Thomas S. Gill, MBA
Meet Tom Gill
Founder and Senior Program Management Consultant of Tier-One Pre-Construction Group, bringing 65 years in the building trades to the decisions made before construction begins.
Background
A Career Built From the Field Up
I began digging ditches for my father's plumbing company at age 12. Sixty-five years later, I am defending a doctoral dissertation. Whatever I did not know, I went and learned; whatever the field required, I went and got.
Formal apprenticeship led me through journeyman, foreman, general superintendent, and senior project manager roles. My work has covered residential, commercial, industrial, power, nuclear, aviation, and federal construction. Along the way I earned master trade licenses, welding certifications, OSHA trainer credentials, and USACE CQM certification.
For nine years, I served as Special MEP Consultant to Turner Construction on the Washington Dulles International Airport capital improvement program. I have also worked as a QCM Manager and SSHO on federal projects. That field experience is the foundation for my preconstruction work today.
I am a DBA candidate in Organizational Leadership. My research examines why capable construction organizations repeat preventable planning, cost, schedule, and closeout failures—and what leadership can do in the first 30 days to change the pattern. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is one of my case studies.
What I Believe
The First 30 Days Determine the Outcome
Preconstruction is not paperwork. It is the intelligence phase of a project. Treating it as a formality leaves decisions unresolved until they become field problems, cost overruns, or schedule delays.
The failure is predictable and addressable. Business-development pressure and preconstruction discipline do not always pull in the same direction. My seven-phase preconstruction framework is designed to bring assumptions, responsibilities, and decisions into the open before mobilization.
The trades also need knowledge passed from one experienced person to the next, hand to hand and project to project. That is why, instead of retiring, I launched Tier-One Pre-Construction Group.
Services Versus Training
Project-Specific Preconstruction Work
Training has a place, and we perform construction and specialty trade training. But training alone does not prepare an awarded project. It must be applied repeatedly, discipline by discipline, to the actual contract and the actual team.
Tier-One's core work is the preconstruction phase of individual awarded projects. As principal, I work from the administrative notice to proceed toward construction mobilization. I prepare project-specific deliverables from your contract documents, rather than handing your team generic templates or homework.
The objective is a fully executed preconstruction plan submitted for the approvals required before the construction notice to proceed. Owners, program managers, contractors, and government project teams who have seen early decisions go wrong are welcome to start a conversation.
Full Credentials & Service Offering (opens in a new tab)Working Together
How Tier-One Approaches an Awarded Project
Tier-One scopes the preconstruction deliverables to the awarded contract and the approvals required before mobilization. The work can span these ten areas:
- 01
Scope Intelligence
Reconcile executed documents, extract commercial terms, and review Division 01 requirements.
- 02
Schedule Development
Develop a logic-tied baseline schedule for project review.
- 03
Project Budget & Controls
Set up the cost baseline, coding structure, and reporting framework.
- 04
Subcontractor & Vendor Management
Assign scope clearly through subcontract and vendor coordination.
- 05
Administration & Logistics
Plan the physical and administrative infrastructure needed for mobilization.
- 06
RFI & Submittal Workflow
Set clear routes for questions, submissions, decisions, and records.
- 07
Insurance, Bonds & Compliance
Track project-specific instruments and compliance obligations with the responsible parties.
- 08
Permits & Regulatory
Identify the permits and approvals required before applicable work begins.
- 09
Communication & Reporting
Establish a consistent project reporting and decision record.
- 10
Closeout Preparation
Start tracking required closeout deliverables before field work begins.
Talk With Tom
Bring Your Project's First 30 Days Into Focus
Call (703) 200-2744 or describe the awarded project, your team, and the preconstruction decisions ahead.
Start a Conversation
Discuss Preconstruction With Tier-One
Share the project type, contract stage, and questions your team needs answered. Phone and email are available as alternatives.
Hours of Operation
- Monday 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Tuesday 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Wednesday 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Thursday 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Friday 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Saturday Closed
- Sunday Closed
Request a Conversation
Describe your project or training goals. We will follow up during business hours.