Client project management: Tobias Schär on his role

Tobias, how did you become a client project manager and consultant?

Tobias: I studied architecture at ETH and then worked for eight years in an architecture firm in planning and site supervision until I switched to the client side in construction project management 17 years ago. Since 2012, I have been combining my experience on both the planning and the client side at Basler & Hofmann in Construction Development. As a client project manager, I advise clients on how they can successfully realize their projects, or I manage their projects directly as a client representative.

Why do clients hire you?

There are two reasons why they hire me: either a client lacks the building expertise; this could be a smaller municipality that wants to build a school building, for example. Or the client is experienced but lacks the time resources; this could be the real estate manager at an investment foundation, for example, who has an entire real estate portfolio to look after.

What are your tasks as a client project manager and building consultant?

I support the clients in exercising their rights and obligations, either as project management services staff or as a client representative on the line. The latter is often referred to as client-side project management. I help the clients to put together the right team, i.e. I look for planning offices and specialists who are capable of constructing a particular task. I also support the clients in formulating the construction tasks in a specification sheet so that they get what they need.

I also advise clients on project organization and the choice of the optimal contract model, negotiate contracts, liaise with the authorities and see the project through to completion. All this with the aim of ensuring that the quality is right, deadlines are met and we keep costs under control. I also support the client in political processes when it comes to approvals and votes at the ballot box.

How do you know when you've done a good job?

The best praise for a client project manager is when both sides are satisfied - the client and the planning team. I recently experienced this in the Brunnenhof project of the Family Housing Foundation (SFW), which involved the expansion of a housing estate on Bucheggplatz in Zurich. The president of the building commission called me on behalf of the client and thanked me for my persistence in negotiating the general planning contract. Shortly afterwards, the general planner called and thanked me for the constructive negotiations. Since then, we have been very successful as a team.

But as a project manager or client representative, you primarily represent the client?

Yes, of course, I primarily represent the interests of the client. However, I don't blindly fulfill all of the client's expectations, but instead focus on the success of the project. For a project to be implemented successfully, you need a good team and good cooperation. That's why it's so important to find the right people. There will always be differences of opinion during the construction process. In these situations, I can either specifically seek escalation - for example, to replace an inadequate consultant or to show the limits to a third party involved so that the client can de-escalate and find a solution. Or I can have a direct de-escalating effect myself.

It takes the will of everyone to successfully realize a concept design. As a client project manager and consultant, my role is to support the process of finding a solution through objectivity and planning expertise. A client project manager and consultant has great opportunities to exert influence here. It's not just about project management, but also about dealing constructively with people.

As a client project manager, do you also do the planning yourself?

No, as a client project manager, I don't do the planning myself. I ask critical questions without specifying what needs to be done in terms of planning. And I define the requirements without specifying the solution. However, the planning responsibility lies entirely with the commissioned planning team - my role does not reduce their responsibility.

What was the last project that gave you great pleasure?

The new construction of the Schlafapfelbaum secondary school in Eglisau, which went into operation in August 2025. I have supported the municipality of Eglisau in this project since the planning application. The focus was on quality control as well as cost control and management, particularly in view of the extraordinary construction costs due to the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The Schlafapfelbaum project was completed within the approved budget and enjoys a very high level of acceptance among teachers, pupils and the public.

I am also delighted with the project for the new construction of the Birchlen school complex in Dübendorf. After almost seven years of development work, construction finally began last fall. The new school will go into operation in mid-2028 and will offer space for 18 primary school classes, 4 kindergartens, a double gymnasium, an after-school care center, the music school center and the central production kitchen for all after-school care centers in the city of Dübendorf.

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Also read the interview on «How do you build successfully today?»