Early Contractor Involvement (ECI)
The Contractor is appointed early to contribute construction expertise to the design and planning stages. The Contractor works with the Employer's design team before full contract award.
ECI allows the Contractor to influence design decisions, improve buildability, and identify risks before construction. The contract is in two stages: development then construction.
The transition from ECI to construction stage must be clearly defined. If the parties cannot agree construction terms, the Employer may have paid for development work without securing the Contractor for construction.
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