The Owner's Representative in Condo Concrete Repair: What Boards Should Expect

Some condominium associations now hire an owner's representative to manage a concrete repair project from bid to closeout. Board members are usually volunteers, the scope is technical, and the money is significant. An independent professional on the association's side can help. The role is also easy to confuse with the engineer's and the contractor's, so it is worth defining before the project starts.

What an owner's representative is

An owner's representative advises the owner and reviews the contractor's work. They are typically the owner's point of contact with the contractor. They report on the work but do not direct the contractor's means and methods. Their authority comes from their contract rather than their title: it may be advisory only, or the board may give them written authority to act for the association.

What the role usually covers

Services vary by firm, but typically include:

• Qualifying contractors, running the bid process and reviewing proposals for scope, price, schedule and license status.
• Reviewing the contract, including change-order wording and payment terms.
• Checking monthly payment applications against the schedule of values and the work in place.
• Estimating and reviewing change orders independently, with a written recommendation to the board.
• Tracking the schedule and observing quality.
• Explaining progress to the board in plain language.
• Managing the punch list and collecting closeout records such as warranties, permits and lien releases.

How it differs from the engineer and the contractor

The engineer of record defines the repair: the condition assessment, the drawings and specifications, and the technical decisions. The contractor executes the work. The owner's representative protects the association's interests in the process: price, contract, schedule and documentation. Some firms offer both roles; others work alongside the engineer. Ask who does what, in writing.

When it helps

An owner's representative tends to make sense when the board has no in-house construction expertise, the project is large or phased, or the board cannot give it sustained attention. It may be unnecessary when the association already has a capable project manager.

What a contractor should provide to the owner's representative

A good restoration contractor makes this role easier, not harder:

• A proposal tied to the engineer's documents, with measured quantities and unit prices.
• Photo and measurement records for every area opened, so quantity changes can be verified.
• Payment applications with backup that match work in place.
• Change-order requests with the cause, the measured quantity and the price basis.
• A clear schedule, plus the closeout package: warranties, permits and lien releases.

This is how CONCRE Restoration works, under the engineer's documents and with documentation the board and its representative can review.

Questions for boards choosing one

• 1. What is their written scope of authority: advisory or binding?
• 2. Who pays them, and do they receive anything from contractors?
• 3. Have they managed concrete restoration projects, not only general construction?
• 4. How is the fee structured, and what is excluded?
• 5. How do they coordinate with the engineer of record?

If you represent an association, or are an owner's representative preparing a bid list for a milestone or SIRS repair, we would be glad to be considered. Contact CONCRE Restoration.

Sources

What an Owner's Representative Actually Does — Rimkus

Capital Improvement Oversight & Owner's Representative Services — Stone Building Consultants