The construction of the SUPERMARKET has become the craze of the day! Supermarkets specializing in healthy eating, as well as giant mega supermarkets, providing everything from pharmaceuticals to pre-made foods, are being constructed all over the nation. What does it take to construct a small and intimate food boutique, or a giant megastore, that offers everything from soup to nuts?
Some might consider the construction of a supermarket one of the least complicated construction projects in the retail sector if you have experienced some of the ultra, high-end retail fit-outs. Others, with their only experience being, the relatively small coordination issues and construction elements encountered in residential construction, may consider the construction of the supermarket a substantial feat of coordination, construction management, and supervision.
The difficulty is always based upon the relativity of previous experience, however, as with any type of construction project, the building of a supermarket requires the basic skills inherent to successfully construct any large commercial or institutional project. In addition to these basic skills, there are special issues, as well as characteristics of a supermarket, that need to be understood, prior to the successful completion of this type of construction project.
In an attempt to summarize the basics of the supermarket industry, I will present some of the most basic principles, as well as some specific particulars, learned from just completing a supermarket in a small urban area of the country. Estimating the cost of the project. The estimating of a supermarket is no different than estimating any other large construction project. Like any other construction project, with a specific purpose or functionality, it is important to solicit prices from subcontractors that are knowledgeable, regarding the construction of that particular specialty. In the supermarket industry, refrigeration, mechanical and electrical subcontractors should have experience and knowledge of their particular discipline. It is important to have vetted these subs, to ensure that their pricing will accurately address all of the work required to accommodate the construction of a large supermarket. What normally occurs, is that the general contractor bidding the project reviews the plans and the specifications. If the project involves any type of renovation or addition to an existing structure, a site visit, resulting in the creation of a detailed scope of work, will be required. Once the contractor reviews all plans and specifications, as well as any existing conditions involved, the general contractor develops the scope of work as a foundation to the estimate. A detailed spreadsheet is developed as an outline for the estimate. Once this outline is determined, the general contractor starts the estimating process. The estimating process will involve the submission of plans and specifications to specialty subcontractors, to solicit subcontractor values for the various line items listed on the outlined scope of work. If the estimator does not have, what the industry refers to as coverage, which basically means, at least one subcontractor for each line item in the scope, the estimator is forced to evaluate the line item themselves. This evaluation will include a quantity take-off of the material, as well as an analysis of the projected manpower required to complete this line item. Once all quotes from the subcontractors are assembled, and any holes in the estimate plugged by the estimator in charge, the estimate is summarized. The general contractor will then decide on the value of the general conditions. These general conditions are added to the hard numbers, of the estimate, as well as the overhead and profit established by the company. In most situations, this final number is reviewed by the upper management of the general contractor, and the final value of the project is submitted to the owner of the project for evaluation. If the number is low enough and the owner desires, the owner will issue a contract for the construction of the supermarket to the general contractor. This webpage will continue, with the assumption that the general contractor has received a contract for the construction of the supermarket project.
Site and project evaluation. Once the contract is awarded, the general contractor will visit the project site and establish a position for the site trailer, the site fencing, the company signage, order the porta johns, order the temporary power, install the erosion control, etc. The general contractor is now in the operation mode of the project, and the project’s construction will begin.
Procurement evaluation. Any retail job, or for that matter, any construction job, requires a detailed knowledge of material and equipment required to perform the work. The key element of this understanding is the ability to identify the ” long lead ” items. What is meant by long lead items are items that will require substantial time to obtain. These items might be light fixtures, toilet fixtures, air handling units, emergency generators, etc. Obviously, knowledge and understanding of the construction project are mandatory in order to identify the correct material and equipment that is considered a long lead. For example, the type of items that will be the long lead for a retail grocery store;
a.) coolers and floor coffins / these are the numerous coolers that stand on the floor, against the walls, or stationed as islands in the middle of the store ( these are noted as coffins )
b.) light fixtures / light fixtures are a typical long lead item on most construction projects. The light package is a major long lead item and must be coordinated and managed at the onset of the project.
c.) linear diffusers and special ceiling diffusers / in most cases, any special or custom diffusers such as linear diffusers and special ceiling or wall diffusers are long-lead items.
d.) specialized stainless steel assemblies / all stainless assemblies must be identified, shop drawings made, reviewed, as well as approved. This takes time and is considered a long lead item.
e.) special shelving or gondolas / the shelving in a typical grocery store is mostly a stock item, however, any specialization or custom fitting must be identified and acknowledged as a long lead item.
f.) structural steel and miscellaneous iron / if there is any type of miscellaneous iron, such as handrails, or stairs, etc. that requires field measurement, it must be done as soon as possible.
g.) millwork / any type of specialized millwork or countertop work is considered long-lead items.
h.) field measured items / it is imperative that the general contractor understand the items that will require field measurement. Such items as millwork countertops, specialized cabinetry, specialized stainless steel, etc. Any item that relies on the accuracy of other finishes, is usually a field measured item. In some cases, if the schedule will not allow the time to field measure and construct the item, the general contractor will guarantee the dimensions. This means that the general contractor will take the additional time and effort to ensure that certain measurements are maintained on the project, guaranteeing that the item that should have been field measured, will fit into space.
It is recommended that the principal subcontractors be questioned regarding long-lead items. A special meeting should be conducted at the beginning of the project to identify all the items that will require time to obtain. This is important, and cannot be overemphasized. Each discipline will have a list of items that they understand to be long-lead materials and equipment. The general contractor must identify each of these items, and make sure they are clearly identified on the general contractor's procurement schedule. The procurement schedule is a schedule that identifies the scheduling requirements of material and equipment on a construction project. This procurement schedule is coordinated with the actual ordering parameters of each product used on the construction project. If the lights require 12 weeks to be delivered from the approved order into the manufacturer, then the procurement schedule should coordinate with the approval of the light package as well as the ordering, and subsequently to the actual delivery on the project.
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