Overview

True North S&F Consultants, Inc. is a Construction Coordination Consultant - construction coordination within the Virtual Building.This consulting firm will offer a variety of services to contribute to an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) in the design and construction industry:

• Drafting, Modeling services
• Construction Administration and Project Coordination
• Material and Area Take-off services, Scheduling, Estimating and Estimation-Assist.

Owners, developers, Architects, engineers, contractors involved on a particular project work in their separate offices, performing their specific roles in the development of the project. Many of the tasks that occur are duplicated by 2 or more of these groups.Redundancy can be beneficial as a check and balance, however too much redundancy is a waste of time.

The simple concept of the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is that of cooperation which maximizes efficiency and minimizes duplication through the sharing of information and strong communications. The industry as a whole recognizes the advantages of the IPD, but few seem to grasp the full benefits or how to get there.

The hole, or gap, that exists between integration of the technology, the software, with the current design and construction practices. Drafting with a CAD package, measuring with a scale, calculating with a spreadsheet, documenting in a report, these are traditionally unique tasks done separately by multiple groups.

The design, development and construction of a building, when properly integrated with the most capable portions of the available software will result in better, safer buildings built more cost-effectively. The savings of time and money will allow for more attention to be paid towards greater sustainability and improved aesthetics of the building.

However, only a few companies understand how to accomplish this goal.True North S&FConsultants, Inc. is aimed at addressing these needs. We plan to fill this hole.

The Construction Coordination Consultant may appear as a redundancy - the Architect, or at least the General Contractor, is responsible for these functions. It has been my experience, we are all so busy, our schedules are shorter and our budgets are tighter than ever; no one has the time.Someone must be dedicated to this task because it will not just happen.

Industry professionals in the design and construction community of the Las Vegas Valley agree that there is gap in the industry; a need for these services.

Given the current economic climate and the fact that most contracting, architecture and engineering firms have released many of their technical staff, the ability to offer traditional drafting, document and site services will be both an opportunity for immediate revenue and an opportunity to 'get in the door' to demonstrate or abilities and services.

It is the goal for True North to fulfill the role of a Construction Coordination Consultant. However we plan to introduce ourselves in a simpler fashion. We believe that offering a host of more traditional services (drafting, modeling, document and site services) will open the doors, allowing True North to gain exposure and the opportunity with our clients. It is from 'within' a project, that True North can best gain the opportunity pursue this goal and become a Construction Coordination Consultant.

The drawings developed by the architect, engineers and designers are a wealth of information which are able to provide accurate data, such as area square-footages, quantities of materials, etc. Design and construction firms are only beginning to leverage such data.

The same software that is used to design and draft the building also creates and stores vast amounts of information about the building.

There are several computer software packages (i.e.; Autodesk Navisworks™, Revit Architecture™, ArchiCAD ™ and AutoCAD Architecture ™) which are able to play a major role in the design, construction and coordination of a construction project.Advanced techniques with these software packages will create better work-product.

True North S&F Consultants, Inc. is devoted to the goal of an Integrated Project Delivery using Building Information Modeling (BIM) and the Virtual Building.All of these services are available, based upon my education and 20+ years of architecture and building construction experience.All these services can and should be addressed better by True North.

In addition, knowledgeable and experienced communication with all parties involved in a development project will further facilitate a more fully coordinated project.There will be fewer mistakes, fewer costly change orders and delays, saving the owner / developer money.

For example, an architect's drafter chooses a collection of single-ply roofing details for use in the project. But the General Contractor chooses to economize (value engineer) with a cheaper built-up roofing system. Changes like this often occur and the construction documents must be quickly updated and revised.

This is an example of when mistakes can occur. The Architectural / Engineering consultants and the General Contractor must be diligent in their efforts to revise their documents to ensure their continued consistency and accuracy. The drawings/model must be updated and the pricing, material take-offs and estimates must be continually monitored as the designs are develop and revised.

The True North would be able to assist with overseeing that such changes are coordinated.Closer to the mark of the Integrated Project Delivery, the drawings/model could be connected (linked) to the material take-offs and estimating systems such that the change of roofing systems would automatically update.

The project as a whole would benefit from the attention and involvement of the Construction Coordination Consultant. The owners / developer will see their development completed faster with fewer cost overruns. The contractors will realize greater profits through a tighter and more accurate budget. The architect/engineers will also see greater profits because of a more efficient set of construction documents, less time spent responding to questions (RFI's) from the contractor and more time available for design and coordination.

McGraw-Hill Construction: BIM Smart Market Report - 2009 ¹; A typical construction project will likely see a 5% increase in cost due to Change Orders. BIM projects are already experiencing a mere 1% increase in their construction costs.This means that a $1,000,000 project will likely cost $50k more. However, this same project delivered as a BIM project, the increase would only be $10k

As True North S&F Consultants, Inc. completes projects, exceeding our clients' needs, we anticipate that the demand for our services will require the addition of staff.As discussed later in this business plan, True North will look to employ a total of 4 people; 3 technical staff (including myself) and an administrative person.

The True North S&F Consultants, Inc. has the ability to deliver many services to the design and construction community of the Las Vegas Valley while introducing the presence of a Coordination Construction Consultant that can significantly contribute to the success and profitability of all sizes of construction projects.

We are looking forward to the challenge.