Why Delivery Method Matters: A Guide for Selecting the Most Effective Delivery Method for Your Life Sciences Project
Scott Earley, project executive at Gilbane Building Company, provides insights into the crucial process of selecting the optimal delivery method for life science construction projects. Scott will present more on this topic at ISPE’s Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter’s 2024 Mid-Atlantic Science & Technology (MAST) Showcase.
By Scott Earley | April 12, 2024
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Life science companies are innovating and growing at record speed. The facilities they need to support that growth are complex, requiring flexibility and strict adherence to rigorous quality standards. At the same time, these projects are often driven by intense speed to market demands.
There is a myriad of decisions to make when planning for a life science construction project. It may be tempting to move forward with a delivery method that’s worked in the past, without specifically assessing what’s best for each project. Yet, selecting the right delivery method – one that aligns with your goals, resources, and expectations – has an immense impact on the overall success of the project. Whether you’re building a research lab, pilot plant, or manufacturing facility; an expansion, renovation, or ground-up, the delivery method sets the stage for success. With the stakes as high as they are for these projects, I’ve outlined some critical considerations for selecting a delivery method for your next project.
Consider the type of life science facility you’re building
The features and complexity of your facility will impact the delivery method you choose. The more complex the facility, the earlier collaboration is needed and the more sophisticated your partners should be to deliver successfully. Where design parameters and goals are more rigid or defined by process, consider the use of a Construction Manager at-Risk (CMaR) approach, where you can lean on the expertise of your construction partner early to provide insight on safety, quality, budget, and schedule considerations.
Identify your goals
- Do you want to drive partnership and innovation across the various team members?
- Do you have complexities that will benefit from creative and solutions-focused thinking, or is the project clear-cut and straightforward?
- Do you have in-house expertise to oversee the project, or do you need additional resources to keep in-house resources focused on other priorities, such as keeping existing facilities running?
Establishing your goals early and aligning your delivery method to those goals is paramount. For example, if speed to market is critical to get your product to market, you should consider design-build. Design-build offers a lot of benefits, but in this case, it will help you to begin construction before you’ve completed the design. Ultimately, leading to faster delivery of your facility.
Once you’ve identified your goals, you might also want to consider using KPIs that align with those goals to incentivize the team during delivery. This way your key goals help drive decisions for all members of your team. Only certain delivery models will allow you to incentivize stakeholders effectively.
Timing
The earlier you consider your options; the more options that are available to you. In addition, the delivery method can strongly impact your design and construction teams’ ability to provide options that will add value to your project. Plus, the options are continuously evolving – with new delivery methods and methodologies coming into play, each offering unique opportunities and challenges. Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Management (EPCM) as a Partnership is more suited at the inception stage of a project where the collaboration of a multiparty team can have the highest impact.
Customizing your delivery method
Think of your delivery method as your starting point. Then, consider how you can incorporate methodologies such as lean, design-assist, or integrated project delivery principles to “customize” your delivery method. You can also consider incentives, as I mentioned earlier. No matter what, always keep your main goals in mind. They should drive all your decisions on how to approach your project.
During my session for ISPE’s Mid-Atlantic Science and Technology Conference, I’ll dive into these considerations more deeply and provide a decision tree to help you choose between delivery models. I’ll also walk through a few scenarios to show how the right delivery method can have a major impact on the success of your project.
Want to know more about this topic?! Scott will be speaking at the 2024 ISPE Mid-Atlantic Science & Technology (MAST) Showcase. Register here!
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