DPR Construction has unveiled compelling insights into how integrated contract strategies—such as design-assist and integrated project delivery (IPD)—are helping life sciences organizations deploy Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facilities faster and more efficiently.
Speaking at the ISPE Boston event on “Accelerating Speed-to-Market for GMP Facilities,” Mike Forth, DPR’s Northeast Life Sciences Core Market Leader, emphasized the urgency behind such efforts:
“When you’re in the business of life-saving scientific research, every day counts.”
Why Integrated Contract Strategies Matter
These innovative approaches prioritize early collaboration between owners, designers, contractors, and trade partners, producing three core benefits for GMP projects:
1. Early Integration Drives Long-Term Success
By involving contractors and trade partners early in the design phase, project teams can:
- Evaluate material options and layouts
- Align procurement with scheduling constraints
- Identify and solve design and logistics issues proactively
This early input paves the way for prefabrication, modular construction, and phased deployment—all of which speed up delivery while enhancing safety and quality.
“Contractors can conduct constructability reviews and logistics plans while the design is still evolving,” said Forth. “This prevents delays before they happen.”
2. Collaboration Enables More Accurate, Predictable Costs
Integrated teams help ensure budget predictability and smarter procurement by:
- Providing real-time cost feedback during design
- Identifying supply chain risks in advance
- Supporting overlapping design and procurement for competitive bids
In GMP facilities—where equipment has long lead times—this visibility is essential.
“You don’t want to discover after planning that a key component has a two-year lead time,” Forth noted.
3. Team-Based Models Improve Quality and Reduce Risk
Real-time collaboration results in:
- Faster, more confident decision-making
- Reduced rework and change orders
- Higher construction quality from the outset
Working as one team rather than in silos ensures accountability and agile responses to unexpected challenges.
“We want to have solutions before there’s a crisis,” Forth emphasized. “And we can’t do that in a silo.”
The Takeaway: Alignment from Day One
As life sciences companies race to bring therapies to market, integrated contract strategies for GMP facility deployment offer a clear path to success—reducing risk, accelerating delivery, and ensuring better outcomes for projects and patients alike.
