An Owner’s Representative is someone who represents the owner at a construction project, they can be a company or even an individual that knows the construction process well and can make decisions in behalf of the owner. As with other professions, there are many myths that surround this profession, here are just a few:

MYTH 1: The Owner’s Representative is just an added expense to my project and I don’t really need them.
While it is true that the Owner’s Representative (OR) can be considered as an additional vendor in the construction project, it does not necessarily mean that you raise the total project cost. An OR is brought in to protect the owner’s interest and for any project, it is paramount to manage the budget properly and the OR is tasked to manage the entire project including budget from the design phase until the owner moves in and close coordination and monitoring of such will result in an overall cost reduction since the project will move more efficiently.

MYTH 2: The OR is viewed as a “ROADBLOCK” by other members of the team
The truth is the OR actually streamlines the whole process making it easier for the project members and the owner as well to communicate with each other and keep phase with the project milestones. The OR’s job is to assist the owner in ensuring that the construction project will be completed in a timely manner and with nil to minimal cost overruns plus ensuring a congruous relationship between all parties involved in the project.

It is safe to assume that many companies develop aggressive profit margins and would like to complete a lot of projects in the shortest possible time. Even at bidding time, they develop a plan and time frame as to how long the project should be, but there are times, especially when the owner is also very busy, delays on decisions and response to inquiries and clarification for the project occurs and this delay also causes delay on the entire project, distorting time frames, milestones and thus a domino effect that not only increases the project cost but can also cause a big enough delay that can cause various parties to file claims. With the OR around, these delays are avoided and the project flows smoothly and gets completed on time.

Myth #3 – You don’t need an Owner’s Representative if you have “internal support”
The OR are actually consultants by nature and in essence they are part-time help with full time benefits. Most ORs are flexible and conform to their client and project needs, More often than not, they also have a system already set up for managing projects and may even have partnerships with different vendors that can work together to complement client requirements.

Finally, running a construction project can be time consuming and you may find yourself torn between the project and your business or your family and hiring an owner’s representative allows you to concentrate on the more important aspect of your life rather than spending it at a construction site, plus, the owner’s representative’s experience and connections can help minimize risk, problems and ensure timely delivery of the project within project and to your satisfaction.