
Pre-construction meetings are excellent ways of ensuring everyone on the construction team is on the same page. A pre-construction meeting occurs when the building is at the initial base framing before any serious building works. The project team meets with the owner and goes through all the necessary details of homebuilding.
What is a pre-construction meeting?
A pre-construction meeting occurs when the building is at the initial base framing before any serious building works. The project team meets with the owner and goes through all the necessary details of homebuilding.
What are pre-construction services?
Pre-construction services are preliminary planning and engineering services offered by construction companies before a construction job even begins. This pre-construction planning stage involves defining the project, identifying potential issues, planning and scheduling, the scope, cost estimation, and analysis of the job's needs.
Where can you find preconstruction meeting agenda templates?
To see examples of preconstruction meeting agenda templates, you can visit online public sources like transportation departments and government agencies. You can also find sources that supply templates. Any preconstruction meeting checklist must include meeting specifics. You will need to set the date, time and duration.
What should be included in a preconstruction meeting checklist?
Any preconstruction meeting checklist must include meeting specifics. You will need to set the date, time and duration. People expect to clear space in their schedules, so the person or persons who will determine these details are usually at the executive level at the owner or contractor, or both.

What questions should you ask at a pre-construction meeting?
To accomplish this, we have created a list of essential questions to ask a builder at your pre-construction meeting.How long have you been in business? ... What options are available? ... How much is customizable? ... What is the design process? ... What features are included in the base price for the home?More items...
What is the meaning of pre-construction?
Pre-construction is the time to thoroughly assess and plan to mitigate risks associated with constructing the project, including evaluation of the construction site, permit and inspection requirements, and any other special situations that need to be resolved before or during construction.
What is a pre-construction meeting with builder?
Your pre-construction meeting is the meeting you'll have with your builder just before (or right as) construction begins. With some builders, this meeting takes place before any work begins on your home at all.
Who should attend the project preconstruction meeting?
Preconstruction Meeting Attendees Design Team. General Contractor (generally meeting organizer) Subcontractors. Facilitator (depending on project type/delivery method, could be a third party or team member)
What happens in pre-construction stage?
The pre-construction phase refers to any period of time during which design or preparatory work is carried out for a project and may continue during the construction phase. This might include: Appointing duty holders. Ensuring risks are eliminated or controlled through design work.
What do you do in pre-construction?
Pre-Construction Phase The pre-construction phase includes creating a strategic plan for the project, creating a design, securing permits or entitlements, and gathering the labor and resources required for construction.
What do pre-construction meetings look for?
A lot walk is a must before pre-construction meetings....Make An AgendaPayments.Contractor's progress schedule or the construction phases.Permits.Construction equipment and materials.Inspection Plan.Working Area Limits.Construction Safety.Traffic Control.More items...•
Why are pre-construction meetings crucial?
The pre-contract meeting is an important meeting that takes place after the contractor has been appointed but before work commences on site. It is an opportunity for the project team to meet (perhaps for the first time) and to plan the construction stage.
What is a pre-construction checklist?
Elements of the Pre-Construction checklist should include things such as feasibility of the proposed concept, engineering assessments, initial design and development, scope of roles and responsibilities, budget outlines and assumptions, a schedule for construction with important milestones and assumptions, post- ...
What can be some benefits to you when holding a pre-construction meeting?
By having a pre-construction meeting prior to actual project execution, you get to identify potential issues, conflicts and non-conformities, and get to resolve them without having to spend a lot on change order requests and expensive reworks.
What are the benefits of holding a preconstruction conference?
The benefits of holding a preconstruction conference are: You get to know the players. It gives you a chance to discuss requirements of the contract.
When should a preconstruction conference be held?
One of the most important steps to help overcome those obstacles is to get the project started off on the right foot by holding an effective, efficient pre-construction conference. The pre-construction conference, or “pre-job conference” should be scheduled and conducted prior to the actual field work beginning.
What is the purpose of a site meeting?
This site meeting is 60 to 90 minutes of uninterrupted time for the client to communicate face to face with the project manager or builder. During this meeting, we inspect all the on-site works to date and discuss the work schedule, so that the client is fully informed on the jobs progress and what comes next.
What is a Prelet meeting?
What is a pre-let? A pre-let is a contract between a potential tenant and a commercial property developer which allows the tenant to agree to lease a building before the construction has started.
What is pre construction meeting?
As the name implies, a pre-construction meeting takes place before work at a construction site begins.
What is the first step in running a pre-construction meeting?
The first step in running a pre-construction meeting is making sure the right people are in attendance. If someone important is left out of the loop, it could have consequences for the rest of the crew, potentially leading to mistakes or accidents that could cause injuries.
What happens after introductions are completed?
After introductions are completed, the rest of the meeting will cover all of the key documents related to the project. This part of the pre-construction meeting can get tedious, which makes it all the more important for everything to be listed on the agenda. This makes it easier for everyone to keep up and ensure that nothing gets overlooked or forgotten. If one piece of information or point on the agenda is forgotten, it can throw the entire operation off.
Why should the most fundamental aspects of a project be reviewed?
The most fundamental aspects of the project should be reviewed so that everyone has a good understanding of what’s going to happen.
When putting together a pre-construction meeting, it’s always best to understand the goals of the meeting and?
When putting together a pre-construction meeting, it’s always best to understand the goals of the meeting and the results you seek afterward. Of course, there are many goals , most notably finishing the project on time and without any serious accidents or injuries occurring.
When in doubt, don't be afraid to invite a few more people to a meeting?
When in doubt, don’t be afraid to invite a few more people to the meeting, just to be safe. If there’s a question over whether or not a person should be there, there’s usually no harm in letting that person be present.
Who should be at the meeting when performing construction work?
In short, anyone who’s going to play a role in performing work during the project or making key decisions while construction work is being performed should be at the meeting and taking in all of the information being disseminated.
Why are pre-construction meetings important?
The seeds of project failures and challenges are planted long before actual construction occurs. Projects with poorly defined scopes and design requirements do not improve after construction.
What should be discussed in the pre-construction meeting?
During the pre-construction meeting, the discussion matters typically are the introduction to the project and project owner, roles and responsibilities of the project team, chains of command and communication channels, document reviews, and any other business. Everyone in the meeting needs access to the contractual and project documents to avoid any misunderstandings or ambiguities.
Why do you need a checklist for a project meeting?
While the project team may perform the same task from job to job, a key distinguishing feature is a client. Therefore, there needs a checklist for the meeting that caters to client-specific and project-specific needs. You need to set the date, time, and meeting duration. This is to give the attendees time to free up their schedules and attend the meeting.
What should a meeting have?
The meeting should also have minutes for record-keeping. This way, it will be easy to identify who is expected to follow up with who and who is responsible for clarifying gray areas.
What is important after the agenda?
After the agenda, the project documents are significant for review, with the project’s contract being the most important. Everyone in the meeting should have access to the agreement and review any misunderstanding on any clause in the discussion. The other necessary documents to check are:
What is the difference between a small project and a big project?
A small project will have fewer attendees, and some will play many roles. A big project, on the other hand, will have more attendees. Most small and mid-sized projects tend to skip pre-construction meetings, but this is a big mistake as even a small project can be costly if it does not go to plan.
Can you ask questions in a meeting?
You can ask various questions in a meeting unique to that specific meeting, as each project is different. But the above should give you an idea of the types of questions to ask.
What is pre construction?
What is pre-construction? Published on February 22, 2021. There is a phase of planning known in the industry as “pre-construction.”. This initial phase of the project serves to lay out the project's entire scope and schedule for the construction team and the client. In this article, we’re going to dig deep into what pre-construction is ...
Why is pre construction important?
Good pre-construction allows for value engineering and helps prevent arising issues, each of which can be too costly on a construction project.
What happens when a contractor and client agree to work on a project?
If the contractor and client agree that work is viable, the contractor will then provide the client with a cost and schedule for the construction project.
Why is it important to be upfront with contractors?
Evaluating all possible scenarios, upfront gives the client confidence that the contractor they are working with knows what they are doing. Having realistic expectations helps avoid issues while the project is underway. It’s a real win-win for everyone involved.
What does a client give the general contractor?
The client will give the general contractor their vision for the project , and the general contractor will then get to work to see if that vision is feasible.
How much does pre construction cost?
Pre-construction costs will depend on the scope of the project, the location, and more but will usually be somewhere in the range of one to three percent of the project’s total cost .
What to expect after reading construction?
After reading, you’ll be able to go into any construction project much more knowledgeable about the process and know what to expect when your job is set to begin.
When should you start a preconstruction meeting?
That’s why every job should begin with a preconstruction meeting – a few days to a week before work begins.
What are the problems with construction?
In my experience, most construction problems result from differing expectations on the part of the owner and contractor – or architect if one if involved. Conflicts can be about the work itself, such as the size or location of a window or entire room (“That’s not what I thought it was going to look like”) , or conflicts can arise over project management issues, such as change orders, payment schedules, or other issues, usually involving money.
What are the issues with remodeling?
Remodeling issues. In remodeling projects, the line between your living quarters and the job-site is blurred. In some cases , like an addition, the work can be segregated from the main living areas. In others, like a kitchen remodel, you may have carpenters showing up while you’re running around in your nighties, creating a host of potential problems. Some contractors have clear policies about what is and isn’t permitted, while others may need some guidance from you. Some key issues are:
What to do on a Monday morning job site?
That gives you time over the weekend to inspect the work, review the plans if necessary, discuss any concerns with your spouse or architect, and communicate any questions or concerns before work begins the following week.
How to make a project successful?
However, always be respectful and choose your battles carefully. Your project will be more successful if you remain team members working together rather than fighting over every detail.
Who should I meet with when doing a job?
It’s important that you are meeting with the chief decision maker – often the company owner or partner – as well as the person who will be on-site every day running the job. In a small company that may be one and the same person. If either case, come to the meeting with a positive attitude of “what can I do to make the job go more smoothly” and there’s a good chance the contractor will respond in kind.
Do contractors have to initiate a meeting?
Some contractors do this as a matter of course. If not, you may have to initiate the meeting. It is especially important when you are working with a larger company with multiple crews. The person who helped you plan the job and estimated the work may not be around during the construction phase.
What is a pre-construction meeting?
Your pre-construction meeting is the meeting you’ll have with your builder just before (or right as) construction begins. With some builders, this meeting takes place before any work begins on your home at all.
What is the point of no return in construction?
Talk to your builder and see what your options are, but keep in mind that the pre-construction meeting is typically the Point Of No Return, meaning all of your choices will be set in stone (literally) after that meeting. Hope that doesn’t scare you too much, but it’s better to know now than to wish you knew later.
Do you charge for changes after a design meeting?
Making changes after your design meeting, while usually possible , is definitely going to cost you. Builders typically charge a change order fee on top of the line item’s price difference because of the extra work required to make sure everyone is on the same page about the new design plan.

Why Are Pre-Construction Meetings Important?
What Should Be Discussed in The Pre-Construction Meeting?
Who Runs A Pre-Construction Meeting?
4 Ways to Prepare For The Meeting
Outcomes of A Pre-Construction Meeting
FAQs
Summary
- Pre-construction meetings lead to increased overall project efficiency. They minimize risks and work-related incidences and give room for more significant project profits. The goal is to complete the project in time and budget while reducing risks and costly delays. In addition, involving your project team at the start of the project helps you iden...
What Is Pre-Construction?
- Pre-constructionservices are preliminary planning and engineering services offered by construction companies before a construction job even begins. This pre-construction planning stage involves defining the project, identifying potential issues, planning and scheduling, the scope, cost estimation, and analysis of the job's needs. What is the import...
Outline of The Pre-Construction Process
Pre-Construction Checklist
Expected Outcomes of Pre-Construction
Benefits of Pre-Construction