The role of owner’s representative is well-known in the construction industry, and is one that has maintained a presence in very technically specific projects. One reason is that many owners, those executives or managers tasked by the company to manage a construction project, do not always have the bandwidth needed to oversee the implementation of a technical project from inception to handover. The owner’s rep role has also varied in popularity as the construction industry has evolved over the years through changes in time and cost requirements, technology, and industry knowledge. In the mission critical industry, the owner’s rep role has persisted no matter the construction delivery method, whether design-build or plan/spec.
Post Pandemic Construction
As noted in a recent Forbes article, ongoing supply chain issues in the post-COVID pandemic environment have increased the difficulty of delivering projects on time and on budget. The complexity of mission critical projects remains as high as ever. The industry continues to experience new code and sustainability requirements, new IT equipment and approaches to computing, and new power and cooling equipment being released by manufacturers for specific deployments. Data center projects are requiring more technical flexibility and alternative solutions than owners can examine and implement.
The OR Role
The mission critical owner’s representative not only offers a resource to manage the project, but also provides the owner an important technical advisor to steer through decisions that require a comprehensive understanding of how mission critical environments are designed, constructed and operated. This role should not be one person, but rather a technical team in the background to help bring light to all the various elements on the mission critical project lifecycle.
Unlike standard commercial construction, there is an emphasis on the back-end of the project and its post-construction building commissioning. In data center projects, the owner’s rep helps shepherd the commissioning process starting on day one. This process is inherently complex and even more sophisticated when working in live critical environments versus greenfield builds.
Having a mission critical owner’s representative experienced in the full lifecycle of mission critical industry design, project delivery, operations, and IT services, allows the owner maximum technical value and overall project success.
Owner’s representatives serve a specialized role, particularly on mission-critical projects. To learn more about technical owner’s representative services in data center and critical facilities projects, go to the Owner’s Representation solutions and services page. You can also contact our team direct to learn more about owner’s rep services at 1.877.427.2368, or email us at answers@ascentcorp.com.