Better and Cheaper Construction When the Contractor Gets Involved Early

Masterclass: Early Contractor Involvement in Complex Construction

In complex building projects, the most technically demanding parts – advanced installations, special constructions and bespoke solutions – are often the riskiest and most expensive. In reality, only the contractors have the hands-on expertise to design these elements in a buildable and cost-conscious way. Yet, in a traditional tender, the building is designed first, while these critical parts are left open until the contractor is finally brought on board. Too often, it then turns out that the requirements cannot be met within the agreed framework.

This two-day masterclass explores how early contractor involvement changes that picture – and what it actually demands of you as a client, advisor or contractor. When the contractor is involved from the start, the difficult parts can be developed in step with the rest of the project, so you have a coherent, detailed design before the fixed price is agreed.

Why early involvement works – and where the pitfalls are

Early contractor involvement allows the most complex design moves to be shaped jointly, using the contractor’s knowledge of price and constructability to influence the design before the budget is locked. International studies, including several by McKinsey, show that collaborative contracts on average improve both time and cost by 15–20% compared to traditional forms of contract (see links below). The potential is real – but it is not automatic.

The masterclass looks honestly at both the gains and the challenges. You will work with questions such as:

• How do you make decisions about matters that will only materialise later in the project?
• What do you do when the contractor says the budget is too tight, while the consultant insists it will hold?
• Who do you trust – and how do you structure the process so you are not forced into a corner?

These dilemmas are particularly acute in complex projects with layered client organisations, where decisions can stall if mandates need to be retrieved higher up in the system. We focus on how to keep momentum, clarity and responsibility in such contexts.

Keep it simple: Designing collaboration without unnecessary complexity

It is easy to fall in love with all the mechanisms and possibilities of collaborative models – but complexity costs focus and energy. In this masterclass, you will learn to start from the project’s success criteria, not from the legal fine print, and to add complexity only where you can clearly articulate:

• What value a mechanism brings
• What it costs – in time, money and management attention
• What it requires from you and your organisation

Sometimes, a few simple tools and agreements are enough. You will work with concrete examples of how to design frameworks that support collaboration, without making life unnecessarily difficult for the parties.

About the masterclass

This is a two-day masterclass designed to create time and space to go in depth with what really determines whether collaboration between client, contractor and consultants succeeds.

If you are facing your first project with Integrated Project Delivery or early contractor involvement, it can feel overwhelming to get started. The aim of the masterclass is that you leave with enough insight and concrete tools to:

• Assess which of your projects are suitable for early contractor involvement
• Design agreements and frameworks that are robust, but not over-engineered
• Understand what it demands of your own organisation to work in an integrated way
• Manage the economy when you enter into an agreement without a fixed contract sum

Format and learning methods

The masterclass combines teaching, dialogue and case work:

• We structure the discussions thematically, so you can continuously exchange experiences with the other participants.
• Each day includes a dedicated Q&A session, where we address questions collected from you in advance.
• You will work with concrete cases, including selected extracts from real contracts and tender documents from completed projects.
• We review several methods and share our clear, experience-based views on what works in practice – and what does not.

The focus is practical and experience-based: you will not only hear about models in theory, but see how they unfold in real projects and what that means for your own practice.

Who is it for?

The masterclass is relevant if you are involved in planning, procuring or delivering complex construction projects and want to work more systematically with early contractor involvement and integrated collaboration. Typical participants include:

• Clients and client representatives
• Project directors and project managers
• Consultants and advisors
• Contractors with an interest in collaborative delivery models

The small group size (12–15 participants) ensures plenty of room for discussion, questions and reflection on your own project challenges.

Your instructors

The masterclass is delivered by two of Molt Wengel’s own specialists – not external guest lecturers. You learn directly from practitioners who have stood in the projects themselves.

• Anders Jost Buch, attorney-at-law and PhD, who has helped develop the Integrated Construction model at Molt Wengel.
• Camilla Faber Klausen, LL.M. and Head of Procurement and Collaboration Design. Tendering and collaboration design are at the core of Integrated Construction.

Together, they have advised on more than 100 projects with early contractor involvement – and it is this accumulated experience that the masterclass is built on.

Practical information

• Dates: Two days, 17–18 November.
• Venue: Molt Wengel, Dampfærgevej 27–29, 4th floor, 2100 Copenhagen Ø.
• Group size: 12–15 participants, to ensure space for dialogue and individual input. If there is high demand, an additional group may be scheduled.
• Price: No participation fee.

Want to dive deeper?

Whether or not you attend, you can explore more about collaborative contracts and early contractor involvement here:

• McKinsey on the benefits of collaborative contracting. Read more here and here.
• Værdibyg’s guide (in Danish) “Projektudvikling med tidlig entreprenørinddragelse”, with concrete appendices and examples of contract frameworks. Read it here.
• Molt Wengel’s page on Integrated Construction (Integreret Byggeri). Read it here.

If you want to work more confidently with early contractor involvement and integrated collaboration in your next project, this masterclass gives you the insight, language and tools to get started in a structured way.