For CDS, Construction Management (CM) is the professional practice of construction project management, based on procedures that help execute construction and development projects meeting three basic criteria:

• Appropriate costs, which emphasizes project completion within the original budget or for a lower cost.
• Timely completion, which focuses on project completion on schedule.
• Excellent quality, which aims to achieve high quality construction.

CDS personnel launched operations in Latin America in early 1998, when they began to develop projects for companies such as Payless Shoes and PriceSmart. At the helm of CDS is Brud Drachman (President), with more than 30 years of experience in developing this type of project, including Los Pueblos Shopping Center in Panama, Chaguanas Mall in Trinidad & Tobago, Carmel Mountain Ranch in California, Century Plaza Hotel in Beverly Hills, and Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Century City California, among others. Given the record of the CDS Management Team, in November 2000, a Central American financial group, Banca Promérica, contracted the CDS Team to provide Construction Management services for the Marriott Courtyard global hotel chain in Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago and other Latin American countries.

Construction Management responds to the traditional problems of existing construction practices in Latin America and the Caribbean, which can result in cost overruns, questionable practices, and unnecessarily long time periods for development. The scarcity of this type of resources and their development in the region also form part of current limitations.

Consultants & Development Services, S.A., represents an opportunity for your company, as it has extensive experience in viable construction projects in emerging markets, particularly in Latin America. Moreover, CDS has knowledge of both the region and local culture, and has established key financial and construction contacts, which are critical success factors for this business.

CDS projects are always based on three fundamental principles: Timing, Cost, and Quality, which are evident in the solutions offered to clients to help them maximize the value of their investments.

CDS’ offices are located in San Jose, Costa Rica, in front of the Registro Nacional just 30 minutes from the Juan Santa María International Airport.

CDS is dedicated to the introduction of innovative concepts for developing real estate investment projects in Central America, the Caribbean, and other Latin American countries. In addition to the added value of helping to select and develop an appropriate site, CDS also offers a plan of different opportunities and designs, in order to help maximize the potential uses of the area. In this way, CDS helps to reduce investment capital, while maintaining high quality construction, and attractive returns on investments, among other benefits.

CM has grown in response to the lack of awareness of the existence and benefits of this type of service. Today, the biggest challenge is to overcome preconceived notions and establish a culture in which engaging the services of a CM is perceived as an investment rather than a cost, given that it helps achieve the success of the project by reducing the risk of cost overruns, repairs due to poor workmanship, as well as delays in delivering the final project.

Construction Management services will assure that the Owner has an independent representative to oversee the development process. This helps to avoid spending money purely based on the isolated criteria of the architect and/or builder. The CM helps ensure that the design architect is efficient by eliminating subjective decision-making. The Contractor’s efficiency is monitored by implementing cross controls based on an objective coordination of all necessary design requirements. In this way the construction process is streamlined and good communication is maintained between the builder and project designer.

One key strength of CDS is its satisfactory integration of management methodologies and techniques characteristic of the United States with those of the local companies.

CDS focuses on development of a project from an administrative and financial standpoint, as well as considering technical criteria. We consider a number of factors and perspectives associated with the project, including, but not limited to, the cost of project development, profits, rate of return, and the efficient use of time.

The Quality Principle is another methodology implemented by CDS. This is evidenced by delivery to the investor of a high quality construction project that meets international design codes (USA-Europe), applying a more developed and modern methodology, proven in projects in the U.S.A. C&DD achieves additional symmetry through affiliations with design professionals in each region who are familiar with local practices, materials used, and methodologies applied. Quality is confirmed by rigid testing and field inspection criteria.

The cost principle is based on an evaluation of the original project budget in terms of unit prices and quantities of construction materials to be used, analyzing whether budgeted amounts and unit prices reflect the market, and on an assessment of the original project designs from an architectonic and engineering standpoint.

A Project Manager that is a professional civil engineer or architect is assigned to supervise development of each project and to help ensure that the three aforementioned principles are upheld. In general, project managers are local professionals who are familiar with the particularities of each country, e.g. appropriate labor, procedures for obtaining government permits, and suppliers of materials. Since these aspects vary from country to country, CDS helps maintain a legal and proper process.

The international supervision and experience of the local Project Manager is the responsibility of the Regional Manager, who makes routine visits to the project to assess whether it is proceeding as planned (timing, quality, and cost). The Regional Manager oversees a number of projects in different countries, developing a broader perspective for resolving specific issues related to each project.