cost control

In order to manage costs, the project requirements and the available funding must be understood.  This is only possible through effective communication within the primary Project Team – the Owner, the Architect and Wichman Construction.  By having a thorough understanding of the requirements and the needs of the owner, we can better fulfill those needs within the financial constraints of the project.  Wichman Construction uses a variety of software systems to fulfill these needs.

Project Identification
Wichman Construction utilizes Timberline Software to create a computer cost model for the project.  The benefit of this approach is its flexibility in creating cost variations for alternate design scenarios, and differences in subcontractor bids.  This puts the emphasis on proactive cost evaluation as opposed to reactive cost evaluation.  The model can assist in the transition of design development as the project specifications become more defined.  The flexibility of tracking different versions allows us to ultimately achieve a balance between time, cost and quality.

Scheduling
The schedule is the primary communication device for the project team.  The schedule encompasses a design completion schedule to protect critical construction start dates, identification of long lead items and coordination of all phases of construction to assure logical project phasing and effective cost control.  Primavera - Suretrak Project Manager enables us to provide timely information regarding the preparation, review and processing of scope modifications.   With regular updates on progress, we can identify possible schedule conflicts keep the projects moving forward.  Our ability to update, analyze and forecast the project schedule allows us to meet the time and cost requirements of the project.

Contract Administration
Project information items are handled by Timberline Accounting software.  These include purchase orders, subcontracts, submittals, changes & requests, all other reporting. Timberline provides us with efficient document management. It affords us proactive cost control and document management to ensure the project is successfully executed and completed on time and on budget.  As cost documents are created, the Cost Worksheet is instantly updated, providing real-time information to analyze and forecast project trends and make better cost management decisions.  Important project information is centralized, eliminating the need for repetition in data entry, streamlining document preparation and ensuring that project information and documents are linked to critical issues.  This allows us to immediately identify the impact a change will have on your project costs and overall schedule.

Budget
Adherence to a carefully prepared budget is accomplished by an internal control system. Our accounting system is specifically tailored to meet our construction management needs. Timberline Accounting is a complete, fully-integrated software program, providing extensive project documentation and generating reports that are reliable, easy to interpret and updated frequently. 

The flexibility of system tailoring allows us to customize meaningful reports for the project, including:

* Summary job cost reports
* Detail job cost reports
* Profit Projection Reports
* Vendor Status Reports
* Contract Status Reports