Construction is the third leg of the process — planning, design, and construction — the phase in which a project finally leaves the page and becomes a working facility. It is also the phase in which the discipline of the first two is either realized or lost. Cimarron carries the same rigor through all three, delivering construction as a standalone service or as the final, integrated stage of a design-build project.
It is widely assumed to be the simple part — pour the foundation, raise the structure, finish the interior. In practice, the work is far more demanding. A single project is the orchestration of dozens of trades and a wide range of suppliers, coordinated alongside the permitting authorities, building and contract inspectors, and independent testing agencies that govern the work, and sequenced throughout to protect the schedule. Holding all of it together without gaps or conflicts is a complicated and daunting task. It is exactly what we do.
Managing Quality, Cost, and Schedule
Every construction project is governed by three competing drivers: quality, cost, and schedule. Each one affects the others. Accelerate the schedule, and cost or quality may come under pressure. Cut cost too aggressively, and quality or performance may suffer. Fail to manage the schedule, and both cost and owner confidence are placed at risk.
The role of a qualified Construction Manager is to balance all three against the owner’s priorities and protect them throughout the project. Cimarron provides that balance through experienced leadership, disciplined management, proactive communication, and practical field execution.
The three essential questions an owner must ask are: Does the team have the right experience? Will the price hold? And will the builder perform?
Experience
Cimarron’s team has managed more than $3 billion of diverse projects in construction advisory and construction management roles, spanning industrial, government, aerospace, entertainment, biotechnology, hospitality, power generation, multifamily, and office work. Our personnel are career project and program managers — not people who manage construction incidentally — and they understand the sequencing, coordination, and field conditions required to deliver commercial work of this type successfully.
Cost Certainty
Price matters, but the successful owner is not simply seeking the lowest figure; they are seeking one that is complete, credible, and transparent. Cimarron’s proposals are built on realistic labor, material, schedule, and coordination assumptions — not an artificially low number that becomes expensive once the work is underway.
Our foresight protects that number. Through proactive design review, procurement, and contract writing, Cimarron anticipates and resolves issues before they become changes, cost impacts, and delays. The contract structure that protects it most directly is most often a lump-sum, described below.
Performance
An owner needs a builder who will staff the project, manage the work, communicate clearly, hold the schedule, maintain safe field operations, and deliver dependable quality. Cimarron provides responsive project management, proper supervision, and the manpower required to meet the schedule, with safe field operations treated as a non-negotiable condition of the work. As your trusted advisor, we communicate issues — and their solutions — openly throughout, orchestrating the contractors and suppliers to reduce changes, cost impacts, and delays. The result is a facility that performs above expectations, with reduced maintenance and life-cycle cost and a greater return on investment.
What Defines a Qualified Construction Manager
Behind that performance is a set of qualities we hold every member of our team to:
- Skill. The capability to run the project — the combination of our people’s knowledge and experience and the application of proven processes and procedures.
- Passion. What drives an organization to succeed. Ours is smooth, successful project execution.
- Philosophy. The belief structure behind the work. Ours is to proactively anticipate and solve challenges in a collaborative, team-first environment that optimizes a project’s potential.
- Trust. Honesty and credibility. We earn trust as your advisor by communicating issues — and solutions — openly along the way.
- Results. A track record of delivery as promised. Our personnel carry project histories that are enviable in the industry.
Our Approach: Lump-Sum Delivery
Cimarron performs construction under several delivery structures, but for owners who place the highest value on price certainty, we most often recommend a lump-sum contract. Under a lump-sum, Cimarron agrees to deliver the completed project for a fixed price and assumes the greatest share of the risk — if the work exceeds the contracted price or schedule, that exposure is ours, not the owner’s.
The result is the cleanest possible cost picture for the owner. Unlike a Guaranteed Maximum Price arrangement — in which the promise of shared savings is frequently consumed by the added personnel and reporting that an open-book format demands — a lump-sum contract delivers a single, committed number against which the owner can plan with confidence. Our incentive is simple and aligned with yours: build it right, build it on schedule, and manage the work efficiently.
Lump-sum is not the only path. Where a project’s goals call for a different structure — agency-based construction management or a design-build approach — Cimarron can deliver that as well.
Timing
Cimarron’s goal is always the same: deliver the project on time, on budget, and at the appropriate level of quality. A Construction Manager can be engaged at any point before construction, but earlier involvement is always preferable. It builds team cohesion, sharpens communication, and deepens our understanding of the project — each of which pays dividends once the work begins.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Cimarron collaborates with you to weigh your goals, needs, and project concept, then recommends the delivery approach best suited to the project.
Contact Cimarron Construction Advisors & Construction Managers to determine the best way to deliver your project.