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Feasibility studies are often thought of as a necessary evil during a project’s pre-design phase—something a project must include, but that doesn’t provide much value. In reality, well-executed feasibility studies are extremely useful tools; these plans are essential to the cycle of discovery and decision making.

They are critical in launching a project and setting a well-informed project scope, budget, and schedule. Consider, for example, that it is much more effective from both a planning and cost perspective to make changes with a pencil than a sledgehammer. The issue is that sometimes people don’t know the right questions to ask—and simply don’t ask enough. To gain as much as possible from a feasibility study, you need to articulate what you’re trying to learn and how you define success at the end of the process.

Do you know the ‘hypotheses’ that should be tested?

The project ‘hypotheses’ should seek to identify feasible options and understand how viable they are. Often the variables involved include the level of work and program of spaces. B&D’s large K–12 programs typically provide this clarity through:

1. Categories of construction. Baltimore City Schools’ 21st Century Schools Program, for example, has three categories: Strategic Renovation, Renovation/Addition, or Replacement. These categories help establish a baseline set of assumptions that help inform project budgeting exercises.
2. Program spaces and square footage. Most if not all programs include site-specific Educational Specifications based upon a district-wide guideline. This gives the design team clear instructions on the quantity, size, and type of space they are testing during the feasibility study—a necessity since, without site-specific ed specs, architects can really be out to sea.

Who are the decision makers, what stakeholders should be involved, and how and when should they be involved?

It is important to clarify at the outset of a feasibility study the decision-making and engagement process for stakeholder and community input. For one, because the team needs to understand the level of effort involved and the impact to the schedule—but most importantly because the team needs to ensure expectations are managed about what type of input is needed and how it will be used.

Are you setting yourself up to succeed?

To get the most out of feasibility studies, focus on developing procurement strategies that bring the “A team” to the table to discover the necessary issues to solve. This may mean:

1. Issuing tightly scoped RFPs and vetting proposals carefully—Expect More, Get More!
2. Higher fees to gain access to a higher level of expertise and experience
3. Bundling projects together to make the fee more enticing to teams
4. Offering guarantees that teams will not be precluded from future work on the project
5. Enhancing some scopes of work, as appropriate, with additional exercises based on site-specific needs (e.g., archaeological, environmental phase 1, etc.). This ensures cost efficiency