The Planner’s favorite Critics

At Drees & Sommer, there is a team of 125 staff with a special task: To critically examine planning to improve outcomes for the principal.

Sounds challenging – and it is. TECC stands for Technical & Economic Construction Consulting. The employees advise principals on technical and economic aspects. They support planners and show alternatives. They recognize risks and ensure the quality of planning and thus of the entire project.

Powers of persuasion pay off

Let’s take Engelbert Lüke – who works at the Cologne regional office – as an example. He has been working at Drees & Sommer since the beginning of 2012 and particularly likes the change of attitude he sees in many participants over the course of a project.

“You can sometimes be seen as a troublemaker, particularly at the beginning of a project,” he explains. “From the point of view of some planners, the ‘TECCies’ just ask stupid questions, write long reports, and get in the way.” But Engelbert Lüke is undeterred.

On the contrary: “It sometimes takes a big effort at the beginning to convince these people of the value that a TECCie adds to a project,” he says. “Then – when it works out – it makes the collaboration all the more fun.”

That wouldn’t have happened with TECC

Market research company Bau Info Consult estimates that errors and defects cost the German construction industry €14.9 billion in 2017. You could be flippant and say, “That wouldn’t have happened with TECC.” Because Technical & Economic Construction Consulting ensures the quality of construction projects. Mandatory seamless quality control – something that is considered an absolute must in other industries and for products and services – is largely absent in the construction industry.

A team with experience

And you need experience to carry out quality control properly. “When you buy a used car, you take someone with you who has years of automotive experience, not a first-year apprentice,” says Thomas Hofbauer, who built up and leads the TECC team. So it is not surprising that Drees & Sommer TECCies have usually worked somewhere else after completing their training or graduating from university. They usually have at least five years’ professional experience. Many more than 20 years.

This also applies to Daniela Überfeld from the Düsseldorf regional office. The qualified BSE planner (BSE = building services engineering) moved to Drees & Sommer from the construction department of a major wholesale group in 2015.

Part animal tamer, part mediator

Daniela Überfeld sees herself as the interface between the principal – or users – and the planners. “We are mediators and translators between the two worlds, even though we officially represent the principal,” she explains. “Sometimes we act like an animal tamer who makes the planning team jump through the ring of fire and at other times we act as mediator, de-escalating conflict in the project team and supporting the planning process. We see things from the principal’s or the planners’ point of view, depending on the situation.”

Daniela Überfeld currently has around 12 projects on her desk. That, too, is typical for TECCies. Because while planning teams are often up to their ears in their own planning for years, TECCies are involved in many different projects over the same period. And they can apply new insights immediately. Überfeld loves the fact that her job is so varied and that she can work independently, managing her own time. “Having your own specialist area can be a form of self-realization,” she says.“It’s like, ‘Try it out, maybe something will come of it.’”

Always working towards the target

Drees & Sommer has been offering Technical & Economic Construction Consulting for over 20 years, often in combination with project management. The balance between the actual and target status of planning and controlling the project towards its goal is still an important part of TECC work today.

But the range of responsibilities has also increased steadily over the years. Technical project management, plant and building simulations, commissioning management and drinking water hygiene are just a few examples. “We are management consultants for construction projects,” says Thomas Hofbauer.

Black Building tests ensure safety and security

Black Building tests are also a TECC responsibility. Kay Promehl, who joined Drees & Sommer in 2015 is responsible for the Berlin TECC team. „Many principals are afraid of Black Building tests“, says Kay Promehl – because building services equipment does not always behave as it should.

But that’s exactly what the tests are designed to check – both upfront and periodically. For example, whether the utility company’s emergency generators start up when the building is disconnected from the grid. Because only testing of this kind allows timely elimination of issues.

Whether an office, a data center or a hospital, in the era of the Internet of Things and digitization, a reliable power supply is vital. “And technical project management has now also become an indispensable part of many projects,” says Promehl. As the proportion of highly complex technology in buildings continues to increase, so does the potential for error. It’s essential to have a BSE expert keeping an eye on everything.

No red pens!

Despite their review and control functions, one tool is strictly forbidden: the red pen. It is all too reminiscent of school and could trigger negative associations. “Nobody makes mistakes on purpose,” is something Thomas Hofbauer constantly drums into all newbies on the team.

Cutting cost and adding value

Added value is also sacred to Thomas Hofbauer.  Technical & Economic Construction Consulting is all about finding added value for all project participants: “Which story do you tell your children in the evening? ‘I spent two hours standing at the copier or sitting at my computer checking something?’ Or ‘I found a way to save the client €1 million?’” Hofbauer is convinced that you adopt a completely different attitude by focusing on communicable added value. “TECCies are there to help.”

The bottom line: Technical & economic construction consultants are valued sparring partners for planners and competent consultants for the principal. Their remit is multifaceted – and they have lots of great stories to tell.

If you would like to find out more about the role of the TECCies, check out this video (English subtitles available).