Basic blue square 8x8 -OPUS2MBELLC

INTRODUCTION

  • How much time do Errors and Omissions cost you?

  • How much money?

  • How much in terms of damaged relationships?

  • I agree with this quote:

“The person most likely to miss an error or omission is the person who made the error or "created" the omission. Conversely, the less a person knows about a project, the more likely it is that they will question things that don't seem quite right or quite complete.”

Charles Nelson, in "Managing Quality in Architecture"

QA/QC REVIEW OF CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS

  • Your firm has probably established a Quality Assurance program, with standard details and specifications, uniform formatting systems, sheet numbering protocols, etc.

  • Quality Control is a bit different, and is best performed by someone not familiar with the project itself, or with your own procedures and standards.

  • No set of CDs is perfect. But the number of E&O can be reduced, so that the time (and money) spent responding to RFIs and processing Change Orders is also diminished. 

  • If you want to reduce risk and improve project quality, I can help with that.

SPECIFICATIONS WRITING

  • “Specs are boring, and no one reads them.”

  • Perhaps, but they are also extremely important. It has been said that “the difference between a plan room and a courtroom is that in a plan room they look at the drawings and ignore the specs, but in a courtroom they look at the specs and ignore the drawings." 

  • I actually enjoy writing specs and researching product options, and coordinating them with what the drawings show. What a nerd! I remember a project I inherited years ago when I worked for a rather large firm. The project manager left the firm (and town), and I was assigned to take over the CA phase. When I received the submittal for the storefront system I realized the spec in the project manual was the unedited Masterspec section, listing ALL types and levels of performance. The contractor was therefore entitled to submit the cheapest, lowest quality product. We had to “upgrade” via an embarrassing Change Order.

  • I believe that canned specs are risky, and even recycling your own from previous projects can create avoidable problems.

  • I can help with that.

BUILDING CODE REVIEWS

  • While most of my professional experience has been in the design of “E” occupancy facilities (K12), the last few years I have been performing Code Reviews for a variety of project types and occupancies, and my meticulous nature has proven effective for that process. 

  • While I can’t catch every code violation, especially those dealing with structural or MEP issues, I am well versed in the more “architectural” aspects of the IBC, the IRC and the IEBC, including fire separations and ratings, means of egress and handicapped accessibility (one of my main interests.)

  • Have you ever had to make revisions to your design during the construction phase because the AHJ noticed a code or accessibility issue you or your staff missed?

  • I can help with that.

MBE

  • I was born, raised and educated in Venezuela. New York state law says that therefore I qualify as a minority, and in 2016 I was certified as an MBE. 

  • When I have worked on projects with MWBE participation requirements in New York state, I found that it’s not too hard to find excellent WBE firms, but MBEs are not so plentiful. 

  • If you need to fulfill those state requirements, I can help with that.

 

DISCLAIMER

  • Please note that, while I am licensed in the state of New York, and plan to keep my license current and pursue the required Continuing Education, it is not my intention to provide full architectural services to anyone. My services are limited to helping YOU increase the quality of your drawings and specs, but it is your design, and you make the final decisions.