A&E Pre-Construction Partner: questions answered

Questions about A&E Pre-Construction Partner, answered in the words of the people who did the work. The engagement itself is on its own page.

Who is the client, how many architects and engineers have been sourced, and what has followed?

The client is a national A&E pre-construction firm. Common Ground has sourced 14 licensed architects and engineers for it and brought it 26 general contractors that fit its model. On the growth side, more than $120 million in projects has come to bid through its construction estimating nationwide in the last two and a half months. Behind that sits Fowler's 12 years of sourcing and employing architects and engineers on his own work, through Tellus Design + Build and LÏEF Builders.

How many of the 14 have been hired or placed?

The engagement is for talent generation, not hiring placements. Even so, two general contractors and one architect have been placed in the Phoenix area.

What process or tool did Common Ground build for the firm, and how did it change the weekly pipeline?

A fully customized learning CRM. It draws on 25 years and more than $1 billion in projects facilitated: what roles cost, who carries which responsibilities on an architecture and engineering team, what architectural budgets support, and a network of firms licensed in every state. It sources on its own as well, scouring the licensed-architect databases in every state and the fractional and profile sites, and it checks each candidate's licensure and scope of practice by state before anyone goes to the firm. Each weekly review now starts from a fresh, verified list. We look at where licensed coverage is thin as the project map grows, which candidates need a next step, and which sources and messages are getting responses, then shift sourcing toward what works. It also learns the firm's preferences, so each shortlist is better tailored than the last.

Why do relationships with architects start with work and not a job offer?

Architects usually just want projects. Because Common Ground also has a vast network of construction projects, the door often opens by connecting an architect with work in their region. That gives them a reason to work with us before there is ever a role to fill.

Why does a licensed professional get checked state by state before being put forward?

Engineering hiring gets specific here. Some roles need a licensed professional and some are production work, a candidate can practice only where licensed, and the need shifts as projects move into new states. So licensure and scope of practice are checked by state before anyone is put forward, and licensed coverage is built out as the client's project map grows.

Why did Common Ground check the stamp chain before introducing anyone?

The seal is where liability lives. Production is the easy part to buy. A stamp that does not hold lands on whoever introduced the drawing, so before we put our owners and contractors in front of the firm we asked who seals, in which states and under which registration. Then we set the relationship to prove itself one project at a time.

Credits