It requires detailed knowledge of the process, effective planning, integrity and close coordination among the organizations executing the work.
[2] With the traditional design–bid–build process, a complete set of construction documents and specifications describes what the builder agrees to build and serves as the heart of the contract.
On Fast-track projects, the design, construction documents and specifications are incomplete, so setting the final cost presents problems.
Or an item of equipment that is selected late in the process may require drains or water and power connections that were not anticipated early in the project.
If time is not crucial, owners may take a prudent approach to finish design and get a fixed lump-sum price before starting construction (the design–bid–build process).
An architect and/or engineer completed a design, made detailed construction drawings, wrote specifications and invited multiple contractors to submit proposals stipulating their price to execute the project.,[4][5] Typically, government organizations preferred a "lump sum" bid for all phases of the work (all off design-build) and were also required to award construction work to the lowest qualified bidder.
Since competitive lump-sum bidding required complete construction drawings and specifications, Fast-track as used in Industry was unavailable to public owners.
In 1968, The New York State University Construction Fund (SUCF)[8] retained Caudill Rowlett Scott (CRS) to study ways to shorten schedules.
For instance, the CM might take bids for site clearing and grading as soon as the basic building configuration was set and drawings and specifications for that phase of the work were complete.
However, despite the advantages of a shortened schedule, many owners didn't like the management responsibility for multiple prime construction contracts on a single project and were concerned about the lack of a guaranteed maximum price.
In the late 1900s and early 2000s many government organizations changed their procurement regulations to allow the CM to hold the contracts and guarantee price and schedule.