Metal Building Company-Conventional Steel Project

[RWW0002]

One of our clients has recently been wooed by a one-time metal building company that has expanded into the world of conventional steel. They are touting the advantages of superior material purchasing relationships and advanced fabrication lines as well as engineering fees incorporated into the total design package.

In the past I have held firm that, once projects are limited to conventional steel (we are talking single story buildings with bar joist/girder roofs and meal deck) there is very little, if any, advantage to using a one-stop-shop company. Has anyone had experience navigating this particular argument and have some wisdom to share? Is there significant merit to their argument? Any pitfalls to watch out for if the owner decides to go down this path?

We are working directly for the owner and I am not worried about losing the design work. I am interested in the most affordable solution while looking out for the client's best interest. Any thoughts?

 

[Triangled]

my only contribution to this thread is that the owner consider retaining you to establish design loads/criteria. the design/build fabricator will generally have incentive to design the cheapest possible system with no additional capacities for future modifications, such as a bigger RTU.

 

[Ron]

It is difficult to compete one-on-one with PEMB's. If it is a PEMB manufacturer wanting to go into conventional steel, keep in mind their goal is always to minimize steel, to expect serviceability issues between typical PEMB and conventional steel manufactured by the same group. I would be wary of such a transition.

This dovetails into Triangled's comment about lack of expansion/modification capability for peripherals. Beware.

Regardless of the advantages you lay out to your client, the PEMB manufacturer will trump those with an enticingly low price. I question the use of captive engineers in a manufacturing mentality for building construction. It is awfully close to ethical compromise.

 

[RWW0002]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have helped owners/architects through the above with traditional metal buildings (design criteria and lack of future flexibility). I have always felt that, once correct design loads and appropriate drift/deflection criteria are specified, traditional metal building frames and their light roofing systems are where PEMB companies retain efficiency. If you take those two things out of the equation (as the above mentioned company proposes to do) I do not see the advantage. However, they are still maintaining that they can deliver a cheaper (conventional-type) building in a fraction of the time it will take to design-bid-fabricate a conventionally framed building. It could be that he is just talking to a good salesman, or there could be some merit to their argument.. hard to say.

Has anyone ever worked with a metal building company for conventional steel buildings?

Thanks.

 

[JedClampett]

The questions I would have the owner ask are:
Will the Metal Building Company specify, design and detail the slabs, including anchorage?
Will the Metal Building Company submit the calculations for the owners records?
Will the Metal Building Company submit for record the drawings for the owner's files? And no proprietary shapes or coded information. Real drawings and steel shapes. I use AISC and AISI shapes. They also need to.