FAQs for the Third Party Sector

Q. What is third party or peer review?
A. The peer review process is frequently used by architects, builders, owners, and developers who want to speed up approval of construction documents. During this process, a private consulting firm such as The Phillips Group is called in to provide peer review of construction documents.

Q. Why is peer review gaining in popularity?
A. The growing popularity of peer review is an outgrowth of cutbacks in the budgets of public building departments, as well as the increasingly complex nature of the building process itself. During the last two decades, building codes have become more restrictive and complicated. Even while the amount of work that needs to be done to approve a building has increased, building department staffing has been reduced. Peer review is an alternative that understaffed building departments can use to augment their services and accelerate timelines.

Q. What are the benefits of using an outside firm for peer review?
A. Because using peer review greatly accelerates the normal plan review process, it allows you to cut weeks to months from a building project’s approval timeline. It can also help avoid costly change orders during construction and help hold construction costs down.

Q. What kinds of projects lend themselves to peer review?
A. Peer review is applicable to any size or type of project, whether it’s a commercial, institutional, multi-family or single-family project.

Q. What kind of qualifications does The Phillips Group have for peer review?
A. The Phillips Group has provided peer review services to the private sector since 1978 and has completed the majority of all peer reviews in Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties over the past decade.

Q. What is accelerated plan review?
A. Accelerated plan review is an option that is available to architects, developers and builders who want to speed up a building project’s approval timeline. Under accelerated plan review, builders or architects submit construction documents to The Phillips Group for review at the same time that they apply for a building permit. Initial review by The Phillips Group can usually be completed within a week. The initial review results in a letter or a report of issues that we feel are contradictory or may not be in compliance with the code. Once those revisions have been made, the final review typical takes a matter of days.

Q. What are quality control services?
A. The Phillips Group provides quality control services to builders and developers. As quality control experts, The Phillips Group acts as private building consultants and functions as part of the developer’s team. When acting in this role, The Phillips Group frequently is on board during the preliminary of schematic design phase in order to review the early construction documents. When required, The Phillips Group also reviews plans privately before a public application for a building permit is made.