Sustainable Land Development Today - June 2008 - (Page 37)

that seems most qualified. Call for a meeting that will be attended by the project manager most likely to be assigned and the individual’s likely backup. Use the meeting to describe what you have in mind, then respond to the questions that the project managers should ask to shape their scopes. Remember, when you are addressing matters related to your site’s subsurface, you are addressing high-risk issues, because what’s involved is hidden by earth, rock, and time. What are your risk-management preferences? That’s a question that many of the geoprofessionals’ questions will focus on. Based on the answers you give, they will fashion a proposed scope of service. They will price the scope in terms of fees and expenses, and then you will meet again. Is the cost of implementing the scope more than you want to spend? Of course it is! But it’s not about what you want. It’s about what you need to manage your risk. “What can we do to lower the cost” is a legitimate question, and you should listen carefully to the answers. The project managers should be able to identify each of the various cut-backs possible and, more important, what cutting back will do to your risk. And it is your risk; one which – given the unknowns involved – exists even under the best of circumstances. As the scope is diluted, risk increases, and the general terms and conditions that form the contract will make it crystal-clear that you bear that risk. Should you rely on geoprofessionals who are less astute about risk? Who will be willing to accept whatever scope and conditions you insist upon? Put it this way: Professionals who don’t know or care about their own risks surely are not going to know or care about yours. You want professionals who understand risk, because they’re the best risk management you can have. Why not select geoprofessionals on the basis of bids? Because each bid represents the bidder’s assumptions about what you want and need, based on nothing more than an uninformed guess. And each bidder will assume you want the cheapest possible service they and you can live with, because that’s what it takes to have the lowest bid. (Cheap engineering often results in additional expense, thanks to conservative design.) But what happens if you use QBS and the firm you consider most qualified seems to be charging too much? Get a second opinion about fees and expenses before turning down the firm that’s most qualified; i.e., the firm that knows far more about what it’s talking about than any other project participant, including the architect, structural engineer, or civil engineer. Should you compromise quality to maintain your budget or should you compromise your budget to maintain quality? If you’re experienced, you know that compromising quality will sooner or later result in a compromised budget. Which is why the top-ranked firm usually gets the assignment. But if the firm decides it’s not willing to budge, close your discussions with it and move on to the firm you consider next-most qualified. But be careful: Subsurface issues still seem to generate more PLI claims than any others. How much better it is to have no problems and no claims in that department. And how easy it is to achieve that outcome when you realize that a really satisfying lunch tends to cost more than one that is likely to cause heartburn. In geotechnical engineering and geoenvironmental services as in just about all others, the higher the quality, the lower the risk; the lower the risk, the lower the cost. By investing in quality, you invest in savings. About the author: John Philip Bachner is the executive vice president of ASFE/The Best People on Earth, a not-for-profit association of firms that provide geotechnical and civil engineering, environmental consulting, and construction materials engineering and testing. ASFE provides an array of programs, services, and materials to help its members and their clients manage risk. Obtain more information at www.asfe.org or by contacting the organization at 301/565-2733 or info@asfe.org. www.SLDTonline.com 37 http://www.asfe.org http://www.SLDTonline.com

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Sustainable Land Development Today - June 2008 Contents Our Voice Editorial Board SLDT Resources Where Rubber Meets the Road Integrated Planning: The Key To Developing Sustainable Planned Communities Win-Win For College and Community Industry Spotlight: Transoft Unique Organization, Unique Opportunity New Preferred Provider Comments from the Austin Conference Welcome New Members New Knowledge Project Articles Books Going Green Business Management Risk Management Surveying and Mapping Industry News Products/Services Showcase Advertiser Index Classifieds The Last Word

Sustainable Land Development Today - June 2008

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