We now turn to the selection of the construction organisation that will assemble the project in the field. The basic steps are generally the same, whether the contract will be lump sum, unit price or cost plus. If a project manager is involved, that party will assist the owner in choosing a contractor. The construction manager, if part of the team, will have to be chosen. If the design build approach is used, that organisation will be chosen before the design is undertaken, but some of the discussion in this chapter will apply to that selection process. After we deal with various methods the owner may use for selecting the contractor, the balance of this chapter and the others that follow will be presented from the viewpoint of the construction organisation rather than the owner or design professional.
