Frequently Asked Questions

At Anderson-Moore Construction Corp., we have the capability of turning around an in-house, historical budget number within 2-days. Our more typical approach is to analyze the bid documents; determine the most appropriate (and qualified) subcontractors for the project; send the drawings to them with a 2-week deadline for bid submission; review their pricing and scope of work; then, put together the final estimate for our client. It typically takes approximately 3-weeks to complete this process.

In basic terminology, value engineering is a contractors effort to provide cost savings, possibly time savings, to a project by suggesting alternate (BUT equal) methods, building materials, and/or schedule procedures, while maintaining the original design intent. 

More formally, value engineering, by definition, is a systematic and organized procedural decision-making process.  The concept originated at General Electric in the 1940’s.  VE helps people creatively generate alternatives to secure essential functions at the greatest worth as opposed to costs.  The concept of value engineering has been successfully applied to the general construction process for decades.

At Anderson-Moore Construction Corp., our value engineering team, with diverse backgrounds, is assembled and the five phases of VE – investigation, speculation, evaluation, development, and presentation – are used to guide the team through the process.  Value engineering formulates the solutions into recommendations and those valid recommendations are then implemented into the construction design.

The VE purpose is to ensure that only concepts that have the highest potential for values are ultimately presented and used.  a utilizes this process to guarantee that our clients receive the most cost-effective, functional and quality-controlled construction project.

Every step of the process is geared toward obtaining a result that increase the ROI (return on investment) or value, for our clients

It depends on the governmental jurisdiction (location) of the project, the detail of information submitted by the consultants (Engineer, Architect, etc.), and revisions (if any) required. It can take anywhere from 5-weeks to multiple months.

The personnel dedicated to your project are expert within their respective divisions. From estimating through project management; from our Interior Services Division (tenant improvement/build-out) to our Medical Division, to our Ground-up Commercial Division, to our Special Services Division, we focus on the specific needs of your project. Further, we provide extremely thorough client-development and preconstruction services, guiding you through every necessary step to deliver your uniquely required construction service.

Construction leadership requires the application of intricate and ever-changing question and the ability to analyze and expedite the physical process.  Combining those construction applications, Michael J. Anderson, Jeffery L. Moore, and Harry R. Darling bring two decades of practical knowledge and real-world experience to their successful relationship – translating that into a successful company:  Anderson-Moore Construction Corporation, Inc.  Mike, Jeff and Harry each bring different skills and expertise to the company.

Mike Anderson’s education and career-history is:   general contracting.  He formed M. J. Anderson Construction Corp. in 1979 and is still providing construction services today, to his very first client from 1979.  Mike’s knowledge and management prowess have enabled him to develop and deliver a systematic and repeatable method of initiating, tracking and completing projects – successfully.  He advocates a partnering relationship and has positioned a portfolio of diverse projects ranging from 5,000 square feet to over 270,000 square feet, nationwide.

Jeff Moore is an operations specialist in the technical aspects of preconstruction design, construction and development protocol.  Jeff’s background includes oversight of project management teams and field personnel, in addition to estimating and construction management divisions.  He has amassed a portfolio of signature, award-winning projects throughout the Southeast.

Harry Darling rounds-out this partnership adding his diversified corporate experience providing for the successful business operations of a.  Harry brings along with his accounting and political science degrees, previous involvement with construction and development projects worth over $2.5 billion.   He is expert at project analysis and determining project feasibility.

The success of a is largely due to an integrity-driven philosophy and the early determination to have only the best, like-minded people join the a team.  Together, Mike, Jeff and Harry embody one directive:  “Establish and understand the needs and concerns of our clients and focus all available resources towards meeting those needs”

Anderson-Moore Construction Corp. offers a Preconstruction Agreement to provide for the following services:

1. Plan Evaluation –   will work with the architect to coordinate the systems and methods being proposed by the architect. a will use its own expertise and experience, as well as the expertise of its subcontractors, to recommend the systems and methods used meet the overall requirements of the Owner for initial cost and life expectancy.  This plan evaluation includes analyses of structural, mechanical, electrical, and architectural components.

2. Site Evaluation -   will work with the engineer to coordinate the site development plans to ensure the most economical methods, materials, and systems are used for the site preparation, utilities, and landscaping for the project.  This evaluation includes an analysis to determine if the project can be started sooner by the proper coordination of site development and vertical buildings.

3. Preliminary Budgets -   will supply the Owner with budget numbers, based upon conceptual estimates, using square footage and/or unit costs.   These prices are determined by the previous experience of a and our working relationship with reputable subcontractors.  Preliminary estimates are usually accurate to +/- 10% after conceptual plans are complete and allow the Owner to make intelligent decisions on how to proceed and the level of quality he can expect for the budgeted price with the design drawings.

4. Preliminary Schedules -   will work with the architects, engineers, proposed subcontractors, and will use its own experience to create preliminary schedules for the entire project.  These schedules would include the time involved in preparing working drawings, necessary approvals, and the actual construction process.  The purpose of the preliminary schedule is for the Owner to be aware of the time it takes from the inception of the project at final completion and occupancy.

5. General Conditions -   will submit a cost breakout of on-site general conditions.  The general conditions are billed as a direct job expense.  These costs include; on-site supervision, temporary facilities, communications, equipment rentals, and miscellaneous costs associated with on-site management.

6. Final Budgets -   shall submit to the Owner a final budget in which it is willing to contract for on a fixed contract amount.  These budgets will include prices on individual line items and will include prices from three to five qualified subcontractors, when available.

7. Final Schedules -   will furnish the Owner with a set of construction schedules.  These schedules will define all of the activities necessary for the building of the project and the sequence in which they will occur.  This schedule will typically be a bar chart for ease of readability and can be converted into a critical path schedule, if the Owner or lender so designates.  This is the schedule which details all of the activities from the start of the project through final punch list.

8. Subcontractor Evaluation and Recommendations -   will submit to the Owners recommendations on the three lowest bid and qualified subcontractors on each budget line item.  Although it is the intention of a to use the lowest priced subcontractor, we will research and identify whether subcontractors have financial, manpower, or quality problems and would be unable to complete the project in a timely manner.  If this is the case, a may recommend going to the next highest subcontractor.These, as well as some other services, are some of the Preconstruction Services provided by a.  Upon successful completion of the Preconstruction Phase, your project is formidably on its way to a successful Construction Phase, as well.

A design-build procurement method provides single-source responsibility to a client with all the benefits of proven design, engineering, and construction experience.  It ensures a cost-effective structure to meet the design and quality requirements of any construction project and also facilitates budget control by shortening the project schedule.  Design-build project delivery requires careful planning and professional execution to be useful – a is an experienced, successful design-build contractor

A negotiated construction project occurs when an owner selects a contractor prior to completion of the working drawings.  The contractor, architect and owner, work together as a team to create a set of permit-able drawings.  The contractor’s fee is typically established in advance of the contractor and owner finalizing the contract.  The general contractor then solicits competitive subcontractor bids and provides a complete estimate with back-up, including the subcontractor bids combined with costs-of-work (general conditions) provided directly by the general contractor.  The contractor then adds the agreed-upon fee and the total of all of these costs become the contract amount.

Competitive bidding occurs when an owner contracts with an architect to produce a full-set of working (permit-able) drawings and then solicits two or more general contractors to provide bids.  The general contractors review the plans and submit a lump-sum proposal to build the project in accordance to the plans and specifications provided by the architect.

Within the negotiated bid process, the relationship between the owner, architect and contractor  is one of cooperation and trust.  The contractor is part of the team and works with the architect to identify any errors or omissions which may occur in the development of the working drawings.  These include items such as:  making sure the structural plans match the architectural plans; assisting the architect in making the most economical decisions for product selections/specifications based on the owners intended use and life-cycle costs; and providing accurate conceptual estimates before the entire set of working drawings are complete.  Within a competitive bid process, the contractor is under no obligation to provide any information other than a “price” on the plans and specifications as drawn by the architect.  The experience and knowledge of the contractor are not utilized to any advantage to the owner.

Conceptual drawings are preliminary in nature and generally provide the basic floor plan, site plan and elevations for the proposed project.  These drawings are used to determine the look of the project, how it fits on the proposed building site, and also used to create a preliminary construction budget.

Working drawings are complete enough to permit and build the project.  These documents generally consist of architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering (site development) plans.

General conditions are hard-cost expenses common to most construction projects.  They occur at the jobsite and are expenses, typically, of the general contractor.  These costs include such items as project management, site supervision, trailer (temporary office), temporary utilities, waste receptacles and removal, site IT requirements, communications, etc.  General conditions are considered a cost-of-the-job and are not part of the contractor’s fee.

Contractor’s fee consists of “overhead”-type items such as, contractor’s main office, telephones, utility expenses, computers, staff employed at the main office, project accounting, salary of company officers/owners, etc., and contractor’s profit.

A payment and performance bond is a guarantee from a third-party – usually an insurance company – that the contractor will complete the project and pay all the bills pertaining to and procured during (and under) the contractor’s contract. If an owner requires or desires a payment and performance bond, they will pay the premium for the guarantee.

You can register by referring to the “Subcontractor” page on our website. Either download the Subcontractor Qualification Form and return to AMC, or fill-out the form online and submit via the instructions. Once we determine you meet the requirements, AMC will forward bid opportunities to your company. AMCsubcontractor performance is rated by our project managers after project completion. That information is continually shared with both the estimating department and the project management department.