Pre-Construction
Site evaluation, conceptual estimating, value engineering, and procurement strategy. Brought in early enough to actually influence the design, and the proforma, before the choices are locked in.
Serving Manhattan, the outer boroughs, Long Island, Westchester, and Northern New Jersey.
What we cover
Existing conditions assessment, structural and MEP capacity review, freight and access analysis, and building rules study. We tell you what you're really buying into.
Test-fit-grade budgets, SD/DD/CD estimates, and ROM pricing to match the design phase. Every estimate is tied to current NYC trade-level subcontractor input, not stale published indices.
Cost-driver analysis with options that preserve design intent. We tell you what the choice actually costs and what you give up, not just where to cut.
Drawings reviewed by the people who would build them. We catch the conflicts, the missing details, and the unbuildable assumptions before bid day.
AHU, switchgear, generators, custom millwork, stone. We identify long-lead items in DD, lock prices early, and protect the schedule from supply chain surprises.
Trade-level package definition, qualified bidder lists, scope leveling, and bid recommendation memos that lay the reasoning out so owners can actually make the decision.
How we work
Call (212) 947-6441 or email mahenegan@henegan.com. We sit down with you, your architect, and your real estate team to understand the program, the schedule, and the constraints we have to work inside.
Conceptual estimates, value engineering, site evaluation, long-lead identification. We get the budget and schedule honest before the GMP is signed, so the surprises are small and the answer is yes.
Buy out the trades, run the BIM coordination, sequence the work, keep the site safe, hit the milestones. Weekly OAC meetings, real schedule updates, and a superintendent on site every day.
Punch list, commissioning, sign-offs, O&M manuals, warranties, and the documentation your facilities team needs to actually run the space. We don't disappear after substantial completion.
Pricing
Pre-construction fees typically run as a fixed lump sum scaled to the program, from $15K for a small interior test-fit through $150K+ for a base-building or large mission critical study. Most owners credit the pre-con fee against the GMP at award.
When the project proceeds to construction, our pre-construction fee is typically credited against the construction contract, so you only pay the value once.
Request a meetingFAQ
Ideally during programming, or as early in schematic design as the team allows. The cost of changing the design is lowest in SD, highest in CDs, and a real problem after bid. The earlier we are at the table, the more the budget and schedule align with what the owner actually wants.
We produce ROM (program-level), SD, DD, and CD estimates as the design matures. ROM is typically +/- 20%, SD +/- 15%, DD +/- 10%, CD +/- 5%. Each estimate identifies the gap between the design and the budget, the assumptions in play, and the risk that needs to be carried.
Not by cutting the obvious things first. We look at cost drivers, MEP density, finish complexity, schedule compression, building rules, and bring options that preserve the design intent while moving the cost. Every VE item has a hard number, an impact, and a recommendation.
When the design is at a level that supports it, yes, we offer a GMP at the end of pre-construction with a defined buyout strategy. For earlier-stage projects we'll commit to a budget number with a clear path to converting it to GMP once the design supports the conversion.
Pre-construction fees credit against the construction contract, so the budget you get is the budget you build.
More services
Owner's agent from concept to close-out. Budgeting, scheduling, bid leveling, trade coordination, change order control, and weekly reporting. Your single point of accountability on the build.
Lump-sum or GMP delivery for offices, law firms, financial services, non-profits, retail, and life sciences. We carry the trades, the schedule, and the risk so your team carries the vision.
Data centers, trading floors, command centers, lab facilities. Tier-rated redundancy, sequenced cutovers, after-hours work, and the documentation your operations team actually wants.
