Heard a project manager say 'value engineering is just a fancy word for cheaping out' on a call yesterday.

I mean, on one hand, I get that cutting costs on a big job is a real need. But I've also seen specs get downgraded to the point where the system fails after a year. Has anyone else had a job where the 'value' part actually made things worse down the line?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim_martin18d ago

Oh man, that hits close to home. We had a client insist on swapping out the specified pumps for a "value" option, and they ended up replacing them twice in three years. The upfront savings were totally wiped out, plus the downtime was a nightmare. It feels like some people only see the price tag on day one and ignore what happens next. Really short-sighted way to run a project.

ryanj6017d ago

Sometimes the cheaper option makes sense if the budget is super tight though. Not every project can handle the top shelf stuff from the start. Maybe they were just trying to get the thing built at all.

cameronwood17d ago

Twice in three years? That's insane, they basically bought the same thing three times over.