Project kickoff cries for structure.  That structure begins with the phone call telling you that you have been awarded the job.  Here is a partial list of considerations.

Four events

• Design review  Engineering and design should review each awarded job to discover unanticipated design or production problems and opportunities.  Structure this early.
• Project schedule  The preliminary project schedule should be fully developed prior to internal kickoff.
• Internal kickoff  Every organization needs a clear process to communicate the new project to all departments, answer questions, establish priorities, and raise concerns.
• Customer Turnover  Project responsibility needs to clearly pass from sales and the bidding process, to producer project management and your customer's actual project team.  Every aspect of the project must be clearly reviewed and understood by the customer's project team.  Some of the worst problems often occur because of simple misunderstandings that can be, and should be, cleared up at the beginning.

• Acknowledgment    We recommend that the salesman or management write a confirming letter to the customer upon being given a verbal award.  The confirming letter should specifically be subject to your quotation.
• Letter of Intent     We recommend that no money be spent until a Letter of Intent is issued.  Keep in mind that a letter of intent is typically not legally binding, so don't spend a lot of money until you have a PO, a contract, or at least an order to proceed.
• Order to Proceed    We recommend that no forming or unique materials be ordered until an Order to Proceed is issued.  Projects get canceled.  Designs get changed.  GC's change their mind.
• The Contract   We recommend that you cast no pieces until you have a contract, no exceptions. The precast producer typically has enough leverage on the job to get onerous contract clauses changed.  AIA contracts generally require only modest change for omissions.  Other contracts are just terrible and one sided and must be negotiated.  No contract - no casting.  The producer has lots of leverage until you sign the contract, or start casting pieces.  Use it.

Contact us

Return prev.

Home page