Expertise - Forrester Construction Company

Forrester believes the difference between a good project and a great one is in its execution and expertise.

Our team relies on a comprehensive set of core capabilities to provide clients with superior, value-added construction management services. From leading safety and quality management programs to innovative preconstruction and design-build services, Forrester’s core capabilities surpass industry standards to achieve exceptional results.

Healthcare Project built by Forrester Construction’s Experienced Team

Executive Leadership

Learn more about the executives that lead our great builders!

General Contracting

As general contractors, Forrester Construction’s overall construction management philosophy is rooted in an intense emphasis on the fundamentals. Safety, quality management, scheduling and site logistics are the traditional core elements of construction project coordination, but virtual design and construction (VDC) and sustainability are also increasingly important in today’s marketplace. By creating strong programs focused on these basic components, we equip teams to tackle even the most complex building projects. Based on industry best practices and refined with real-world expertise, we use these tools to comprehensively plan, coordinate and control the work from preconstruction through closeout. It is a proactive approach that delivers real results.

Safety First

SAFETY FIRST

At Forrester, “safety first” is not just a catchphrase, it is a foundational principle. The safety of Forrester Team Members and all those working on our job sites is the most critical part of every project. Our total safety culture takes an active approach to planning, managing and monitoring all aspects of site safety and accident prevention.

Our People-Based Safety program is spearheaded by a multi-level team that includes a corporate safety director and a committee comprised of senior executives. Together, this team meets regularly to set corporate safety standards, review job site safety reporting on a project-by-project basis, determine improvement opportunities and ensure that safety is top of mind for every Forrester Team Member.

Because of our rigorous program and high standards, Forrester is a recognized industry leader in job site safety. We are consistently ranked among the nation’s safest general contractors and have received several safety awards including the U.S. Navy’s Safety Contractor of the Year, ENR MidAtlantic Construction‘s Safety Project of the Year, numerous Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC) Platinum STEP awards, and multiple ABC National Safety Excellence Awards, the industry’s highest honor for safety. We are partners with MOSH in the Strategic Partnership for Excellence in Construction Safety Program (SPECS) that was spearheaded through ABC. Forrester was the second General Contractor to be recognized as a MOSH SPECS partner and the first to reach Level 2 in the program. Forrester’s experience modification rating is also considerably lower than the industry average.

Quality Results

QUALITY RESULTS

Proactive quality control is integral to Forrester’s comprehensive project management plan. Closely modeled after the US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) Construction Quality Control program, our approach focuses on defining key features of work and anticipating possible quality issues before they arise. This ensures that projects remain on schedule and meet or exceed the client’s expectations. It is a daily process that is managed through the USACE’s three phases of control, which include:

Preparatory Meeting – Drawings and contract reviews, subcontractor coordination and safety plan development
Initial Inspection – Mock-up reviews and initial inspections of work to establish acceptable standards
Follow-up Inspection – Daily work in progress inspections for conformance and accepted standards

During these phases, Forrester implements an approach that emphasizes subcontractor involvement with clear expectations and increased accountability. This better equips subcontractors to meet quality standards for work put in place and allows the Construction Quality Management certified project team to focus on quality assurance and implementing our zero-defect program. This program involves weekly walkthroughs with the client and design team to review the work, identify any non-conformance issues and establishing corrective measures when necessary. The project team compiles these items into a running punch list and addresses them within one week. This ensures that minimal defects remain to be corrected during project close-out. When combined with rigorous commissioning procedures, this method delivers thoroughly tested and operational buildings that exceed project goals.

Schedule Performance

SCHEDULE PERFORMANCE

Forrester has a long track record of delivering projects on time or early, especially those that are complex and with tight timeframes. Schedules are developed by the proposed project team using advanced software programs like Primavera P6 and include an array of construction activities, durations, sequencing and critical path activities from construction start to completion dates with key milestones. Each is created with an emphasis on efficiency incorporating all anticipated items to avoid delays.

Some of these include:

During construction, the project team closely monitors the schedule. It is reviewed at weekly progress meetings with an emphasis on meeting the client’s overall project objectives.

Virtual Design & Construction

VIRTUAL DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION

Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) is a powerful process that leverages technology to create and manage highly accurate, multi-dimensional computer generated models. Advanced Building Information Modeling (BIM) applications create simulated structures that identify each building system and component allowing 3D coordination, 4D schedule sequencing, virtual room mock-ups, material prefabrication and laser scanning.

An early adopter of this technology, Forrester began using VDC in 2006, recognizing its ability to improve communication, enhance project understanding and provide highly accurate estimates, schedules and contract documents. It has proven to be a valuable tool that helps project teams deliver high-quality results on challenging projects and build better buildings in less time by reducing or eliminating field changes, trimming punch list items, improving quality and safety and shrinking waste. Projects using VDC improve schedule duration and certainty by an average of 10 to 30 percent. Data collected via BIM models can also be incorporated into facility management solutions to dramatically reduce project lifecycle cost.

Today, we have adopted various VDC applications as a part of its comprehensive project management approach.

Forrester regularly utilizes VDC technologies to produce:

3D Staging and phasing plans
3D Animation for project understanding and engagement
Clash analysis and design coordination
Coordinated shop drawings
4D scheduling
Real-time project estimate & cost reduction strategies
Virtual Mock-Ups

Sustainability

SUSTAINABILITY

As a leader in environmentally responsible construction and a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, sustainability is an integral part of Forrester’s core values. Our company-wide sustainability initiative touches all aspects of the firm’s operations. From implementing industry best practices to using recycled products, environmentally sound operations are an opportunity to make a positive impact in the community and on the environment.

For Forrester, embracing sustainable construction goes beyond compliance with environmental regulations. To proactively support the LEED™ certification and sustainability goals of each project, many Operations Team Members are LEED accredited, and the company offers ongoing environmental training. With more than 100 sustainable projects completed, we have both the expertise and the experience to meet the dynamic challenges of building green facilities.

Forrester’s sustainable construction practices include:

Quality control and commissioning procedures that ensure building system efficiency
Identification and sourcing of locally-available and sustainable materials reducing the energy required for transport
Use of recycled, reclaimed and salvaged materials
Extensive reuse of temporary materials on construction sites
Development of a sustainable construction field guide that is implemented on all Forrester projects
Adaptation of LEED™ criteria for unique applications, such as building the first LEED™ Platinum restaurant in Washington, DC

Sustainable Projects

815 Connecticut Avenue // LEED™ PLATINUM
American Society of Hematology // LEED™ PLATINUM
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association // LEED™ GOLD
Bounce Educare // LEED™ SILVER
DC Public Library Neighborhood Libraries ( Anacostia, Benning, Tenley-Friendship, Shaw) // LEED™ GOLD
Founding Farmers (Washington, DC, Park Potomac) // LEED™ PLATINUM
Gallaudet University // LEED™
Robinson Nature Center // LEED™ PLATINUM
World Wildlife Fund // LEED™
Yuma Study Center // LEED™

See some of Forrester Construction’s other sustainable projects

Preconstruction

Forrester believes exceptional preconstruction services establish a strong foundation for successful projects. Our value-added preconstruction approach is based on a combination of real-world construction experience, detailed analysis, and teamwork. Using an integrated approach that fosters communication and collaboration amongst all project team members, dedicated preconstruction professionals provide project-specific, highly-detailed recommendations that streamline design efforts, inform decisions and optimize schedules and budgets. Through thorough planning, analysis, documentation, monitoring and strict accountability, we have earned a reputation for consistently and efficiently delivering outstanding preconstruction services that yield real results.

Forrester Construction’s Preconstruction Services:

Construction Costs & Estimates
Forrester provides highly-detailed, comprehensive and accurate construction estimates that allow clients to make informed decisions that closely anticipate final project outcomes.
Value Engineering / Cost Reduction Strategies
Forrester understands the importance of reviewing and analyzing options during design development. The preconstruction team works closely with clients and design teams, developing thorough alternatives that offer cost reduction strategies consistent with overall project goals, budgets, and schedules.
LEED™ Certification Cost-Benefit Analysis
During preconstruction, the Forrester team works with the client and design team to plan a comprehensive sustainability strategy that outlines all requirements and considerations necessary to achieve the project’s sustainability and/or LEED certification goals.
Alternative Material / Systems Analysis.
Constructability Reviews / Risk Assessment Studies.
Conflict Analysis / Coordination Studies.
Site Utilization
Forrester’s site utilization plans allow project teams to develop safe, effective and efficient work plans that are aligned with the location’s restrictions and the client’s requirements. Working collaboratively on these plans in preconstruction ensures all stakeholders are well-informed and the schedule is maintained during construction. This is particularly useful for occupied facilities, active campuses, tight sites and urban environments.
Phasing Plans.
Project Schedules.
Early release packages / fast tracking.
Competitive bidding / prequalified subcontractors.
MEP systems performance analysis.

Design Build

Design Build is a single source project delivery system appropriate for a wide variety of clients and project types. Forrester’s design-build services eliminate the burden of managing multiple contracts mitigating the owner’s risk and reducing change orders and delays.

As an industry-leading provider of design-build services in the DC Metro area, our dedicated Design Build Group was established in 2000 and includes architects, engineers and construction professionals with decades of combined experience. Together, this expert team developed and refined an innovative, collaborative design-build methodology that achieves client’s goals, exceeds expectations and simplifies the construction process.

Forrester’s proven fully-integrated team approach focuses on gaining an optimal understanding of the project’s challenges and critical indicators of success early on, which leads to the development of creative, practical solutions and seamless, efficient implementation. The result is a best-value procurement process, turn-key delivery and an exceptional project outcome making it a very economical choice for projects with distinct sustainability goals, budget considerations or unique technical challenges.

Forrester’s design-build approach includes:

A tested fully-integrated, efficient single source project delivery system that is well-organized and economical.
Dedicated design-build specialists.
Extensive support from Forrester’s Preconstruction Group including all preconstruction service offerings including budgeting, estimating, scheduling, site utilization, and phasing planning.
Design-build experienced field operations personnel.
Virtual design and construction and building information modeling technology.
Tailored sustainability solutions.

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