PROGRAMMING
What is the problem? We will listen to your project vision and facilitate discussion on specific issues based on our expertise. Identification of your project needs by inclusion of our clients in this process is part of our basic design philosophy. The process we use provides the most information from the client to produce a design consistent with their requirements.

SITE INSPECTIONS/EVALUATIONS
We bring our years of design and construction knowledge when we meet with your project representative to analyze existing site conditions. Our report(s) will summarize alternatives discovered in the field together with the positive and negative aspects of the site(s). We offer recommendations for developing the site(s) based on our experience, your program, and the alternatives presented.

MASTERPLANNING
It is our ability to focus on both current needs and future needs analysis that gives us the unique ability to overlay life cycle costing and budget requirements with design. We plan our designs to include possible expansion, flexibility and convertibility to minimize future costs. Planning provides the opportunity to map a future with clarity and vision as a foundation for good design.

FEASIBILITY STUDIES
We prepare feasibility studies based on our experience and the clients program. This is done to assist with obtaining funding or regulatory approval. Our firm has prepared and reviewed studies in many different forms over the years. We can consult or present our studies at specialized meetings.

CONCEPTUAL/SCEMATIC DESIGN
Our design team includes using our clients in this first critical design phase to ensure the problem - identification phase (programming) has been properly integrated with the problem - solving phase (design). We will provide design alternatives guided by our experience and our client’s input to meet the project goals.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
We include a review of the schematic design concepts, programming review, zoning and code review and preliminary cost estimate(s) in our approach. Once again, it is part of our philosophy, to listen and discuss our design at this stage with our client. Total commitment to bringing this project from design into reality is developed at this stage. All team members are included in offering input to improve the design.

ADA REQUIREMENTS
The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements have been incorporated into all of our new design work. We have the specialized knowledge required to solve existing building problems our clients might have. New or existing conditions are easily addressed in our design process.

CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS
FBA understands the importance of construction documents that are comprehensive, accurate, coordinated and compliant with all applicable local, state and national codes and regulatory requirements. Our Principal has a long history of preparing and reviewing construction drawings. We use all of our past experience in construction and design along with the program to produce documents that are permit ready and constructable. Our documents have helped in obtaining tight bid results with few change orders as reflected by our attention to details.

SPECIFICATION WRITING
We have edited and authored many specifications utilizing both standard specifications that were modified on a per project basis and custom specifications written for the project. Our Principal has taught specification writing and coordination. We will produce specifications that are coordinated with the drawings to provide documents the contractor needs to build the project as our client envisioned it.

COST ESTIMATING
The preliminary budget provided by our clients is scrutinized. Any items that are low or high budget line items are analyzed. We continue to monitor the project cost through the design process to ensure the project can stay in budget. Our tools include computer analysis, input from lending institutions, contractor bids and client communications.

SCHEDULING/COORDINATION
We endorse the team concept. Our firm will lead the team in a coordinated approach where each team member applies their best efforts at the right time to the schedule. We will track the schedule events and report any delays to the client. Final accountability rests with our firm.

BIDDING ASSISTANCE
Whether a project is a bid or negotiated fee, it is important to review the schedule of values (contract amount) submitted by the contractor. We will prepare all documents required for bidding, evaluate bids and recommend a contractor based on the bids. Our analysis includes review of all bid documents and a confidential discussion with our client about the cost and time included in the bids.

SHOP DRAWING REVIEW "Good design is in the details". We include a commitment to review shop drawings submitted for compliance with the design intent. Our firm sees this process as the opportunity to coordinate the design with the contractor. This ensures our client gets what they asked for.

VALUE ENGINEERING/QUALITY REDUCTION
The construction process is not always clear. There are times when trade-offs have to be made to keep the project on track. We monitor the shop drawing process, the schedule, the cost estimate and together with our clients discuss the trade-offs that are a part of the value engineering process. Our firm understands that value is important and we work with contractors to provide design that has lasting value without excessive costs.

CONSTRUCTION INSPECTION
FBA believes it is important to “inspect what you expect”. We coordinate in our specifications, testing procedures and scheduled inspection times, specific portions of the work. We review all reports from inspections to verify our clients receive what was specified.

SITE OBSERVATIONS
We review and recommend contractor applications for payment to our clients. We verify the quality and the quantity of work submitted by the contractor. Our knowledge and experience gives us a special ability to observe discrepancies in the work. We work with both the contractor and our client to verify the construction documents are followed.

FINAL PUNCH LISTS
We act as the owner’s agent in preparing a list of incomplete or incorrect items for the contractor to remedy prior to receiving final payment for the work. Our years of experience provide an unusual and unique process for resolution of items that need to be completed. Finally we ask all contractors to treat this final punch list like they would do on their own home.

POST OCCUPANCY EVALUATIONS
FBA has strong knowledge and experience with design, construction and maintenance. We will follow up with our client’s project(s) and prepare a list of issues for our client to give to the contractor prior to their one-year warranty period ending.