and a right way to go about selecting the Steering
Committee.
DESIGNER
The
right Design Team is also critical to project success. The designer determines the design based on
input from the Steering Committee.
Churches that allow non-designers to dictate the building design will
ultimately be dissatisfied with the end product as well as the process. The Architect
is the professional educated and trained to lead the design team. The Architect heads up a team of designers
and other professionals who each have specific roles to play in the design and
build process. Examples of the design team
members who work under the Architect’s direction include civil engineers,
landscape architects, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineers. Other specialists under his direction include
interior designers, kitchen designers, audio, video, and lighting
specialists. There is a tried and proven
way to select the right architect for your church.
BUILDER
The
Contractor is the leader of the
Builder Team. The Contractor heads up a
team of specialists (sub-contractors and suppliers) who complete the work. The right contractor for your church is
critical for a quality finished product – a well built facility for a fair
price. The contractor should be experienced working with churches as well as
experienced in current construction methods and techniques. Finding the best contractor for your church
should be a top priority.
DELIVERY METHOD
“Delivery Method” is shorthand for the
different possible contractual arrangements that define the roles of the
various Building Team members. The most
well known and traditional delivery method is referred to as Design-Bid-Build (DBB). In this system, the Architect is hired by the
church to prepare a design and once the “plans” are complete they are “put out
to bid” for multiple builders to competitively price. The low bidder is usually awarded a
stipulated price contract. The Design-Build (DB) method of delivery
combines the services of the architect and contractor. Under this system, the Architect and
Contractor are one contractual entity.
Another system, sometimes called “Partnering”,
places the Architect in a traditional contractual relationship with the church
but instead of bidding to several bidders, a contractor is hired under either a
cost-plus agreement or a stipulated sum contract. A popular variation of this for larger
projects is called Integrated Project
Delivery (IPD). Construction Management (CM) is the system in which the church
hires a construction manager and essentially acts as its own contractor. Each of these delivery methods has advantages
and disadvantages. The church Steering
Committee must understand each of these delivery methods and the pros and cons
of each in order to be able to decide which delivery method is best for their
situation.
Nothing
will impact the success of a new church building expansion or renovation as
much as the people selected to help with the task. A Building Team that includes the right
people will result in the best design and the best facility. It is important to understand the well
defined roles each team member will play and how they can be best organized for
your church’s benefit.
In
a series of articles we address how to select and how to organize the Building
Team. We address the different ways the
team can be organized contractually, and we explore the pros and cons of each
delivery method.
Articles
on the Church Building Team:
- Selecting and Organizing the Steering Committee
for your church building project
- Selecting the best architect and the best
contractor for your church
- Selecting the best delivery method for your church
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