Stone Suppliers and the Construction Process

  In Planning/Pre-Design, Design, Bidding, Construction and Post Construction, stone suppliers have numerous opportunities to provide responsible parties with assistance and expertise. This information may include material selection, samples, pricing, delivery and fabrication lead times, and installation advice.
  As a reliable, expert source, the stone supplier will be regarded by owners, architects, and contractors as a trusted partner throughout all phases of the construction process.
 
PLANNING/PRE-DESIGN
  Owners usually hire an architect to study and develop three different project aspects: a program, a budget, and a schedule.
  The program includes the basic project requirements, such as general product groups. For example, if a church with an exterior stone veneer is planning an addition, there’s a good chance that it requires material to match the original building. The architect would include a plan to find a matching material in the job program.
  Next, a financial feasibility study is conducted for budgeting purposes. Finally, the schedule is created, indicating the type of contract the owner will hold (i.e. single prime, multi prime or design/build) and the projected completion period.
  Overall, the planning/pre-design phase provides a project overview and indicates a site selection. Stone suppliers usually have little involvement with architects and owners in this phase.
  
DESIGN
  This phase breaks into three distinct parts: schematic design; design development; and construction documents. Stone suppliers communicate all information to the architect or owner during this phase.
  In schematic design, architects expand on the pre-design program with renderings, models, sketches and a preliminary project description. Stone suppliers assist architects by providing basic product literature, pricing for materials (and often labor) and product characteristics. The overall scope and scale of the project is defined, and some general product decisions begin to be made.
  During design development, architects devote their work to specific systems, deciding on products and documenting outline specifications. Preliminary drawings are also produced. At this point, designers need to know about product availability, installed costs and warranty information.
  Samples are required in the design development phase. Architects are interested not only in a stone’s color variation, but also in finish options such as split face, sawn, or thermaled. Information on fabrication should be readily available; production capability, maximum sizes of materials and lead times are all important to the architect’s specification decisions.
  During the third and final part of design, the construction documents are completed. These consist of bidding documents (i.e., bid solicitation, instruction to bidders, information available to bidders, bid forms and bidding agenda) and contract documents (i.e., contract agreements, conditions of the contract, drawings, specifications, addenda and modifications).
  Bidding documents are used to invite or attract bidders to the project and assist them in preparing their bids. Contract documents include the written specifications and drawings that give all detailed information about materials selected for the project.
  Reference standards or general requirements set by the construction industry are used in the construction documents. Trade associations, such as the Marble Institute of America (MIA) and the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM), as well as other professional organizations, publish these; architects use them to determine whether the proposed stone material is suitable for the project.
  With most products selected at this point, architects now need complete installation details, compatibility requirements with adjoining materials and quality standards to include in the construction documents. Stone suppliers can greatly assist in this phase by providing this type of technical data. 
  Research on comparable products also takes place in the design phase. Most projects require specification of more than one material; stone-product representatives are often called to help with this research. For example, a stone supplier may be asked about the difference between buff-colored limestone and buff-colored sandstone, and whether the two products are comparable.
  Product representatives should be able to discuss advantages of all types of products. The best representatives are thought of as industry experts, not just product sellers.
  Value Engineering (VE) is the process of finding the most-cost-effective products for a project. These materials will enhance the project’s design without increasing its cost. This process can take place at any time from the beginning of the design phase through the construction phase, but it is most effective during the design development and contract document sections of the design phase.
 
BIDDING
  Bids are solicited with invitations or advertisements; contractors may also negotiate directly with owners for privately funded projects. Suppliers and product representatives can best assist the bidders by quickly providing accurate pricing and information on availability of materials.
  Construction documents must be completed prior to soliciting bids, and can only be changed through addenda – a written or graphic document that revises information – during bidding. The architect only issues these during the bidding phase.
 
CONSTRUCTION
  Construction begins when the contract between the owner and the contractor is executed. After that, all communication from suppliers and product representatives goes through the contractor.
  This phase includes all scheduling of construction activities, off-site fabrication, mobilization, purchasing of materials and on-site construction. Product representatives and suppliers must communicate to contractors or installers about the construction schedule to assure that materials are produced and delivered in a timely manner.
  Because stone is a natural material, and color and texture can vary, mock-up panels are often used to make final decisions in the construction phase. Stone suppliers need to provide samples that best represent the true variations of the products for these panels.
 
POST-CONSTRUCTION
  Once construction is completed and the structure is occupied, product representatives work with owners and facility users to provide warranties, as well as operational and maintenance information.
  Through every phase of a project, owners, architects, and contractors require different levels of service and data.  Proper planning and accurate information are of the greatest importance to ensure a smooth construction process and success of a project. The best suppliers and product representatives can identify each phase of a project and be able to provide the appropriate information.
 
  Bill Eubank is an Architectural Representative and product specialist with Luck Stone Corp. of Richmond, Va. He holds two Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) certifications – Construction Documents Technology (CDT) and Certified Construction Product Representative (CCPR). His focus is to work with architects nationally to locate and specify stone products.
  He also leads product seminars for architects through Luck Stone’s American Institute of Architects (AIA) Continuing Education programs, and is an active member of the Richmond CSI Chapter and the National Stone Council.
 
  Reference:
  The Construction Specifications Institute Manual of Practice
  Construction Documents Fundamentals and Formats Module
  Construction Product Representative Module

This article first appeared in the January 2004 print edition of Stone Business. ©2004 Western Business Media Inc.