DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Design Development Scope

Innova serves as the Owner's Representative in the development of the project plans and specifications.   During the design development phase of the project, Innova acts as the principal decision maker for the project's design professionals, providing direction on the design standards the owner intends for the development and ensuring a comprehensive review of critical items such a moisture management, mechanical systems integration, and energy efficiency.   As part of this role, Innova enforces the owner's development schedule; making sure the process conforms to the owner's obligations for closing on construction financing and for construction start.   Innova also assists the owner in the performance of predevelopment due diligence such as evaluating the geotechnical reports and compliance with predevelopment tests required by investors.

The scope of Innova design development services includes the following key elements:  

Geo-Technical and Environmental Services Oversight: Along with the architect, Innova assists the owner in the procurement of environmental and geo-tech services. Innova assists in interpreting the findings for the owner.  Along with the architect, Innova makes recommendations about how the findings may affect the ultimate building design and construction schedule.

Tax Credit Compliance Test:  For Low Income Housing Tax Credit projects, Innova assists the developer in meeting the predevelopment requirements of the equity investor. Innova assists the owner in its negotiations with vendors regarding materials and pre-purchase arrangements.   Innova may provide expertise in negotiating pricing, storage, delivery and payment terms.

Project Kick-Off Meeting: Innova attends the project kick-off meeting established by the Owner and attended by the full project team. Innova establishes the owner's benchmark dates, i.e. key design and budgeting milestones and the points at which Innova's design reviews will be performed, as well as the expected closing date for project financing.

Schematic Review: Innova reviews the schematic drawings and the MEP scope outline spec, and meets with the project team to discuss issues of occupant circulation, building refuse management, utility service and meter locations, site layout, and security.

Drawing Coordination Review:   Once the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) drawings have been incorporated and coordinated with the civil, structural and architectural documents and the specifications have been produced (at about 50%), Innova performs a formal design review.   Innova coordinates a page-by-page review session with the architect and its professional consultants, and the contractor.  Innova's comments, and the Contractor's comments, including any ideas for Value Engineered (VE) are discussed at this meeting. Agreed upon changes are incorporated by the architect in the next set of revised plans.

Final Document Review:   Innova coordinates a second page-by-page review session with the full project team when the plans are about 90% complete. The meeting focuses on contractor and Innova review comments as well as further VE and alternate suggestions.  Innova and the contractor produce a "clarification" list that codifies all agreed upon changes in the Construction Documents as a fail safe against the event that the final Construction Documents do not contain all of the agreed upon changes from this session. That clarifications list is intended to be appended to the construction contract and will be an oft-referred to document for the determination of the scope of construction.  

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