The decision to use an outside firm to perform construction management and/or inspection on your projects is sometimes an obvious one.  The common problems that owners face include:

• Hiring and firing staff to cover temporary upswings in construction volume

• Inefficient staff utilization in between projects

• Projects with specialized construction techniques or heightened regulatory compliance that exceed the capabilities of in-house staff inspectors

If your group has experienced any of these, you’re probably already familiar with the reasons for hiring a consultant.  However, there are some not so obvious advantages that are also worth considering.

Remote Work:

• Is your field staff more concerned with being home each night than efficiencies gained by temporarily relocating to the project site?  Excessive driving to and from the project site not only consumes valuable time, but is also a safety risk. Consultants will approach the work in whatever manner is most efficient in order to provide a competitive proposal.

• Large, remote projects sometimes require multiple field staff, often co-habitating in whatever scarce housing can be found. These experiences can strengthen existing bonds or create massive headaches depending on the personalities involved.  Hiring a consultant makes it their problem, not yours.

• From falling objects to pesky deer at dusk, field staff are exposed to many different risks while on-site, as well as driving to and from the site. In addition, remote sites make quick rescue and treatment difficult at best.  One serious accident more than erases any savings obtained through in-house staff.  Hiring a consultant makes it their risk, not yours.

Challenging Projects:

• Most projects have a certain amount of choppiness in their workload.  This can be driven by regulatory work windows, weather constraints, etc… Construction consultants in this field are used to short duration ramp ups and gaps in work.  Using in-house staff can lead to scenarios where the inspector is either being run too hot or isn’t fully utilized, affecting proper coverage and morale.  

• Sometimes it is necessary for the contractor to add a night shift in an effort to recover from schedule delays.  In-house staff may balk at this, whereas consultants are contractually obligated to flex their services as needed to provide proper coverage.

• When projects don’t go as planned, and you need special expertise ASAP to course correct, a consultant already under contract can quickly bring in the expertise needed for a short period of time until the issue is solved.  Starting a procurement to get extra assistance upon discovery of the need could have significant timing challenges.

• Personality conflicts rarely develop between field personnel and the contractor’s personnel, but if they do, sometimes the easiest thing to do is have your consultant replace one of their field persons rather than attempting to use the contract language to force a change to the contractor’s personnel.  

There are certainly advantages in utilizing in-house staff, such as institutional knowledge and potentially lower cost. As you consider how to best staff your next construction project, make sure to consider both the obvious, and not so obvious reasons why you might want to consult-out for this effort.

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