Pre-Con Meetings: The Non-Negotiables You MUST Follow

Pre-Construction Meetings: The Non-Negotiables for Success

If you’re interested in setting up your trade partners for success right from the start, following a disciplined pre-construction process is crucial. In this blog, we’ll explore the essential components of the pre-construction meeting that can make all the difference in how smoothly a construction project unfolds.

Understanding the Trade Partner Preparation Process

To begin, let’s look at the trade partner preparation process, which includes several key steps:

1. Buyout Process: Where you find the right trade partner.
2. Executed Contract: After buyout, you secure an executed contract.
3. Pre-Mobilization Meeting: A critical step to prepare contractors, ideally scheduled about two to three weeks in advance of the pre-construction meeting.
4. Pre-Construction Meeting (Pre-Con): This is the main event. Here, the project team, including the superintendent, field engineer, and the trade partner’s foreman, come together to set clear expectations for the work package, document them, and get everyone on the same page.

After this meeting, work can officially begin, followed by inspections at key milestones: first-in-place inspection, follow-up inspections, and a final inspection before demobilization.

Why Pre-Con Meetings Are Essential

In my experience, a project is unlikely to succeed without a structured pre-con meeting. I’ll go on record saying I wouldn’t consider running or consulting on a project that doesn’t prioritize this step. The pre-con meeting is where we lay the groundwork for the work package, which is vital for a successful project.

Who Prepares the Work Package?

The responsibility for preparing the work package falls to the project manager (PM), project engineer (PE), and superintendent, with a special role for the field engineer. The field engineer works in tandem with the foreman to create lift drawings, layout, and address necessary RFIs. This preparation leads to a comprehensive installation work package that the crew can use in the field.

An installation work package isn’t about micromanagement; it’s about empowering the crew to see all requirements clearly so they can deliver to expectations.

The Purpose of Pre-Construction Meetings

The ultimate purpose of pre-con meetings is to develop a solid installation work package. Each meeting – buyout, pre-mobilization, and pre-con – contributes to building this document, which should be readily accessible, visual, and easy to understand for the crew on the ground.

A well-prepared installation work package should include:

1. Build Your Lego (Page 1): This covers the activity, duration, Takt time, and overall work sequence.
2. Speed Optimization (Page 2): Details on how to maximize efficiency without compromising worker safety.
3. Ideas for Improvement (Page 3): Insights on design, prefabrication, logistics, and other ways to streamline the work package.

Additional pages can cover plans, specs, installation instructions, lift and layout drawings, safety preparation, and quality checklists. The goal is to provide straightforward information that allows the crew to perform at their best without uncertainty.

Non-Negotiables for Pre-Construction Meetings

Here are the five non-negotiables that should be present in every pre-construction process:

1. Conduct a Pre-Mobilization Meeting: Set up the project for success by preparing the team and trade partners early on.
2. Hold a Pre-Con Meeting: Schedule this well in advance to give time for thorough preparation.
3. Develop an Installation Work Package: This should be built up throughout the trade partner preparation process.
4. Ensure Key Participants are Present: The foreman, superintendent, and field engineer must all be involved. This meeting should be rescheduled if these key players are unprepared or absent.
5. Require the Installation Work Package for All Meetings: Make sure every inspection, pull plan, and look-ahead review leverages this document to maintain alignment.

The Benefits of a Disciplined Pre-Con Process

Following this structured approach allows you to establish clear expectations, create a culture of preparation, and ensure the crew has the tools they need to succeed. With the right people, the right document, and the right processes in place, projects can run smoothly and deliver quality results.