The benefits to be gained in establishing a well-designed and managed design-build process include the following:

Singular responsibility.  With both design and construction in the hands of Channel Building Company, there is a single point of responsibility for quality, cost and schedule adherence, which avoids “buck passing” and finger pointing. The owner is able to focus on scope/needs definition and timely decision making, rather than on coordination between the designer and builder.

Quality.  The greater responsibility implicit in design-build serves as a motivation for high quality and the proper performance of building systems. Once the owner’s requirements and expectations are documented in performance terms, it is Channel’s responsibility as the design-builder to produce results accordingly. We warrant to the owner that the design documents are complete and free from error. By contrast, with “traditional” design-bid-build, the owner warrants to the contractor that the drawings and specifications are complete and free from error. Because it is the owner’s warranty for the design documents under traditional design-bid-build, the approach relies on restrictive contract language, extensive audit and inspection and, occasionally, the legal system, to ensure final project quality.

Cost Savings.  Channel’s design and construction personnel, working and communicating as a team, evaluate alternative materials and methods efficiently and accurately. Value engineering and constructability are utilized more effectively when the designers and contractors work as one team during the design process.

Time savings.  Because design and construction are overlapped, and because bidding periods and redesign time are eliminated, total design-construction time can be significantly reduced. Design-build is ideal for the application of “Fast Track” construction techniques. Under this method, construction work is allowed to begin in advance of the working drawings being fully completed. The time savings translates into lower costs and earlier utilization of the completed facility.

Reduced administrative burden.  Under a streamlined procurement process, the design-build method reduces the owner’s administrative burden. After awarding the design-build contract, the owner won’t have to invest his time and money into coordinating and arbitrating between separate design and construction contracts.

Early knowledge and firm costs.  As the entity responsible for design, Channel Building simultaneously estimates construction costs and can accurately conceptualize the completed project at an early stage. Guaranteed construction costs are known far sooner than otherwise possible. This permits early establishment of financing, reduces exposure to cost escalation, and avoids the possibility of committing substantial time and money for design, only to learn that the cost of the project is prohibitive.

Risk management.  Project performance aspects of cost, schedule and quality can clearly be defined and appropriately balanced (individual risks are managed by the party best positioned to manage that risk). Change Orders due to drawing and specification errors are eliminated because the correction of such issues is the responsibility of Channel Building Company, not the owner. After the owner outlines his needs, he may receive different design-cost solutions representing the best thinking of Channel’s staff, enabling the owner to better manage the financial risk connected with the project.

Design and construction criteria leading to best value.  Recognizing design quality, functional efficiency, team experience and other factors in addition to price, an owner can achieve a result that reflects the greatest value and not simply the lowest cost.

• Pre-Construction Services
• Design-Build
• Construction Management
• General Contracting
• Re-Construction Services

• To provide our commercial-industrial clients in northern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire with a team of construction professionals producing excellent design and superior quality construction resulting in high levels of customer satisfaction and trust.
• To provide a progressive, healthy and safe work environment for our employees, to assist them in their professional development and to compensate each employee fairly.
• To provide maximum returns to stockholders in balance with company liquidity, reinvestment and growth.

At Channel Building Company, health and safety is more than a set of rules and guidelines. It is woven into our corporate culture. We devote time and resources to develop the safest environment possible in proactively identifying and eliminating workplace hazards and ongoing training for injury prevention to make our company a safer place to work.

As a result, Channel’s accident rate is one of the lowest in the building industry based on our overall history. Some of the initiatives that we employ to achieve this are:

• We maintain an up-to-date written Safety Policy Manual located at each job site covering everything from accident reporting to fire prevention to material handling.
• All employees and subcontractors are required to participate in OSHA and Channel Building Company safety procedures to ensure compliance with safety and health standards.
• On all Channel Building job sites, subcontractors strictly adhere to maintaining proper insurance as set forth by Channel’s Risk Management Department.
• A third-party risk management consultant inspects each job site regularly, reporting any discrepancies to the written safety policy to the job superintendent and to the management at Channel Building Company for immediate resolution.
• On-site personnel conduct weekly safety meetings discussing a different safety topic each week.
• Channel Building Company requires mandatory training for all field personnel, up to and including, OSHA 30, CPR and first-aid certifications.  As well as, training and licensing for all hoisting and mechanical equipment being used on-site.
• Channel provides where appropriate, personal protective equipment and instruction for its use.
• Channel quickly investigates any incident to determine the cause and takes action to eliminate a re-occurrence.