Project Planning and Pre-Construction
Where cost and risk are actually set
Preconstruction begins long before mobilization. A candidate should be able to sequence the work: owner feasibility and financing, site acquisition and due diligence (boundary and topographic survey, geotechnical borings, Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, utility and zoning research), design progression from schematic through construction documents, permit application and plan review, then award and mobilization. Know the delivery methods and where risk sits. In design-bid-build the owner holds separate design contracts and the contractor builds to completed documents. In design-build one entity carries design and construction risk. In construction manager at risk the CM holds a guaranteed maximum price and typically subcontracts the trade work itself. Understand constructability review, BIM clash detection, life-cycle cost analysis, the risk register, and value engineering - a structured scope-and-cost trade study, not a synonym for cheapening the job.
Traps
Questions frequently blur who owns the design under each delivery method, or treat value engineering as a post-bid cost cut. Another common trap is assuming a permit issues the day it is applied for; review time is a real schedule activity and often sits on the critical path. Watch for wording that implies the contractor "verified" subsurface conditions - the contractor generally relies on owner-furnished geotechnical and environmental data but still has a duty to visit the site and report obvious discrepancies.
Rule of thumb
Carry design contingency early and convert it to construction contingency as documents mature: commonly around 10 percent at schematic design, tapering toward 5 percent at completed construction documents. If a preconstruction schedule shows zero days for review, permitting, or long-lead procurement, the schedule is optimistic.