Building a new athletic facility requires many resources in terms of both labor and material capital. To avoid wastage and loss of these resources, effective management is of utmost importance. As well, it is essential to prepare adequately on paper for the project before deploying on the ground. Every project starts with defining and refining the user requirements. Here, one engages the various stakeholders on what they expect from the new athletic facility. After which, one does a trade-off between cost and requirement. Other considerations in designing such a project include local laws and regulations, the project’s environmental impact, and the amount of available capital. With this, one can establish the project scope, determine the budget for the project, and estimate the project duration. The consulting firm for the project should be able to integrate all these considerations into a feasible master plan (Sawyer, 2009).
There are three basic considerations while choosing a consulting firm. To start with, the consulting firm must have the capacity to deliver in terms of technical know-how and experience. In evaluating tenders for such a facility, each bidder must demonstrate a proven ability to deliver on such a high-end project. The appropriate consultant should be able to come up with a viable blueprint for the facility. Here, the consultant will help define the user requirements, define the project scope, and come up with a tentative budget for the project. The consultant should also help in pre-qualifying contracting companies who will deliver on the project. Through experience, the consulting firm can determine the best-suited persons to take on the project, and bring it to the next level. The consulting firm, thus, makes the work easier for the client. On this line, the consultant should also work with the client or his appointed representative, throughout the entire phase of the project and continuously refine the operational requirements (Glenn, 2010).
Secondly, the consultant must exhibit timeliness and due diligence in executing past projects. An ideal project should not last for long periods since this has an impact on not only cost but also, on the quality of work. From research, it is evident that every project that goes beyond its desired period ends up spending more while delivering poor-quality work. The consulting firm must envisage future delays in the execution of the project either due to weather, political or climatic conditions. A project might end up spending much more merely on the fact that, during the duration of the project, there was a change in the political class bringing about new taxation regimes (National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association, 2009).
The last thing to consider in choosing a consultant for such a project is cost. Many projects end up costing way above the estimated budget due to such reasons as inadequate planning, poor workmanship, and poor supervision. In worst cases, consultants may end up colluding with the contractors to inflate the project cost. This poses various risks to the viability and success of such projects. The appropriate consultant of such a project must envisage future variations in prices and factor them within the budget for the facility. In determining this consideration, it is, therefore, important to measure the consulting firm for honesty and work ethics. Since the ultimate goal of the project will be to get the best value for both time and money, the consulting firm should also demonstrate high levels of integrity, and firms with integrity scandals should be debarred (Woodward, 2000).
References
Glenn, M. (2010). Essentials of sports law. San Francisco, CA: ABC-CLIO.
National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (2009). Campus recreational Sports facilities: planning, design, and construction guidelines. New York: Human Kinetics.
Sawyer, T. (Eds.). (2009). Facilities planning for health, fitness, physical Activity, recreation, and sports. Boston, MA: Sagamore Publishing.
Woodward, J. (2000). Countdown to a new library: managing the building project New York: American Library Association.