Better Decisions Before Construction Starts
Commercial clients face significant decisions before they have enough information to make them confidently: whether a space will work for their use, whether the landlord's improvement allowance covers the real buildout cost, how long construction will take relative to their opening timeline, and whether the design they're being presented will actually fit their budget. Rubicon provides the construction perspective that helps answer those questions before commitments are made.
Scope Review and Budget Planning
Rubicon reviews the project program, the space, existing conditions, and any available design documents to develop a CSI-based construction budget. For tenant improvements being evaluated before lease execution, this is often a rough order-of-magnitude estimate based on the space type and square footage. As design develops, the budget becomes more specific, organized by CSI division so scope, allowances, and trade pricing map cleanly to the construction documents and track design changes through the permit phase.
Budget reviews also cover allowance structure: where the landlord improvement allowance applies, what falls outside it, and what the tenant should expect to contribute beyond the allowance amount.
Schedule and Constructability Input
Rubicon develops a critical path method (CPM) construction schedule based on the project scope and the permitting timeline for the specific jurisdiction, giving clients a realistic picture of how long design, permitting, and construction will take in total. That schedule drives decisions about lease commencement dates, free-rent periods, and opening timing.
Constructability review identifies details in the design that will cause problems or cost increases during construction: conflicts between architectural and MEP drawings, utility connections that require coordination with the building engineer, structural requirements for heavy equipment, and code issues that haven't been addressed in the design documents.
Helping Clients Understand Cost Drivers
Most construction cost surprises come from the same sources: existing conditions that weren't fully assessed, MEP scope that was underestimated, permit requirements that added work to the scope, and finish-level decisions that were made without knowing their cost implications. Rubicon's preconstruction work surfaces these issues early, so the budget is built around what the project actually requires rather than what a preliminary estimate assumed.
Subcontractor Bidding and Buyout
Once scope and budget are set, Rubicon runs subcontractor bid solicitation and management, leveling trade bids against the CSI-organized estimate to confirm coverage and pricing before award. That same discipline carries into construction through submittal review, weekly owner-architect-contractor (OAC) meetings, and weekly project reporting, so the budget and schedule established in preconstruction stay intact from buyout through project closeout.
Want to talk through your project budget and timeline before committing? Call Rubicon at (509) 381-4198 or submit a project inquiry.
Start A Project Conversation
Looking for a contractor with experience in your type of space? Call Rubicon at (509) 381-4198 or start a project inquiry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have more questions?
Call the Rubicon team to discuss your project, or submit an inquiry.
Preconstruction includes CSI-based budget development, critical path method (CPM) schedule planning, constructability review, subcontractor bid solicitation, and coordination input provided before construction begins. For tenant improvement projects, it typically starts with a space evaluation and rough budget before lease signing, then continues through design development as the scope becomes more defined. For new construction, it starts earlier and involves more design-phase interaction as the architect develops the project.
The structure varies. For clients who move forward with Rubicon for construction, preconstruction services are often included in the overall project relationship. For clients who need preconstruction input before they've committed to a construction contract, Rubicon can discuss a preconstruction services agreement covering the specific scope of pre-design or pre-permit input needed.
Before signing the lease for a tenant improvement project, or before finalizing the design program for a new construction project. The earlier the contractor is involved, the more influence preconstruction input can have on the decisions that drive cost. By the time a construction document set is complete, the major cost decisions have already been made and what remains is to price them accurately.
Yes. Rubicon can provide rough order-of-magnitude budgets based on the project type, space size, and program requirements, even without complete design documents. These early estimates carry a wider range than a detailed construction estimate but are still more accurate than typical cost-per-square-foot benchmarks, which don't account for the specific conditions and requirements of the project at hand.