Guidelines for Implementing a Constructability Program

Constructability is evolving as one of the most significant enhancement opportunities in the construction industry. Although practiced for a considerable time by some organizations, only recently has it come into focus as offering major benefits in construction cost and schedule. The Business Roundtable’s Construction Industry Cost Effectiveness (CICE) Project identified constructability as an area with a major potential for improved cost effectiveness.

There is wide acceptance of the basic constructability premise that integration of construction knowledge and experience into planning and design is indeed beneficial. However, there is no single accepted methodology to achieve that integration which is at the heart of constructability. Implementing constructability is easiest on turnkey type projects; it is much more difficult on projects where design and construction are accomplished by distinct and separate contracts.

Traditional separation of engineering and construction early in the project must be bridged if constructability is to work. This bridging requires merging engineering and construction cultures, which have both commonalities and distinct differences. The challenge to management is to make that merger easily, automatically, and permanently.

This publication presents those ideas, steps, and procedures which have worked best in implementing constructability. It also contains additional suggestions from the task force as to what should work. Other planning and managerial issues which might be considered simultaneously with constructability are presented in the appendices.

The task force is convinced that constructability offers one of the greatest opportunities for improvement in our industry. The pressures of global competition leave no alternative but to adopt the changes that will make the U.S. construction industry as effective as possible. Constructability is one of those necessary and vital changes.