Project Management, Construction and BIM Combined

The PM Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) standard, with its 54 different processes, is widely accepted among project, program and portfolio managers as the industry standard to ensure quality projects. But MARQ, a Mexico City-based project management and construction company, goes one step further by adapting the methodology to whatever necessities its projects demand.

“We adapt PMBOK to the Mexican market depending on the individual project,” says Mario Rosado, the company’s Director. “For example, the PMBOK does not cover industrial safety on worksites, so we supplement the standard with our own processes.” MARQ typically looks at about 15 indicators when planning a project, regardless of whether it is a hospital, a train or a highway. It evaluates cost, scope, time, acquisitions, safety and a host of other items. Related to each of those, the firm carries out a planning, control, execution and closing processes.

MARQ is a holding company that owns three other companies and it is in the process of transitioning from a family-owned business into a more institutionalized company. One of its subsidiaries is a construction company that normally works in the private sector. Another is a project management and project supervision company and with this MARQ participates a great deal in the public sector. The third company works with BIM technology. “Due to our wide expertise, depending on the project, we can submit a standalone bid or participate as a consortium,” Rosado explains. “Normally with construction, we try to participate as a consortium along with larger firms or sometimes we are subcontracted for niche projects. In  terms of PM and construction management, we normally submit individual bids.”

Traditionally, MARQ's core business is in the private sector but Rosado says it has started to participate in the public sector. In the health sector, MARQ has experience building hospitals for IMSS and Rosado hopes to continue this relationship for the next few years. The firm has wide experience with partners, having collaborated with Acciona Infraestructura, ATCO and a Mexican-Chinese company called iBuiltec on public-sector ventures. MARQ also strives to increase its participation in airport infrastructure as it has experience working in AICM. “We are bidding for a few of the remaining tenders for NAICM – some as a standalone company and some as part of a larger consortium,” Rosado says.

In terms of the PPPs that were recently released by SCT in the health sector, Rosado says that, although MARQ would not participate in these projects on a standalone basis, many are accessible to the firm through a consortium with Acciona Infraestructura. This is not only within the health industry but also roads and transportation infrastructure. “We have many projects to evaluate and we are assessing in which areas to assert ourselves for the next few years,” he says