Cost-Competitive Construction Management: A Review of Corps of EngineersConstruction Management Costs

摘要

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) manages nearly $3 billion of FederalGovernment construction each year. Its Federal customers include the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Military Departments, and Federal agencies. The construction management services that USACE provides are paid for through fees based on the values of the construction. In 1988, we compared the construction management fees charged by USACE to those charged by private-sector construction management firms. At that time, we found that USACE is a full-service construction management organization and the fees it charges compare favorably with what private-sector construction management firms charge for equivalent services. We also found most USACE customers are not aware of all the services they receive from the Corps. The impact of declining budgets continues to make construction management costs an important issue for USACE customers. We found in this review of construction management costs that the private sector has been experiencing the same cost pressures as the Corps and they have responded by decreasing the services they typically provide. When full-service costs are compared, we find that USACE costs are very competitive with those charged by private-sector firms. (KR)