On any construction or refurbishment project, two terms come up again and again: client-side project management and design and construction management. They are often confused, yet they describe two very distinct — and complementary — roles. Understanding who does what is the first step to running your project well. Here's how they differ.
The client: the party behind the project
First, a useful reminder. The client is you: the individual or organisation that decides to launch the project, funds it and will ultimately own it. It is the client who sets the brief, the budget and the objectives. Around the client sits a group of professionals to help deliver the project — including the client-side project manager and the design and construction management team.
Client-side project management: advising alongside the client
The client-side project manager is the client's right hand. Their role is to advise the client, represent them and defend their interests throughout the project, in dealings with the various parties involved.
In practice, the project manager gets involved very early on and supports the client with:
- defining the requirement and drafting the brief,
- technical, regulatory and financial feasibility studies,
- setting and monitoring the budget,
- selecting the design teams and contractors,
- managing the project through to handover.
The client-side project manager neither designs the project nor runs the works: they help the client decide and safeguard every stage. It is an independent management and advisory expertise, working solely in the client's interest.
Design and construction management: designing and delivering
Design and construction management, by contrast, is responsible for designing the project and then managing its delivery. This is the role of the architect and the specialist engineering consultants (structures, building services, thermal performance and so on).
Design and construction management typically covers:
- the technical and architectural design of the project,
- the preparation of the tender documentation,
- directing the works on site,
- assisting with handover and completion.
Where the client-side project manager advises the client, the design and construction management team turns the brief into a built project, safeguarding quality, programme and good practice throughout.
Client-side PM and design & construction management: rivals or partners?
Neither: they are complementary. The client-side project manager stands on the client's side to frame and safeguard the project; the design and construction management team sits on the design and construction side to conceive and deliver it. On a single project, the two roles most often run side by side.
And where does cost management and quantity surveying fit into all this? It cuts across everything: the Quantity Surveyor prices the works and firms up the costs, whether within a client-side project management remit (budget framing) or a design and construction management remit (cost estimates, technical specifications, tender analysis). It is the financial thread running through the whole project.
The Belenis approach
The strength of a practice like Belenis is bringing these complementary skills together: client-side project management, cost management and quantity surveying and design and construction management. Depending on what you need, we take on one or all of these roles, with the same commitment throughout: keeping your project under control both technically and financially.
Not sure which role your project calls for? Let's talk: we'll help you see clearly and structure your project.