BUILD-OUT
It can take anywhere from several months to a couple of years from the time you sign a lease until R&D operations can commence in a new facility. Each project is different, be it moving into a finished facility, renovating an existing space, or developing a new facility from the ground up. Misconceptions regarding timing can lead to unfulfilled expectations and cost overruns. Taking the time upfront to plan properly can result in greater time savings later.
Project Manager & Contractor
Once you have found a space to build out, consider hiring a qualified project manager (PM) to oversee construction with your interests in mind; there are issues involving, permits, budgeting, and coordination etc. that must be managed with experience to avoid disaster. Sometimes the real estate agency through which you found a location will offer to provide project management services. You may also consider asking a local industry trade association such as the Mass Biotech Council (www.massbio.org) for a referral to an independent PM. A PM may charge an hourly rate or a fixed percentage of the value of the construction project.
The PM will help you find an architect and engineer who will develop blueprints based on your specifications. Based on the blueprints, the PM will collect bids from several contractors qualified to do the build-out. The contractor will hire a number of sub-contractors to complete tasks such as wiring, plumbing, carpeting, painting, seeing to it that each step is done in the proper order. Periodically, the PM and architect will do a walk-through to make sure that everything is done according to the company's specifications. The company should assign one of its own people to work closely with the PM, participating in these walk-throughs.
The contractor will bill the company monthly as the work progresses, withholding 5-10% of each invoice (known as "retainage") until the client is satisfied that the entire project has been completed properly. In case of poor workmanship, the contractors will be required to fix any problems to the satisfaction of the PM and the company before the retainage is released for final payment.
STAGES OF BUILD-OUT
The various stages of project development include programming, design, budgeting, permitting, and finally construction. Once constructed, there is a period of testing and validation known as commissioning, which is one of the most critical stages and most commonly overlooked. Why? Because the facility is complete at this time and looks ready for scientists to move in, but if commissioning is not done, one can never be certain that the facility systems work as designed and have all the necessary operational and safety features.
Typical build-out timeline for empty shell space:
Programming 1 month Design 3 months Budgeting & Pricing 2 months Construction Permitting 1 month Construction 9 months Commissioning 1 month Move-in and Occupancy 2 months TOTAL TIME TO OCCUPY 19 months
Regardless of complexity, any project will require 3-6 months of programming, design, budgeting, and pricing to provide the company enough information to making an appropriate commitment to construction. Duration of construction can vary from 3 months for moderate renovations to an existing facility to 9 months for constructing a lab out of shell space. Being as prepared as possible for all the pitfalls and curveballs of construction will greatly enhance the success of meeting timelines and delivering a lab facility on time and on budget.
Because some tasks can be done in parallel, the timeline above does not specifically mention operating permits, which are different from construction permits. However, even when sub-leasing a finished facility, a company must obtain operating permits. This process typically requires 2-3 months, though the rate limiting step is often obtaining permits such as the Sewer Discharge Permit which allows you to discharge building effluent into the sanitary sewer system. These permits can take up to 5 months from when you start to write the lengthy application until it issues. Therefore, even if you find a facility that you are reading to move into, the permitting process alone will delay start of operations by several months unless this time is built into the planning phase for getting a new lab operational.