What Is the Role of an Owner’s Representative?

A construction project, regardless of size and scope, can be a daunting undertaking. From concept to completion can take months – even years – and will require a seemingly endless number of decision to be made. Often, the owner of the finished project is either too busy to adequately monitor the progress of the project or lacks the knowledge and experience to effectively do so. When that is the case, an owner’s representative may be used by the owner. What exactly is the role of an owner’s representative though?

This is one of those rare situations where a term actually means exactly what it sounds like it should mean! An owner’s representative is someone who acts as a representative for the owner of a construction project. Do not confuse an owner’s representative with a project manager though. A project manager is more of a “hands-on” position whereas an owner’s rep. tends to stand back and oversee the project. In a large scale project, there may be several project managers all attempting to coordinate and work together on the project. In that case, the owner’s representative might be charged with keeping each project manager on task and assisting to ensure that all the various phases of the project are running smoothly and in concert with one another. The owner’ representative will also likely be called on to make important decisions if the owner is unavailable or has deferred entirely to the representative.

An owner’s representative may step in at any stage of a construction project. Some owner’s bring in a representative at the conceptual stage of a project while others wait until construction actually begins. Once a representative is brought in, however, the representative will act as a liaison between the broker, design team, landlords, contractors, and client vendors and the owner.

An owner’s representative can be an individual or a company. There are companies that specialize in representing owners during construction projects; however, a knowledgeable and experienced individual can be retained for the position as well.

Some common aspects of a construction project that an owner’s representative might be responsible for monitoring include:

• ·Design development process to ensure project scope is achieved
• ·Overall project budget
• ·Bidding process
• ·Assist with jurisdictional reviews and project related mitigation issues
• ·Construction related activities, including pay applications
• ·Project close-out and occupancy
• ·Relocation and management of any necessary move

If you have additional questions or concerns about the role of an owner’s representative, contact an experienced Conshohocken, Pennsylvania construction law attorney as soon as possible to discuss your options. Contact the construction law attorneys at Curley & Rothman, LLC by calling 610-834-8819 today to schedule your free consultation.