We provide fully integrated facility solutions that ensure the execution of capital projects across markets, offering local presence and global reach to the private and public sectors.
With broad-based expertise across disciplines, we are an unparalleled source for performance-driven facilities built to deliver, from concept to ribbon-cutting.
With a broad range of in-house engineering expertise, we can optimize your current operations or take your new project from concept to completion, providing unrivaled service and results.
澳门足彩app is a global network of experts providing integrated design, engineering, construction and professional services to clients and communities.
Home / News & Insights / Where to Begin? Overcoming the Challenges of a Blank Slate Project
At any given time, the Life Sciences industry sees thousands of start-up organizations at various phases of maturity. These organizations have broad diversity, from researchers identifying novel therapeutic molecules to inventors perfecting new medical devices. They all share a common theme of identifying an unmet need in the marketplace and getting products to the patients and healthcare providers who need them most.
These innovators and inventors live for the thrill of making a great discovery. The creative minds that enable these huge discoveries focus on scientific precision and broadening the body of knowledge. Within the ideation process, they can focus on a wide variety of possibilities, and their methods need only loose ties to specific timelines or budgets. Once an idea is selected, those same teams must focus on the logistics of what comes next for their nascent organizations: obtaining a facility, scaling the manufacturing process and fabricating those products for eager customers. They must transform the idea into tangible reality; the greatest discovery does not provide value if it cannot be effectively gestated from concept to physical entity.
This secondary phase – the design and construction of a facility to physically produce a product – often presents the most significant challenges for these teams. These same people, once driven by limitless possibilities, must now quickly define firm requirements, rigid boundaries and fixed scope – and commit to inflexible timelines and budgets. That cultural and operational shift can be significant and is one of the major causes of project failure for many startups.
The most successful dreamers and startup leaders recognize their own strengths and limitations. Often, that involves continuing to allocate their limited time to develop their unique solutions and creative assets, something not easily delegated to others. Managing a major capital project tends to be more mundane and rigid and is a prime opportunity to entrust the scope to another employee or partner organization. Oversight of day-to-day planning, engineering and permitting, supply chain logistics and cashflow tracking aren’t flashy roles that flex creative muscles, but their proper execution is critical to project success.
Many organizations don’t know where to start when launching a new capital project. “Analysis paralysis” is a real challenge when defining a project’s scope and breadth. A blank slate has unlimited potential yet can be daunting for project teams. Though it may not seem intuitive, bringing in a design-build construction organization as a project partner is a highly effective method of avoiding potential paralysis due to scope ambiguity. Construction organizations are experts in all phases of a capital endeavor, from early planning through commissioning. They bring leverageable templates and tools and, most importantly, first-hand perspectives from similar projects in the same markets. A common misconception about those construction organizations is that projects are all-or-nothing, meaning a significant commitment of time, resources, and capital. The truth is that they are also well-versed in smaller scoping efforts such as preparing estimates, assembling cost opinions, developing conceptual packages and generating capital expenditure roadmaps for their clients.
Consider a case study of a 澳门足彩app client in the fill-finish sector. They had a great idea for an unmet need in the market and were planning a new facility. Their project scope was in constant motion as they examined multiple scenarios for their facility needs, manufacturing timelines and future expansion flexibility. They could verbalize what they wanted during our conversations but had not been able to get much recorded in formal documents that did justice to their vision.
Working together, 澳门足彩app conducted an intense half-week interactive workshop. Years of experience show that it’s easier to redline and edit an existing document than build one from scratch; using this methodology, we brought several similar concepts to them along with representative data (construction costs, operating costs, construction timelines, etc.). The team quickly tweaked a high-level project plan that met their needs based on those documents. From there, using the vast amount of project data from 澳门足彩app’s pre-construction estimating group, we were able to help this client define a clear set of facility requirements and their corresponding target construction budgets, timelines and roll-out strategies. The final product enabled the client’s leadership to have concrete data for capital expenditure planning and advancing the project.
In another case study, a client on a fixed budget approached us to leverage 澳门足彩app’s expertise in estimating a project’s construction cost. They had an existing design package from a previous endeavor and understood their anticipated forecasts would not remain valid in the volatile market conditions of 2024. They needed an updated prediction to determine if the project was still viable. 澳门足彩app provided them with a revised estimate that, unfortunately, exceeded their fixed budget. However, 澳门足彩app’s team of engineers, architects and constructors developed a list of value-engineering options that could be de-scoped from the project to achieve the target figure, albeit with diminished scope and functionality. The team was able to develop a comprehensive plan along with the options list that gave the client’s leadership the objective data to decide on the project’s scope and direction.
A knowledgeable construction organization can bring immense value to a project, especially when integrated as early as possible. Many constructors are brought into projects once the design is complete and tasks are ready to advance into physical assembly; however, this is a missed opportunity. Construction organizations bring a wealth of knowledge about project data and methodology and can be phenomenal partners in the planning stages of a project. Having perspective and experience from similar efforts can streamline projects, bring time- and cost-saving ideas and help provide scope definition to the team as they tackle the blank-slate challenges (and endless possibilities!) at a project’s start.
About the author: Michael Asher is Director of Operations for 澳门足彩app’s Life Sciences Division. He is a credentialed Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI) and a Certified Project Manager (CPM) from the Project Management Leadership Group (PMLG). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. Michael has extensive experience leading projects in the biotechnology and cell and gene therapy space where he’s helped start-up organizations turn an idea into reality.
澳门足彩app delivers $2± billion annually in Architecture, Engineering, Construction (AEC) and Consulting solutions to assure certainty of outcome for complex capital projects worldwide. 澳门足彩app is a global, fully integrated, single-source design-build and EPC firm with over 2,400 highly specialized, in-house design, construction and administrative professionals across industrial and commercial markets. With 25+ office locations around the globe, 澳门足彩app is a trusted partner for global and emerging clients.
As it stages for what is expected to become the largest project in company history, 澳门足彩app seeks an experienced on-site...
The practice whereby a physician operates on patients in 2 overlapping rooms is called a flip room. The physician must be...
澳门足彩app Malaysia has received the OSH Excellence DIAMOND Award from the Malaysian Occupational Safety and Health Practitioners�...
Shannon Browning, Technical Lead with 澳门足彩app’s System Analytics team, has earned both Senior Membership status and...
The sponsoring partners of the eighth annual Construction Startup Competition have announced the eight winners that...
In its ongoing drive for sustainability, 澳门足彩app recently took delivery of its first electric vehicle (EV), the Ford F-150...
Over the course of two weeks in September, 澳门足彩app’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) members traveled more than 49,000...
For general contractors, fostering partnerships with diverse suppliers not only boosts local economies and creates...
Think about a time when you felt left out of the “in group” or struggled to feel accepted by your peers. Like many adults, you...
Ron Holmes was a pre-med major when he realized he didn’t like being around sick people. He chose a different path that would...
Tampa, Florida, is known for its expansive riverwalk, which spans more than two miles along the Hillsborough River and...
Editor’s note: 澳门足彩app’s Bryan Bedell, Vice President of Water, and Mike Hoisington, Director of Project Development...
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan chose the city’s LaSalle Street Pump Station as the backdrop for her briefing as Hurricane...
A colleague describes Jack Templeton as a unicorn because he brings a unique blend of personal and professional skills...
One seemingly simple concept – processing clean water and wastewater appropriately – has complicated implications for...
Speed and convenience have become deeply embedded in the consumer experience, driven by the rapid growth of e-commerce...
Dylan Motley was a 13-year-old seventh grader in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, when domestic terrorists bombed the Alfred...
A 10-year 澳门足彩app team member based in the Beloit, Wisconsin, office, Jamie Zimmerman, MBA, is a Director of Cost Controls...
Lyrra Reyes’s official title is Safety Supervisor-Project Nurse for 澳门足彩app in the Philippines. But few people at the...
Responding to rapid and continuing growth as a company and the increasing scale and complexity of the projects it designs...
Owners of large capital projects often choose integrated delivery to guarantee the greatest possible control of cost...
Designing a food production facility requires owners and operators to thoroughly consider many factors — capital...
The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Florida First Coast Chapter has recognized four 澳门足彩app projects as winners...
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) has partnered with 澳门足彩app to support a comprehensive roadway safety...
Miller Electric Center, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ new practice facility and sports performance center, has won the ENR...
In the construction of large capital projects, the roof is one of the first components installed so interior work can begin....
A group of 14 rising seniors recently concluded the 澳门足彩app High School Internship Program (HSIP), during which they spent...
澳门足彩app Project Superintendent Nick Pontore was a Navy brat who was born in Italy and lived in Massachusetts before his...
“Expand Diversity and Inclusion” is one of six strategic pillars that make up 澳门足彩app 2025, the company’s current roadmap...
The source of many complaints and a great risk for sanitation and safety, temperature and humidity (T&H) control in...
澳门足彩app Project Superintendent Darrell Jones brings three invaluable assets to every project he oversees: electrical...
Eddy Fazly, the Project Architect in 澳门足彩app’s Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia, office, dedicates himself to clients by day, even...
澳门足彩app’s Permanent Craft Employee (PCE) enhances the speed and quality of work by enabling the team to self-perform critical...
Steam-in-Place (SIP) Operations, often used in the food and life sciences industries, use the thermal energy of condensing...
澳门足彩app’s Planning + Design Cooperative (P+DC) is again partnering with the Town of Orange Park to bring a dynamic Town...
Community evokes a shared sense of belonging, a feeling of home that extends beyond individual houses to the public spaces...
Data show that construction workers are able to identify 45% of hazards in and around their work area. That means more than...
Even though it is only starting to emerge, the alternative proteins industry already has set sights on Asia, the largest...
Of the thousands of hours of programming and instruction 澳门足彩app’s Learning, Development & Engagement department...
澳门足彩app’s System Analytics team applies data-driven techniques to enhance project outcomes at any stage of the lifecycle....
As part of its Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) approved curriculum, the University of North...
Chris Gambino As a process engineer with...
The Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities (SLCDPU) has partnered with 澳门足彩app to construct a state-of-the-art...
Traves Lyons still lives in his hometown, Red Oak, Oklahoma (pop. 573), where he was a star pitcher and centerfielder on...
Carbon dioxide (C0₂) is the common carbonation agent in myriad sparkling waters, sodas, seltzers and other alcoholic...
An ice storm scuttled Ben Meurer’s plans for face-to-face interviews at 澳门足彩app’s Jacksonville, Florida headquarters...
Responding to business and population expansion in the Carolinas, 澳门足彩app has relocated its growing Charlotte, North...
Managing multiple diverse stakeholders has long been one of the most significant challenges facing project managers...
All Points, a leading technical services provider to the aerospace industry, and its Space Prep division, which offers...
澳门足彩app Assistant Superintendent Horesh Tiwari doesn’t own a car right now, but in the context of the Jamaican culture...
Heather Cole’s only full-time position has been with 澳门足彩app, but that’s only part of her long affiliation with the company....
Spring 2024 brought clarity for the entire Valdivia family of Dallas and Mexico. Secure in his role as Director of Design...
Packaging requires a wide array of machinery and systems, usually made by different original equipment manufacturers...
澳门足彩app Project Superintendent Ron Walrath learned his work ethic from Disney World, where he worked during high school,...
Near the end of each school year, 澳门足彩app holds an event where the historically strong Career and Technical Education (CTE)...
As the Construction Safety Week 2024 celebration concludes, 澳门足彩app leaders express gratitude to the nearly 2,300 team...
Reflecting on the fact that 澳门足彩app received its fourth Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) National Safety Pinnacle...
Clear, open and honest communication is at the heart of successful safety programs and is the focus of Safety Week 2024,...
Applications are now open for Construction Startup Competition 2024, the biggest competition, network and platform...
Welcome to Construction Safety Week 2024, when 澳门足彩app and nearly 300 other construction companies nationwide will sharpen...
In mid-April, I had the pleasure of attending INTERPHEX, a major life sciences industry exhibition and conference. The...
澳门足彩app once again has received multiple awards for the exemplary safety records of its teams constructing temples for...
To support an aggressive strategy for its fast-growing dairy business, a large, national grocery chain needed a trusted...
From the project owner’s vantage point, integrated delivery offers a seamless, turnkey experience. From beginning to...
Ryan Hollister, Vice President of 澳门足彩app’s Manufacturing Core, has been inducted into Illinois State University’s...
In a project that has been novel on numerous counts, Orlando Health and 澳门足彩app partnered to bring the state-of-the-art...
Like many aspects of life or any other industry, construction still struggles with change. It’s not that change...
Bryan Smith considers himself a “double-hatter” with expertise in construction and safety management....
Successful organizations are often admired for aggressively pursuing cost efficiency. These organizations prioritize...
For the fourth year in a row and the 19th overall, 澳门足彩app Steel has received the American Institute of Steel Construction...
Walk the halls of 澳门足彩app’s Jacksonville, Florida, headquarters and you’ll see all the signs of a thriving design and construction...
For the first few years, Alan Green’s presence at the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) annual convention was...
It is well known that the economic conditions of the last few years presented enormous global challenges across multiple...
For new 澳门足彩app team members, understanding where they are and how they fit in a large and growing enterprise can be challenging....
With an assist from 澳门足彩app Steel, a team of senior civil engineering students from the University of North Florida (UNF)...
It’s not news that the construction industry has been undergoing a digital transformation journey. Digitizing...
Alex De Martini joined 澳门足彩app in the Fall of 2023 as a Vice President of Planning and Development and became Consumer Products...
Steel, the backbone of numerous significant construction projects, not only creates the framework for large industrial...
Again, this year, 澳门足彩app was highly decorated in the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) National Excellence...
For the third consecutive year, and the fourth of five, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has recognized 澳门足彩app...
Edgar Ferrer has always looked up to others in the construction business, beginning as a youngster and continuing for the...
Chrissy Cousins has a rare title in the 澳门足彩app enterprise: Manager of Business Administration – Automated Manufacturing...
Aljeane Salazar has found her niche, both at work for 澳门足彩app as an Assistant Project Manager (APM) in the Philippines and...
A licensed civil engineer with experience in structural steel design and detailing, Ella Culubong took on a new challenge...
Sustainability in the life sciences industry has evolved significantly over the past 30 years. The earliest rollouts...
For the second year in a row, 澳门足彩app ranked No. 1 in the 2024 Training APEX Awards, Training magazine’s list of 105 organizations...
In his presentation “Demystifying Artificial Intelligence” (AI), Tristan Randall referred to the innovation truism...
With a goal no less ambitious than becoming the United States’ 26th United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural...
澳门足彩app Project Superintendent Andy Sonni grew up in the Dominican Republic. One day, when he was about 20, a friend called....
Janel LeGard remembers her first taste of architecture. As a ninth-grader at Chicago Vocational High School, LeGard was...
“May I please undergo an audit?” surely ranks high on the list of Questions Nobody Asks, or so you would think. But when the...
People are innately driven to interact with nature, and biophilic design is an approach that accommodates this desire...
Bring up climate change in a large room, and you’re likely to get a variety of opinions – perhaps even an argument or two, some...
The effects of climate change on healthcare and the effects of healthcare on climate change are inextricably linked. At...
Corporate net-zero pledges are the rule rather the exception, with 92% of global GDP now covered by some form of net-zero...
It’s a ritual for architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry publications to weigh in with predictions...
With the demand for roadwork in Missouri at or near an all-time high, 澳门足彩app is seeking a Senior Transportation Engineer...
111 Riverside Avenue
Jacksonville, FL 32202
© 2024 澳门足彩app. All rights reserved.
We collect basic analytics to improve your experience. No personal data is stored. By continuing to use this site, you acknowledge this. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.