NAVIGATION LINKS
Contract/ Letter of Intent
Responsibility: PM / SPM
The original contract, and letter of intent if applicable, are to be filed in Accounting, with the Project Contract File.
Contract Review Checklist
Responsibility: PM / SPM
At contract award, and during initial stage of Pre-Construction, Project Director and project team to review the contract, Granger cost proposal and discuss the GMP strategy ahead of estimating and pre-construction planning. For example, how will we manage Sub Default (Granger Sub Default Plan or sub bonding?)
Unless unique contract dictates otherwise, GMPs are generally set after receipt of all/most subcontractor bids. See further instructions in the “Bidding” section of the PRG at the appropriate time.
Supporting Resource:
BD to Operations Handoff Process
Responsibility: PM / SPM
It is important to Granger that, when a project is won, a deliberate handoff occurs between the business development team and the operations team. The sales process involves significant nuance, including commitments made, goals established, and expectations defined with our customer. This information must be effectively transferred to the team responsible for project execution. To support this transition, Granger has developed a specific handoff process that addresses all aspects of the project.
Supporting Resource:
Project Initiation Process
Responsibility: PM / SPM
The Project Initiation form is to be completed with as much detail as possible. When you "Submit" this form, a notification will be sent to the VP of Finance and the VP of Operations notifying them that a job number, Project Accountant, Project Executive, and Benchmark Contact will need to be assigned. You will be notified when all of these have been assigned. This form should be completed immediately after receiving the Contract or Letter of Intent.
Projects that Granger will self-perform work on should have a separate job number set up for that work as a separate subcontract written from Granger CM Company 1 to Granger Self-Perform Company 10853.
Supporting Resource:
Note: You will need to fill out a New Job Setup form for each job and sub-job that is created to set up the project budgets.
Initial Job Cost Set Up
Responsibility: PM / SPM
Follow the work instructions on the New Job Setup Form to fill in the required information. The completed New Job Set-up Form is to be turned into your Project Accountant, to set up the detailed job cost accounting in Viewpoint. The SPM is to review and approve the detailed job cost before it is finalized in Viewpoint.
When setting up for Preconstruction jobs only, complete the PL006FR form.
When completing the New Job Set Up Form for a CM project, include your project's projected profit amounts in the revenue phases. This makes your project's projected profit from things like staffing and insurances more transparent.
Supporting Resource:
Schedule of Values/ Billing Setup
Responsibility: PM / SPM
It is a good idea to have a conversation with your Project Accountant (PA) about how the owner billing should be setup, if there are any special requirements of the owner for bill detail required (i.e. can all general conditions be grouped on to one line in the billing or do they want individual listing), or if there are requirements for grouping costs by building, etc., on the billing.
Project File Setup
Responsibility: PM
A new project folder should be created on the P: drive. The electronic folder structure for new projects are to be set up using the standard file folders that are included in the Folder Template for Electronic Project Files, located on the server here: "P:\.NEW PROJECT FOLDER TEMPLATE - COPY AND LEAVE"
The folder structure within this standard can be copied and pasted in to the new project file that you create on the P: drive.
Most projects will have minimal hard/paper copies of documents to be filed. The referenced work instructions should be used to define the general format and naming of project files, as required.
Supporting Resource:
Kickoff Meeting (Internal)
Responsibility: PM
This meeting is held to make sure all Granger Team Members understand the project requirements, objectives, and scope of work. This meeting should be scheduled by the Senior Project Manager as soon as the project team is determined, and should include the Superintendent, SPM, PM, PE, PC, and Estimator. The referenced Project Execution Planning Guide should be reviewed and the Project Execution PowerPoint should be completed. This guide can be used as an agenda for this Internal Kick-off Meeting.
Supporting Resources:
RightSet Kickoff - Project Excellence Meeting RIGHTset
Responsibility: Superintendent / PM
Granger’s Project Kick-off and RIGHTstart meetings are intended to provide hyper-focus on effectively transitioning the project from the Pre-Construction Phase into the Construction Phase. The program includes two meetings that occur prior to the start of construction. The intention of these meetings is to find out the Owner’s goals and concerns for the project and to outline a plan for construction so that these goals and concerns are addressed. The meetings provide the Owner with confidence in Granger as the CM and provide Granger the opportunity to get the entire team on the same page with the plan for construction.
Supporting Resource:
Design Coordination Requirements
Responsibility: PM / Estimator
Design Coordination Requirements establish a consistent approach for reviewing design milestone packages to ensure completeness, quality, and alignment prior to estimating. Each milestone deliverable should be thoroughly reviewed by both the Project Team and Estimating Team to confirm that required elements, scope definition, and supporting documentation are sufficiently developed.
This collaborative review helps identify gaps, inconsistencies, or missing information that could impact estimate accuracy. All comments are then communicated to the A/E and Owner to address deficiencies and maintain alignment, ultimately supporting more reliable milestone estimates and reducing downstream risk.
Supporting Resource:
Note: The Estimating Team should provide a draft version of the coordination requirements to the A/E team in advance of milestone submittals to align expectations early. While based on standard AIA milestone requirements, expectations may be adjusted to fit project-specific needs.
Cost Management Process
Responsibility: PM / Estimator
The Cost Management Process establishes a proactive and continuous approach for evaluating project cost throughout the design phase. Between milestone estimates, the Project Team and Estimating Team actively monitors design progression and identify cost impacts as decisions are made.
When impacts are identified, the Estimating Team develops and communicates cost implications to the Project Team, A/E, and Owner. These items are documented and tracked within Join to maintain transparency and support informed decision-making.
Maintaining this real-time process provides an accurate running project total, enables timely decision-making, and minimizes the potential for unexpected cost variances at key milestones.
Supporting Resource:
Design Meeting Expectations
Responsibility: PM / SPM
Design Meeting Expectations define how the Project Team engages in design meetings to ensure alignment, accountability, and effective communication throughout the preconstruction phase. Active participation in these meetings is critical to maintaining awareness of design progress so that pre-planning and estimating efforts are based on the most current project information.
The Project Team supports the A/E-led meeting process by tracking key decisions, identifying potential impacts, and ensuring information is communicated effectively to the broader team, including the Estimating Team. Clear understanding of attendee roles and responsibilities helps drive productive meetings and ensures the right stakeholders are involved at the right time.
Consistent engagement and strong communication during design meetings enable the project team to stay aligned, support informed decision-making, and ultimately deliver a successful project that meets the Owner’s goals.
Supporting Resource:
Internal Estimate Kick-off
Responsibility: Estimator
The Internal Estimate Kickoff establishes alignment across the project team prior to the start of estimating efforts. This meeting defines the estimate timeline, clarifies roles and responsibilities, and identifies key milestones or check-ins required throughout the process.
It also sets expectations for how the estimate will be structured, including level of detail, scope breakdown, and final deliverable requirements for the Owner. Establishing this alignment upfront ensures an efficient estimating process and reduces rework or miscommunication later in the phase.
Supporting Resource:
Estimating Support
Responsibility: PM / SPM
Accurate and comprehensive estimating requires active collaboration between the Estimating Team and Project Team. The Project Team is responsible for providing key inputs such as general requirements, general conditions, logistics, and CM soft costs, ensuring these components are aligned with the project plan and design approach.
The Estimating Team may also support efforts such as subcontractor outreach, scope coordination, and gap identification to strengthen overall estimate coverage. This collaborative approach ensures that the estimate reflects the full project scope and is coordinated across all disciplines
Supporting Resource:
Internal Estimate Review
Responsibility: Estimator
The Internal Estimate Review is a critical step to ensure the project team is fully aligned prior to presenting the estimate to the Owner or A/E team. This meeting serves as an open and transparent review of the estimate, design documents, and all associated assumptions.
The team evaluates scope completeness, pricing accuracy, and alignment with the most current project information. This process helps identify gaps, inconsistencies, or risks, ensuring the estimate is well-vetted and that all team members are prepared to confidently communicate results and recommendations.
Supporting Resource:
A/E Estimate Alignment Procedure
Responsibility: PM / Estimator
The A/E Estimate Alignment process ensures that the Project Team, Estimating Team, and A/E partners are aligned on project scope, assumptions, and design intent prior to communicating estimate results to the Owner. This step provides an opportunity to review key cost drivers, clarify discrepancies, and confirm that the estimate accurately reflects the current design.
By establishing alignment with the A/E team before sharing the estimate externally, the project team can present a coordinated and unified position to the Owner. This approach minimizes confusion, supports more efficient decision-making, and reinforces trust across all project stakeholders.
Supporting Resource:
Client Messaging
Responsibility: PM / SPM
Client Messaging focuses on clearly and effectively communicating estimate results in relation to the established project budget. This includes aligning internally on how the estimate compares to the budget, identifying key drivers of variance, and developing a clear narrative to present to the Owner.
The goal is to provide transparent, concise, and solution-oriented communication that helps the Owner understand current budget status, key cost drivers, and potential paths forward. Well-aligned messaging ensures consistency across the team and builds trust with the client.
Supporting Resource:
As you are working through the preconstruction process, when you start to approach bid day you will need to develop more detail in your construction schedule to include in your bid documents. This will ensure your bidders understand the timelines for the scopes of work, and in turn ensure they bid the work with proper crew sizes, take into account long lead items etc. This is the intermediate step in scheduling between the schedule developed during the pursuit and the final construction schedule that will be developed with trade partner input and routinely updated during the course of construction. Ensure the level of detail you provide is enough to get accurate bids, but not necessarily the level of detail your final construction schedule will have.
Nearly all Granger projects will go through some version of execution planning. This helps the project team identify project risks, set metrics, and creates a communication tool to use both internally and with the customer. The plan should be used throughout the life of the project and should be revisited periodically to confirm it is still accurate or needs updating. See the individual slides in the presentation template for notes to assist with content.
Supporting Resource:
Responsibility: PM
The initial project team kickoff meeting should include an in-depth review of the site-specific requirements, work hours, safety requirements, etc. This meeting should be attended by the Project Manager and Site Foreman/Superintendent of all of the trade contractors that will be onsite. This is a good meeting to review procedures for RFIs, submittals, monthly invoicing, document management (PlanGrid), change management, and LEED or commissioning requirements (if applicable). Best Practice: Invite your Project Accountant to attend this meeting to go over the monthly billing procedure, necessary backup, and insurance requirements with all of your trade contractors.
Supporting Resoucre:
Review with the Owner the requirements for the jurisdiction that the project is located for permitting, plan review submissions, etc. and who will pay for the permits (i.e. Does Granger pay for the permits or the Owner?). Develop a log of agency permits and inspections that are required to track submissions/completions throughout the project.
Supporting Resource:
Responsibility: PM
Responsibility: PM / Preconstruction Department
A thorough review of all design documents available to date, including drawings, specifications, design summaries, etc., with an overall goal of minimizing future change orders during construction. This review is best when done by at least two people on the Project Team (i.e. PM & Superintendent). Reviewers should look for the following: inconsistencies in the documents, use of materials that are long-lead and/or labor pools that are not readily available, ways to enhance contractor productivity through sequencing of work or selection of material/equipment, consideration of existing field conditions are reflected in the documents. TIP: The PM should review our Contract with the Owner for document review requirements at specific milestones. Oftentimes a Contract will outline this responsibility, and the submission may align with estimate/budget validation requirements. These items are managed through the Coordination Issues Project Tool within Procore.
Supporting Resource:
IT Coordination
The Project Mobilization Process establishes a coordinated approach for preparing and deploying technology services to new jobsites. The process begins when Project Management submits a project initialization request through the Service Desk, providing the information necessary for IT planning and execution. IT Service Delivery then confirms the mobilization date, coordinates planning meetings with the Project Manager, and oversees the scheduling, delivery, and installation of required infrastructure and technology resources. IT Operations is responsible for configuring the necessary infrastructure, while Project Management ensures the trailer or jobsite is ready to receive services. The Yard team supports the process by ensuring transportation resources are available for equipment delivery. Following installation, IT conducts a mobilization follow-up to verify services are operational and that project teams have the technology needed to support a successful project startup.
Supporting Resource:
Responsibility: PM
Jobsite Technology
About two months before your project mobilizes, IT will reach out to the Project Manager to set up a meeting to review your project's technology needs. During this meeting, an order will be placed for all of your project's technology through ToolWatch.
Supporting Resource:
Responsibility: PM
Trailer Coordination
Project team members will need to coordinate with the owner to determine if a jobsite trailer will be needed or if space in an existing facility will be provided for the site office. If a jobsite trailer will be needed, you will need to determine size based on project site team size. You will want to procure proposals for the trailer a few months before you need them to ensure you have the space to work once you mobilize. There are four current sources for jobsite trailers, with one specific to mid & west Michigan. The other three can serve all of Michigan. You may solicit proposals form WilScot, Nadler or Satellite Shelters.
Responsibility: Project Team
Job Site Visuals
Develop the site logistics plan, signage plan, phasing plan and milestone schedule, according to the Visual Development Guides on the GRID. Coordinate with Marcom and the Yard to design and order appropriate safety and directional signage as reflected on the site signage plan. The Site Logistics Plan should be reviewed with the Granger Director of Field Operations and Safety Director prior to distribution.
Supporting Resource:
Responsibility: PM
Granger's RIGHTstart Program
Project team members will need to coordinate with the owner to determine if a jobsite trailer will be needed or if space in an existing facility will be provided for the site office. If a jobsite trailer will be needed, you will need to determine size based on project site team size. You will want to procure proposals for the trailer a few months before you need them to ensure you have the space to work once you mobilize. There are four current sources for jobsite trailers, with one specific to mid & west Michigan. The other three can serve all of Michigan. You may solicit proposals form WilScot, Nadler or Satellite Shelters.
Supporting Resource:
Responsibility: PM / SPM
Responsibility: PM / SPM
The Design Team Transition Meeting establishes alignment between the Design Team and Project Team as the project transitions from preconstruction into construction. This meeting provides an opportunity to reflect on lessons learned during preconstruction, communicate project knowledge to new team members, and maintain the collaborative culture established throughout the design phase.
The team works together to establish project-specific expectations for communication, cost and change management, quality, submittals, RFIs, mock-ups, billing, and construction administration. The meeting also establishes communication protocols for critical project issues to ensure the appropriate team members are informed and prepared to respond in a coordinated and professional manner.
Establishing these expectations at the transition into construction promotes clear communication, strengthens collaboration between Granger and its design partners, and provides a consistent approach for working together throughout the construction phase.
Supporting Resource: