Why Construction Management is the Ideal Procurement Route for Museum and Experience Fit-Out Projects

hy Construction Management is the Ideal Procurement Route for Museum and Experience Fit-Out Projects.

When it comes to museum and experience fit-out projects, traditional tendering methods often prove too rigid, slow, and costly. These projects contain an exceptionally high number of specialist elements that differentiate them from standard fit-outs. From complex lighting and graphics to mechanical interactives, showcases, set works, model making, case goods, joinery, and AV interactives, the level of technical coordination required is immense. A traditional procurement approach, which demands all design details be finalized before going to tender, often causes significant delays before work can even begin on site. Construction Management (CM) presents a far superior alternative.

What is Construction Management?
Construction Management is a procurement method where the client retains control of the project by directly engaging and paying specialist contractors. A construction manager is appointed to oversee the coordination of these packages, ensuring the smooth delivery of the project. Unlike traditional contracting, where a main contractor assumes overall responsibility, CM allows for more flexible procurement, earlier contractor involvement, and improved cost management.
​
The Challenge with Traditional Tendering
A major issue in museum and experience projects is the time lost waiting for full design completion before issuing tenders. This delays project commencement and limits contractor input during the crucial design phases. Additionally, the traditional model often sees main contractors acting as gatekeepers, restricting direct engagement with specialist subcontractors. This can lead to inflated costs, as main contractors manage tight margins and attempt to claw back savings through variations and changes post-tender.

The Benefits of Construction Management

Early Contractor Engagement for Better Value and Cost Control
CM allows for early involvement of key contractors and specialists, ensuring that the design benefits from their technical expertise from the outset. This proactive engagement leads to more informed decision-making, reducing costly design changes later in the project. By breaking away from the rigid sequence of ‘design-tender-build,’ CM ensures that design progression and procurement can happen in parallel, leading to significant efficiencies.

Flexibility and Client Control Over Change
Unlike traditional procurement, where changes can be costly and slow to implement, CM provides clients with greater flexibility. As projects evolve, the client retains control over design adjustments without being penalized by main contractor markups on changes. This ensures the project can respond dynamically to new ideas, funding variations, or unforeseen challenges.

Improved Technical Coordination from an Early Stage.
With CM, technical interactions between different project elements—such as AV, lighting, graphics, and mechanical interactives—are considered earlier in the process. This prevents late-stage conflicts between disciplines and enables a smoother construction process with fewer surprises.

Tendering When Ready for Greater Efficiency.
One of the greatest efficiencies of CM is the ability to tender specialist packages as and when they are ready. Instead of waiting for the entire design to be completed, key packages can be issued for pricing at the appropriate time, expediting the project timeline and avoiding bottlenecks. This staged approach also makes tendering easier and more manageable for all parties.

Better Budget Control and Faster Project Delivery
By eliminating the need for a single lump-sum contract, CM provides better cost transparency and control. The client pays specialists directly, ensuring clear cost tracking and reducing the risk of a main contractor going into financial difficulty mid-project. The removal of unnecessary contractor overheads and profit margins also helps deliver better value for money. The increased efficiency in procurement and execution results in a faster overall delivery timeline.

Direct Payments to Specialist Subcontractors Mitigate Risks
One of the biggest risks in traditional procurement is the reliance on a main contractor to manage payments. If a main contractor experiences financial difficulties or goes into administration, specialist subcontractors are left unpaid, delaying or even derailing the project. CM mitigates this risk by allowing direct payments from the client to the specialists, ensuring cash flow stability and continuous project progression.

Eliminating the Main Contractor Bottleneck
In traditional fit-out projects, a main contractor often acts as a gatekeeper between the client and the specialists, making direct communication difficult. With CM, this bottleneck is removed, allowing clients to directly engage with the experts delivering the work. This enhances collaboration, speeds up decision-making, and reduces unnecessary costs associated with contractor markups.

Benefits to Specialist Contractors and Why It’s Good for All Parties
Construction Management is not just beneficial for the client—it also greatly supports specialist contractors. Under a traditional model, specialists often work under a main contractor, facing delayed payments, unclear communication, and squeezed margins. CM removes these barriers by allowing direct client-contractor relationships.

For specialists, this means:

• Guaranteed and timely payments from the client, reducing cash flow concerns.
• Greater clarity in scope and direct input into design decisions, avoiding costly misinterpretations.
• More collaborative working conditions, leading to higher-quality output.
• Reduced risk of main contractor insolvency disrupting their work and payments

For the client, this results in:

• Better relationships with the specialists, ensuring that the best expertise is applied to the project.
• More transparent pricing, as costs are not inflated through a main contractor’s margin.
• Higher quality and efficiency, since specialists have clearer contracts and better working conditions.

By fostering a more direct and engaged working environment, CM creates a win-win scenario, ensuring both client and specialist contractors benefit from a streamlined, cost-effective, and high-quality delivery process.

---

The Need for Strong Management and Procurement Procedures
While CM provides multiple advantages, it does require experienced leadership to manage the process. A construction manager who understands the various specialist elements is essential to coordinate the project effectively. Additionally, strong internal procurement procedures must be in place to ensure flexibility while maintaining control over costs and schedules.

Health and Safety Responsibilities Under CDM Regulations
Clients must also be aware of their responsibilities under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM). When adopting a Construction Management approach, the client takes on additional duties, including ensuring that the site is managed safely.

Under CDM, the client is legally responsible for ensuring that appropriate arrangements are in place to manage health and safety throughout the project. This means appointing a Principal Contractor or ensuring that a suitably qualified individual—whether employed directly or through one of the specialist contractors—is managing site safety. The specific approach to managing these responsibilities will vary depending on the complexity and scope of the project, making it essential for clients to assess these requirements early in the process.

Want to Know More?
​If you're considering a museum or experience fit-out and want to explore the benefits of Construction Management, get in touch with Cowshed Projects or Simon Burger. We specialize in managing the complexities of specialist fit-out projects, ensuring efficiency, flexibility, and cost control at every stage.