A six-plex under construction by JAKS Construction, reflected in the side of a JAKS truck

Owner's representation

Your Project. Your Money. Someone On Your Side of the Table.

Independent construction oversight for commercial and multifamily projects in Wichita. We review the bids, the schedule, the pay applications, and the change orders, and we answer only to you.

Schedule a Consultation Call (316) 749-8199

Why it matters

Construction is a full-contact sport. Most owners walk in alone.

On a large commercial or multifamily project, everyone at the table has professional representation except, too often, the person paying for all of it. The architect has a contract. The contractor has a contract, a project manager, and years of practice defending both. The lender has inspectors. The owner has a stack of pay applications and a hope that everyone is being straight with them.

An owner's representative changes that. We sit on your side of the table as construction professionals, and we hold the project to what was promised: the scope in the contract, the dates on the schedule, and the numbers on the schedule of values. Because JAKS Construction prices and builds commercial projects ourselves, we read a pay application the way the contractor's own estimator would, and that changes the conversation.

This is the same project management discipline we bring to our own commercial construction work, pointed entirely at protecting your interests on a project someone else is building.

A multifamily project under construction in Wichita, Kansas

What we watch

Six places projects lose money, and how we guard them.

Bid and contract review
We read the bids the way a builder reads them: what is excluded, what is underpriced to win, and what will come back as a change order. You see the risks before you sign, not after.
Pay application review
Every month your contractor asks for money against claimed progress. We walk the site, compare the application to what is actually in place, and tell you what to pay and what to question.
Schedule accountability
We track the baseline schedule against reality, flag slips while there is still time to recover them, and press for real recovery plans instead of optimistic reassurance.
Change order defense
Change orders are where budgets die. We evaluate whether each one is legitimate scope growth or something the contractor should have carried, and we negotiate from experience.
Quality and specification enforcement
The spec book only matters if someone on your side has read it. We walk the work against the drawings and specifications so substitutions and shortcuts get caught early.
Closeout and punch list
We drive the punch list to actually closed, collect warranties and as-builts, and make sure retainage is released only when the work earns it.

Is this you

When owners bring us in.

You are investing significant capital

Multifamily projects, commercial buildings, and large build-outs put serious money at risk. Independent oversight typically costs a small fraction of what an unchecked project can lose to schedule slips and soft change orders.

Construction is not your day job

Developers, physicians, franchisees, school boards, and business owners are experts in their own fields. An owner’s rep translates construction into decisions you can actually evaluate.

You are out of market or out of time

If you cannot be on site weekly, someone who answers to you should be. We are local, we know the Wichita subcontractor market, and we report to you on a set cadence.

Building it yourself instead? That is our first business. See our commercial construction services, from tenant improvements to ground-up builds.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly does an owner’s representative do?

An owner’s representative is a construction professional who works for you, the owner, on a project where another company holds the construction contract. We review bids, contracts, schedules, pay applications, and change orders, walk the work for quality, and give you straight answers so every decision you make is an informed one.

How is an owner’s rep different from the general contractor’s project manager?

The contractor’s project manager works for the contractor and is measured on the contractor’s margin and schedule. An owner’s representative works only for you. On a well-run job the two cooperate constantly, but when interests diverge, you want someone at the table whose only client is you.

Why hire a general contractor as an owner’s representative?

Because we price, schedule, and build these projects ourselves, we know where budgets hide risk and where schedules quietly slip. It is much harder for a contractor to explain away a soft pay application to someone who builds for a living.

What does owner’s representation cost?

Typically a monthly fee or a small percentage of construction cost, scaled to how much oversight the project needs. On most projects the savings from caught change orders and defended schedules exceed the fee. We will scope it with you in a consultation before you commit to anything.

When should an owner’s rep join the project?

Earlier is cheaper. Brought in before contracts are signed, we can shape the agreement, the schedule of values, and the bid list in your favor. Brought in mid-project, we can still stabilize reporting and defend the budget, but the leverage is smaller once the contract is set.

Do you provide owner’s representation outside Wichita?

Our core market is Wichita and the surrounding communities, including Andover, Derby, Goddard, Maize, and Wellington. For projects farther out in Kansas, ask; it depends on the project and the cadence it needs.

What Wichita Says About Us

From beginning to end, JAKS Construction was excellent! They took all my inspiration pics and turned them into one beautiful, cohesive design that adds functionality and style to our home! Every detail was meticulously handcrafted and it shows! We will go to JAKS for all of our renovation needs!

M.F.Pantry remodel and custom cabinetry