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What does a construction consultant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

Construction consultants are experts in the construction industry that offer their clients advice on architecture, contracts, project management, etc. These consultants provide definitions of what projects entail, advise how to set up projects, and inspect the contractor's work. They need strong communication skills, business skills, and teamwork skills to do their jobs efficiently. Their job is to inspect every phase of a project to ensure that they follow the agreed design and to approve or deny changes before they are applied.

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Construction consultant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real construction consultant resumes:

  • Support development and manage RFP's for new and renovation work for select clients.
  • Manage third party contractors, including safety oversight, control inspection and environmental design specification compliance, and also direct consultants.
  • Operate truck-mounted cranes and rough-terrain forklift to set new HVAC equipment, and to facilitate delivery of new construction materials.
  • Provide CPM scheduling consulting services to owners, contractors, and government agencies.
  • Coordinate full spectrum of interactions with specialty subcontractors such as structural engineers, electricians, HVAC and plumbers.
  • Provide a 3-D model of customer building project using AutoCAD design and supply full list of project supplies.
  • Perform environmental site assessments, geotechnical investigations, and evaluate existing or potential geologic hazards.
  • Provide design professionals and building contractors with AutoCAD drawings of organization areas to streamline remodeling projects.
  • Perform contract management, construction scheduling, subcontractor coordination, client relations, quality assurance and safety policy oversight and enforcement.
  • Inspect and ensure passing of all city and county building code requirements.

Construction consultant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 14% of Construction Consultants are proficient in Construction Management, General Contractors, and Cost Estimates. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Business skills, and Customer-service skills.

We break down the percentage of Construction Consultants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Construction Management, 14%

    Performed consulting services for private and public clients, in land development, civil engineering, GIS and construction management.

  • General Contractors, 8%

    Provided expert witness testimony for General Contractors and subcontractors.

  • Cost Estimates, 6%

    Provide budgetary cost estimates for maintenance and construction projects.

  • HVAC, 6%

    Coordinated full spectrum of interactions with specialty subcontractors such as structural engineers, electricians, HVAC and plumbers.

  • Real Estate, 5%

    Provide general real estate consulting services to property owners, specializing in the preparation renovation of properties for sale.

  • Project Management, 5%

    Provide construction estimating and project management services for various types of new construction projects and renovations of existing facilities.

Most construction consultants use their skills in "construction management," "general contractors," and "cost estimates" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential construction consultant responsibilities here:

Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a construction consultant to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "construction managers must be able to plan strategies, investigate project cost variances, and solve problems over the course of a project." Additionally, a construction consultant resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "implemented integration of archibus facility management software with autocad drawings to obtain comprehensive facility database information. "

Business skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling construction consultant duties is business skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "construction managers need to prepare and follow project budgets, hire and manage staff, and coordinate with other workers and managers." According to a construction consultant resume, here's how construction consultants can utilize business skills in their job responsibilities: "evaluate construction management (cm) deliverables and performance to ensure project and business objectives are met. "

Leadership skills. Another common skill required for construction consultant responsibilities is "leadership skills." This skill comes up in the duties of construction consultants all the time, as "construction managers must effectively delegate tasks to construction workers, subcontractors, and other lower level managers to ensure that projects are completed accurately and on time." An excerpt from a real construction consultant resume shows how this skill is central to what a construction consultant does: "collaborated with all levels of management, including executive leadership, operations, purchasing department,accounting, and real estate. "

All construction consultant skills

The three companies that hire the most construction consultants are:

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Compare different construction consultants

Construction consultant vs. Superintendent

Superintendents oversee the administration of schools in a specific school district. They manage the educational programs of each school and create strategic decisions to ensure that the students are learning important subjects. They also supervise school administrators or principals and are responsible for hiring and guiding them. Superintendents should be familiar with their constituents and must always be ready to listen to their needs. It is important that superintendents are good decision-makers and communicators. They are expected to lead their respective districts in achieving their vision. Superintendents drive the team towards their goals and create strategic steps to ensure success.

If we compare the average construction consultant annual salary with that of a superintendent, we find that superintendents typically earn a $13,997 higher salary than construction consultants make annually.Even though construction consultants and superintendents are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require construction management, general contractors, and hvac in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between construction consultants and superintendent. For instance, construction consultant responsibilities require skills such as "cost estimates," "real estate," "capital projects," and "safety codes." Whereas a superintendent is skilled in "osha," "quality standards," "logistics," and "customer service." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Superintendents really shine in the construction industry with an average salary of $85,679. Comparatively, construction consultants tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $77,590.superintendents tend to reach similar levels of education than construction consultants. In fact, superintendents are 3.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Construction consultant vs. Field manager

A field manager is an individual who manages a staff of field representatives that travel to customers' sites to promote their products or services. Field managers must hire new employees and arrange in-house and vendor training programs to ensure they have a full understanding of their responsibilities. They must evaluate all their field employees and generate reports highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each member of the team. Field managers may work in different industries that have outside sales representatives such as pharmaceutical companies, computer repair companies, or HVAC companies.

On average, field managers earn a $234 higher salary than construction consultants a year.A few skills overlap for construction consultants and field managers. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "hvac," "project management," and "construction process. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that construction consultant responsibilities requires skills like "construction management," "general contractors," "cost estimates," and "real estate." But a field manager might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "minor maintenance," "patients," "customer service," and "medicare."

On average, field managers earn a higher salary than construction consultants. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, field managers earn the most pay in the telecommunication industry with an average salary of $91,615. Whereas construction consultants have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $77,590.field managers earn similar levels of education than construction consultants in general. They're 3.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Construction consultant vs. Site manager

The tasks of a Site Manager may vary, but the responsibility will always revolve around supervising the construction project and its employees, making sure that the project is completed within the allotted time, budget, and quality. Site Managers are required to have great communication and leadership skills as they are often the ones to engage with the clients and coordinate with the employees. Moreover, It is also the Site Manager's responsibility to ensure the safety of employees, prepare site reports, conduct quality control procedures, assess and solve problems, negotiate contracts, and secure permits needed for the project.

On average scale, site managers bring in lower salaries than construction consultants. In fact, they earn a $9,269 lower salary per year.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a construction consultant is likely to be skilled in "construction management," "general contractors," "cost estimates," and "real estate," while a typical site manager is skilled in "customer service," "safety procedures," "oversight," and "osha."

Site managers earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $88,272. Comparatively, construction consultants have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $77,590.site managers typically earn similar educational levels compared to construction consultants. Specifically, they're 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Construction consultant vs. General superintendent

A general superintendent is primarily in charge of overseeing projects and programs, ensuring operations adhere to standards and requirements. In the construction industry, a general superintendent supervises the daily procedures in a construction site to ensure the project's completion within budget, schedule, and quality standards. They also have other administrative duties, such as coordinating with contractors and suppliers, monitoring the inventory of materials, purchasing supplies according to project requirements, developing reports, conducting inspections, and implementing safety policies and regulations.

General superintendents average a higher salary than the annual salary of construction consultants. The difference is about $6,641 per year.According to resumes from construction consultants and general superintendents, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "construction management," "general contractors," and "hvac. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "cost estimates," "real estate," "capital projects," and "safety codes" are skills that commonly show up on construction consultant resumes. On the other hand, general superintendents use skills like osha, quality standards, excellent organizational, and oversight on their resumes.In general, general superintendents earn the most working in the energy industry, with an average salary of $87,760. The highest-paying industry for a construction consultant is the technology industry.general superintendents reach similar levels of education compared to construction consultants, in general. The difference is that they're 4.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of construction consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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