As it has been for the past two decades, construction project delivery is in a state of nonstop evolution. Construction management (CM) came into its own in the late 1980s, when large corporate project management and engineering departments that ran massive building programs began to break up as owners started to focus more on core missions and shifted responsibility to outsiders. Design-build took off in the mid-1990s as private clients felt new pressure to get product to market quickly and cheaply. Soon after, federal, state and local governments began to extricate procurement from its highly regulated environment and recognize the value of alternate project delivery.
Now, as owners face new pressures and dilemmas, they are turning to yet another iteration in construction management. What happens when rapid shifts in markets, political realities or social climates dictate an entire construction program, not just one new facility?