JGMC understands that cost control starts from the design phase. Simple design decisions can cause major cost impacts. That is why JGMC team members monitor all design progress and changes closely to flag these impacts. When new design decisions cause a budget overage, we will utilize value engineering ideas to bring the design back within budget. JGMC is currently managing cost control for all of the phases of the project from design; environmental; site acquisition; project management; community outreach; construction; testing and inspections; and furniture and equipment. JGMC reviews all costs on a weekly basis to ensure budget adherence. For the LAUSD projects, all costs are managed through the LAUSD cost control system.

During construction, JGMC pro-actively resolves any issues before they become problems, which both saves time and controls costs. The best way to control cost is to be knowledgeable of all changes and participate in their resolutions. When a change issue arises, whether owner, agency, architect or contractor generated, the JGMC team tracks this issue by entering it into our project log and provides an estimated cost impact associated with the change. We discuss the need for this change with the initiating party to determine the best course of action which leads to the least cost and time impact while maintaining client/owner requirements. When this change is approved by our client, we issue a field directive to ensure that all members of the project team are aware of the change and the implementation of this change.