What does a Quality Control Coordinator/Estimator do for an architecture firm?
Tracy says: I am excited to announce the addition of Jocelyn Ingram to the TSA team. Her skill sets might seem a little unusual for a design firm, but we believe she will make us a better firm. As quality control coordinator she will review all of our construction documents before we send them out into the cold, harsh construction world. Her construction estimating background will be invaluable in looking at our documents from a contractor perspective.
Cost estimating is another strength she brings to TSA. As a former contractor, I have been our primary in-house estimator for many years. However, since I have to wear many other hats, I am no longer able to be very effective as an estimator. With her industry contacts and experience with a major general contractor, Jocelyn will raise the bar for TSA in conceptual budgeting and detailed cost estimating to better inform our design efforts.
Meet Jocelyn: I came from a large general contractor where I worked in the estimating department for 3 years in their Healthcare division. Before that, I worked in the field as a laborer – so I understand both sides of the construction world. I’ve worked on projects <$1M, all the way up to $100M+.
I’m excited to join TSA to be able to help with early project budgeting. A cost budget is one of the major factors that affect the design and construction of a project, so we can incorporate that in our design approach and keep the project on track from the beginning. Estimating can help bridge the gap between architects with big visions and contractors with budget problems. One of the things that I’m developing is an internal cost database that is based on data from our past projects. Cost history is a valuable tool to be able to help predict future costs. As an architecture firm, having a handle on current construction costs and trends will allow us to better serve our clients with more accurate predictions of what a project will cost.
I will also be performing quality control reviews of the drawing packages and specs that our firm puts together. Accurate drawing packages save time and money with reduced RFIs, Change Orders, and time spent addressing them. Coming from the contractor side, I’m able to look at the drawing packages with a different perspective that allows me to ask questions and notice things that maybe our architects don’t. It takes a whole team to be able to bring great projects together, and I look forward to being a valuable part of that team for TSA.