The value engineering process can involve multiple stakeholders and can occur at any time during the construction process. Owners initiate the process early on and general contractors can modify the value engineering process during construction. Consultants can also participate in value engineering and direct change throughout the construction process.
Fortunately, the only time where value engineering can be hidden is prior to the submission of the construction documents. Facility executives should be extra vigilant during this time to react to the possibility of device or system deletion or modification, because these changes are not overt. Fortunately, once the construction drawings are issued, any change needs to be reflected in an addendum/bulletin. These changes will typically be bubbled on the drawings and bolded on the specification, making them easy to identify. As a result, facility executives should request to be placed on the distribution list for drawings and specifications throughout the design process and addendum/bulletins for the construction process, ensuring they are aware of modifications and can react, where required, to these changes. 
Sean Ahrens, CPP, CSC, is a project manager with Schirmer Engineering. Ahrens has more than 18 years of experience in the security industry and has been responsible for providing security threat and risk analysis, contingency planning, loss prevention, force protection, and security system design and planning.
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Watch Construction Documents for Value Engineering Changes
