A guide for Owners: Hiring the right Owner's Rep

In part two of our Owner’s Rep guide, we provide instances where you would likely want to hire an Owner’s Rep and what you should do, and questions to ask before bringing one on to your project. In part one of the guide, we went over the basics of Owner’s Rep and how these individuals are different from other construction roles on the job. Check out that blog here. 

Why should you hire an Owner’s Rep?
When embarking on a large-scale construction project, the probability of going over budget and schedule is very high. Without the proper knowledge and experience, an owner of a project could be enticed by unrealistic proposals and face project delays that could lead to serious conflicts and even legal challenges. Hiring an Owner’s Rep could help to mitigate these potential issues. They could also be helpful if an owner feels overwhelmed by mistakes, is behind schedule, needs backup, or is not in the same place as the project. Other benefits of hiring an Owner’s Rep include:

- Technical support and knowledge
- Access to a team of experts
- Saving time and money across the project
- Budget and project schedule management and supervision
- Conflict management within project entities and teams
- Communication facilitation across team members

Looking to hire an Owner’s Rep? Here’s what you should do and questions you should ask before bringing an Owner’s Rep on to your project:

1. 1. 1. 1. Google is great, but do your research.
         Don’t hire the first Owner’s Rep you see. Be sure to review their experience. Have they worked on a project of this scale? Have they worked on this particular kind of construction and/or engineering? Have they worked in this location, or a similar location? It’s important for Owner’s Reps to understand how the city and county where the project is located operate, as they review plans and enforce municipal codes.
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3. 2. Do they have Professional Liability Insurance?
   Professional liability insurance covers economic losses caused by work errors, undelivered work, misrepresentation, or negligence on the part of the contracting firm, typically to cover vulnerabilities from construction management and design-build work.
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5. 3. Do they have adequate, qualified staff?
   Owner’s Reps are generally tasked with tracking, monitoring, and evaluating every aspect of a project and team. A successful Owner’s Rep will thoroughly interview and check multiple references of key staff proposed for the project to secure a team that is adequate, qualified, and will commit to the job until completion.
    
6. 4. Review any past complaints or pending lawsuits.
   Does the person or company have any past or pending lawsuits? Read through any available reviews that might shed light on positive and negative experiences.

5. Send an RFP.
A request for proposal (RFP) announces the project, describes it, and solicits bids from qualified contractors to complete it. With an RFP, an owner can tell the Owner’s Rep what the scope of the work entails, how proposals should be written, what services are expected, the method of payment, services that are not needed, minimum requirements needed, the time and date proposals are expected, among other key items.

If you have any questions regarding Owner's Representative services or would like to discuss your project, please contact our Owner's Rep expert, Todd McDonald.