The construction process is often associated with crooks and swindlers. Many people run at the thought of having to work with contractors. This is a misconception. Many contractors have become very sofisticated and are a great asset to the PDC process. The trick is getting the good ones. How does a hospital do this? This presentation will explain that process including all key milestones and required information. The Request for Proposal process leading up to the interview will also be analized. How to interview and the right questions to ask will be reviewed and described. We will also explore the positive and negatives of each contracting method. These methods will include Intergrated Project Delivery, Design Build, Lump Sum, Guaranteed Maximum Pricing, Cost Plus, etc... The presentation will explain the importance of the contractors contract to all members of the PDC team (architect, engineer, owner). There will also be case studies used to high light the vast differences between these methods. In today's economic downturn there is incredible pressure from boards and senior staff to get the best buy. We will explore the risks out there with so many companies going bankrupt and closing their doors. The audience will receive key insight into protecting themselves from these risks. The presentation will also review tasks all members must being regularly doing during the construction process to ensure team success. Throughout the presentation humor will be used to highlight the misconceptions of contractors. At times we will also discuss the "dirty secrets" of contracting and things all owner should know. At the completion of the presenation all audience members will have a better appreciation for the process and have key ideas that they can implement into any size project they participate in.