Pre-construction
Construction

Getting started

Pre-construction

Pre-construction isn’t a formality, it’s more than half the work. We assemble a full cross-functional team of estimators, project managers, VDCs, engineers, and field supervisors to manage the project schedule, control costs, and resolve challenges before they ever reach the field.

50%+

Pre-construction

25%

Fabrication

25%

Installation

Process Overview

  • Design Assist
  • VDC (BIM / Computational Design / Drafting)
  • Engineering
  • Shop Drawings (Fabrication / Assembly / Installation)
  • Submittals (Product Data, Engineering Calcs & Drawings)
  • Estimating
  • Scheduling
  • Constructability
  • Materiality
  • Mock-Ups

Design assist

McGrath’s design assist process is built on early collaboration — working alongside design and construction teams with 2D sketches and 3D models to validate constructability, align on schedule and budgets, and close scope gaps before they become field problems.

Initiative Objective

McGrath Design Assist is a collaborative, value-add process that streamlines communications and provides early alignment of schedule and costs.  We collaborate with the design and construction teams using models to facilitate decision-making and provide feedback on performance criteria with preliminary engineering.  Our process involves an in-depth review of scope and deliverables to identify gaps and reduce risks for all parties.

Overall Process

  1. Organizing Team, Scope & Delierables
  2. Material Recommendations and Samples
  3. Preliminary Façade/Curtainwall Construction Schedule
  4. Identify Risks
  5. Simplify Processes
  6. Specification Mark-Ups
  7. Key Interval Budgeting
  8. 3D Models and BIM Coordination
  9. Mockups (Performance, Visual & Constructability)

VDC / BIM

McGrath’s VDC team bring a project’s complexity into a visual model to solve before we build. Leveraging BIM, computational design, and a full suite of industry-leading platforms (e.g. Revit, Rhino, Grasshopper, Catia, and more) our modelers, drafters, CAM programmers, and technical PMs are focused on maintaining the budget, schedule and ensure high success at the job site.

See our work

Explore our project gallery to see how McGrath puts our process to work and helps partners like you to build smarter.

View projects