Delivery Method
Construction Management
Construction management at-risk engages EWB during design as the owner’s cost and constructability advisor, then converts to a fixed construction contract — with open-book buyout and the owner in the room for every major trade decision.
Fit
When this method is the right call
- › The owner wants a seat at the table for buyout decisions
- › Design is complex or evolving, and a hard bid would price in worst-case guesses
- › Transparency matters to a board, partnership, or lender
- › The project benefits from the builder joining during design without full design-build
Advantages
- ✓ Owner visibility into every dollar of buyout
- ✓ A price that reflects real trade pricing, not bid-day defensive padding
- ✓ Builder input during design without giving up an independent architect
- ✓ Contingency governed by rules agreed before it exists
Approach
How Eleven Western runs it
Open book means open book
Bid tabs, scope reviews, and buyout decisions happen with the owner present. When lead times or prices move, the owner sees the same numbers we do — which is why re-buys happen in days, not weeks.
The contract price has a documented basis
Allowances, contingency, escalation, and clarifications are itemized and walked through before signature. Contingency usage is reported, not discovered.
Precon is where CM earns its fee
The at-risk conversion works because the estimate was built with the design, not after it.
Process
What to expect, in order
EWB joins during design as cost advisor
Estimates track the documents; VE and constructability logged
Documented basis, walked through line by line
Owner in the room for major trade awards
Contingency, changes, and forecasts reported monthly
Who does what
Roles & responsibilities
| Party | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Owner | Participates in buyout; approves the price basis; receives open-book reporting |
| Architect / consultants | Own the design under a separate owner contract; coordinate with EWB through precon |
| EWB | Precon advisor, then at-risk builder holding the contract price; manages trades and reports open-book |
| Subcontractors | Competitively bought with owner visibility; scope-reviewed before award |
Risks & how we control them
⚠ A price locked too early on immature documents
We time the price commitment to document maturity and say so plainly when documents are not ready to price responsibly.
⚠ “Open book” drifting into reporting theater
Buyout meetings with the owner present, standardized bid tabs, and contingency logs are contractual commitments, not courtesies.
Compare
Other delivery methods
Preconstruction
Budgets, constructability, logistics, and value engineering grounded in 43 years of cost history — the discipline every other delivery method stands on.
Design Assist
EWB joins during design development to price in real time, resolve constructability before bid day, and lock long-lead packages early.
Design-Build
One contract, one team, one number — EWB holds the construction risk and teams with design partners from concept through keys.
Talk through construction management on your project
A Project Executive — not a call center — reviews every inquiry the same day.