The PreFair advantage

In Germany especially, the construction market tends to be ruled by price-based competition - often at the expense of quality. HOCHTIEF counters this trend with PreFair, a contracting model based on partnership. This innovative form of contracting arrangement centers on partnership between client, architect, engineers and HOCHTIEF. For clients, PreFair provides confidence that work will stay on schedule and within budget, plus guaranteed quality every step of the way.

Having the experts from HOCHTIEF in on a project from the outset opens the way for substantial savings and improvements. Some 90 percent of construction and operating costs are determined in the first, preconstruction phase. HOCHTIEF specialists bring their expertise to bear for big-picture project planning and life-cycle costs that are transparent and budgetable.

PreFair admirably illustrates the tradition of knowledge transfer within HOCHTIEF. The model originated in the USA, where Turner has offered preconstruction management services for several decades.

By adopting this approach, HOCHTIEF has shown the way forward for the German construction market.

Customer satisfaction brings in follow-on contracts

Customer satisfaction is measured individually at HOCHTIEF: As the company neither offers nor carries out standard work, it is not possible to conduct the kind of customer surveys common to the consumer goods industry.

Follow-on contracts are the best proof of a good working relationship. Client-company ties are particularly strong in the US, where Turner generates over 60 percent of annual sales with repeat clients. HOCHTIEF, too, reaps increasing numbers of follow-on contracts from satisfied PreFair clients on the German market: For 2005, the number of repeat clients following PreFair contracts is nearly 25 percent.