Furniture, fixtures and equipment (FFE) are details Owners often discuss with specialty vendors rather than Construction Management partners. However, planning these features early and often throughout your project can save time and money while leading to a better final deliverable.
GETTING STARTED
Granger works with Owners to identify FFE requirements before construction begins during our RIGHTstart meetings. We use RIGHTstart to clearly understand and define our Owners’ goals and concerns for all professional project team members starting day one. This also helps us determine how these items will affect scope and overall project budget.
“When an Owner builds a space for a specific use, such as a jail, hospital or laboratory, they often need specialized equipment for that space,” notes Granger Vice President, Rob Train. “More times than not, that equipment requires accompanying infrastructure considerations, like outlet location, voltage requirements, water and drain hookups or other factors that should be coordinated during design.”
PLANNING FOR CHANGE AND VISUALIZING FFE
Most construction projects last months, if not years. During this time, many factors can change which impact FFE. These might include Owner needs, product availability, costs or infrastructure requirements.
Granger ensures our teams adjust to these changing conditions at the earliest possible moment by conducting regular Flythrough Check-in Meetings and Project Tours.
“We can use virtual reality to take Owners through the space, room-by-room, or we can walk them through the facility as it is constructed,” says Train. “The important thing is to look at their FFE list and compare it with the actual location items will occupy.”
For instance, in correctional facilities, where security is paramount, Granger will address every lock, door, camera, and intercom that controls flow through the facility, ensuring these items are placed precisely where the Owner needs them.
SEEING SUCCESS
Granger’s proactive approach to FFE is proven to reduce last-minute and costly change orders, improving project timelines, budgets and overall Owner satisfaction.
“In one instance, a Healthcare client of ours was so impressed, their purchasing team adopted our FFE process for use on all their construction projects,” Train notes.
“FFE is something any project manager should consider and discuss with their clients, regardless of the market. We build for a variety of commercial, healthcare, higher education, industrial, K-12 schools and public sector Owners, and all of these projects can benefit from proactively addressing FFE.”
