' 2004 FMI Corporation

2003 FMI/CMAA Survey of Owners

The Results of FMI/CMAA’s Fourth Annual Survey of Owners

By Dennis Doran, FMI Corporation

IT IS NO SECRET that owners and shareholders are concerned with cutting costs, fast-tracking projects, and building safer buildings that take full advantage of technology. However, how or how well those desired goals are to be achieved remains unclear in the industry. We occasionally read about successful projects that meet all of those goals; nonetheless, stories about failed projects, cost overruns, and drawn out court cases continue to dominate the headlines. Generally, what we read in the press doesn’t give a very complete picture of design and construction activities as they impact projects from the owner’s point of view.  The results of our 4th Annual Survey of Owners indicate that there is a need for both owners and construction industry suppliers to work more toward building collaborative relationships and reducing confusion and confrontation in order to obtain mutual project goals.

Owners plan and build or renovate structures in response to rapidly changing markets; they have come to expect their designers and builders to be increasingly responsive to their needs. The combination of various market forces has created many new challenges for the construction industry. The response to those challenges is mixed. On one hand, the construction industry has risen to the occasion with new delivery methods and an increasing adoption of new building and communications technologies. On the other hand, however, the tide hasn’t lifted all ships, and some older problems have resurfaced to become even more critical than in the past.

The 4th Annual Survey of Owners conducted by FMI in conjunction with the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) and with cooperation from the Construction Users Roundtable (CURT) was designed to provide a voice for construction owners in order to improve design and construction industry practices. The topics and questions for the survey were repeated from the previous surveys in order to gauge changing practices.  In addition, CMAA Leadership Conference participants identified three key issues of ongoing concern: construction quality, contract completion and closeout practices, warranties and open-ended liability. The addition of topical areas from CURT broadened this year’s survey to look more specifically at areas of the design process as it relates to A/E productivity. All questions were reviewed by a select focus group of CMAA owner members prior to publication. 

While the areas investigated in this survey were originally designed to help members of CMAA better understand and serve owners’ needs for construction management services, we think there is much to be learned from the results of the survey for owners, design firms, construction managers, and contractors alike.

If you are interested in receiving a copy of the completed survey, please email Danelle Prezioso at dprezioso@cmaanet.org.