Design, Construction, & Real Estate Project Management Services
Providing Strategic Guidance and Advocacy from Concept to Completion
About RFP
History
RFP was founded in 2007 by Patrick Benz after an eight year early career growing a large regional commercial construction firm (over 100 employees) followed by another eight years with a prominent local commercial real estate tenant representation firm, finishing both terms as Vice President. Mr. Benz then established RFP to combine his experience, abilities and relationships to respond to the clear need in the marketplace for a combined advocacy approach to make the best real estate, design, and construction decisions for his clients. It has proven to be a very effective service. Thus far, Mr. Benz has been an integral member with his clients in over $100 million of lease transactions, along with another over $100 million in construction projects, successfully combining his over 30 years of commercial construction advocacy with his over 20 years of commercial real estate work to help both come together for his clients.
What RFP Does
We create value for our clients by providing review, oversight, and coordination. We use our insider knowledge, experience, and relationship-building skills to advocate for our clients by creating a competitive but fair environment for all parties to develop cost-competitive projects that are programmatically valuable and completed with an eye to minimize design-construction-cost conflicts to promote a safe, quality project completed within approved timeframes.
Patrick Benz – Principal, RFP Advisors Corp.
Patrick Benz is a seasoned commercial real estate and construction advisor with more than 30 years of experience across the Northeast. As Principal of RFP Advisors Corp., he has led over $200 million in transactions and projects, creating new office, medical, retail, industrial, hospitality, and institutional facilities.
Patrick specializes in tenant and owner representation, lease negotiations, site selection, and construction program management, providing clients with strategic guidance and advocacy from concept through completion. His career includes leadership roles in design-build development and project management, as well as extensive collaboration with national real estate firms.
A graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, Patrick combines deep market knowledge with a proven track record of delivering value-driven solutions for clients navigating complex real estate and construction needs.
RFP Construction Advisors Corp. is a comprehensive Owner’s Representative firm that works to advise, assist, and advocate on behalf of Project Owners for their commercial construction projects from inception to completion and have been doing so since 2007. As trusted advisors, we work alongside the Project Owner’s management team, all project design professionals, GC’s/CM’s/subcontractors and vendors, and all right-to-build parties to advocate for our clients’ project vision, goals, and objectives. Additionally, RFP Construction Advisors works directly with related entities RFP Real Estate Advisors Corp. and RFP Advisors Corp. in assisting and integrating Project Owners needs with potential real estate and financing options to try to help Project Owners arrive at a successful outcome.
Construction Services
Prepare Schematic Drawings, Renderings, Specifications, and Estimates
RFP Can provide schematic drawings and specifications upon request to assist in the budget estimating process as well as to prepare documents for further bidding to select final design teams, or, in the case of a Bridging Project Delivery Method, to select contractor/design teams to provide GMP proposals.
Design and Construction Consulting
Our design professionals, estimators and subcontractor specific experts work to assist you and the design team in vetting design ideas and options for constructability, real-time cost implications, and any supply chain issues so the team can add those thoughts into their design considerations. It’s having a real-time reality check without having to commit to any specific contractors prior to bidding.
Design Team Investigation, Bidding, & Selection
RFP has developed a balanced and open process to create a transparent and competitive environment upon which our clients can confidently select their design team for their project. RFP can tailor this effort to various project delivery methods as may be required.
Note: we are often hired after the design team has been selected and if so, we can still review your documentation and suggest modifications and clarifications as may be necessary.
Project Design Monitoring & Management
RFP will participate in all design meetings to be sure that our clients and their goals are understood and represented. As part of this process, RFP will provide cost feedback in real time to give the project team and our client the information needed for a more complete understanding of the ramifications of their design decisions.
Single Prime Construction Program Management (CPM)
These are projects that are required – normally by the financing entity – to hire a single general contractor (GC)/construction manager (CM) to build the project. We will manage a transparent, fair, and competitive environment to hire the most valuable GC/CM for the project. They will be reporting to us on our client’s behalf for the duration of the project.
Contractor bidding, award, and contract negotiation
In these cases, we will transparently with our clients involvement and/or review conduct the interviewing, bidding, RFI submissions and tracking, bid negotiation, bid award, contract and clarifications documents, attachments and insurance requirements to best hire this entity with assistance and final review from the client’s counsel.
In-Construction Project Management
Once the project begins on site, RFP will require the GC/CM to provide daily reports regarding their progress through our company’s project management form and procedures. In addition, RFP will be on site at a minimum once every week to conduct job meetings with the GC/CM to monitor and control their efforts on our client’s behalf as described in their contract. For instance, we will double check their installations versus the drawings, review all special inspection reports, review all monthly billings and lien waivers with the design team, review all change order requests, etc.
Tenant Representation/National Broker Assistance
RFP has performed tenant representation services for over twenty years for large-scale, long term lease transactions in several states, both as the primary representative of the tenant as well as in conjunction with working with many National brokerage firms such a such as Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), Cresa, Transwestern, Newmark Group, and others.
Commercial Lease Negotiations
RFP has also represented Primary owners of large facilities that have since become landlords to assist them in creating competitive lease spaces for the marketplace. This has included advise and direction to improve their facilities in manners that created excellent long-term occupancy opportunities for them.
Investment Sales/Listings/Sale-Leaseback
RFP can provide financial insight into opportunities for Purchase/Sale transactions – either straightforward listings or property purchases, private investment sales, sales-leaseback opportunities, etc. – through a robust review of a property’s potential IRR, cash flow, and future value, in conjunction with a detailed examination of a property’s expense history, structural, finishes, and mechanical status, and cost estimating for repair and/or capital improvement opportunities to create future improved property value.
Real Estate Development Assistance
RFP, through its multi-discipline expertise in design, construction, real estate transactions, and financing, is uniquely positioned to assist clients who may want to become developers, or experienced developers who need full-service support. We are, and can be, your developer for hire.
Coordinate with RFP in-house Design & Construction Team for Transaction Support
It is often helpful to be able to review design opportunities – and their potential costs – when comparing property opportunities or preparing a space for Lease and/or purchase. RFP can provide in-house architectural, rendering, and competitive estimating support that often results in a successful transaction when such was not initially readily apparent after an initial review of the situation.
Current Real Estate Listing
Security Mutual Life Building
100 Court St.
Binghamton, NY 13901
Commercial Banking Representation
RFP can conduct a competitive marketplace for financing your project with both institutional and commercial/credit union banking entities to try to provide you with the timeliest and cost-effective financing vehicles. A request for proposal will be prepared to be followed by individual meetings and presentations to try to elicit excitement and interest in your project to try to attract the best loan rates and terms.
Grant/Incentives Assistance
Municipal, and in some cases private foundation, support is often available for capital projects. RFP can assist in the preparation of proposals for your project to be competitive for such funds, and check on eligibility requirements that in some cases can be met with slight modifications of your project plans. After award should the project win such support, RFP will continue to work with our clients in the continuing paperwork and requirement stipulations for compliance.
Investor/Private Equity
After our review of your project specifics in terms of feasibility, costs, net worth and equity requirements, etc., sometimes additional equity/partner involvement to acquire financing may be a necessity. Should this be the case, RFP may be able to assist in connecting potential private equity investment with your project.
Coordination with Financing Project Managers
Once a financing partner has been selected, RFP has an excellent history in working with their project management people to ensure that their funds distribution systems and oversight are adhered to and followed by all contractors, subcontractors, designers, and ownership. Our goal is to help your banking partners feel strongly that they have a fiduciary partner in RFP for your project.