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Results for Collaboration

What Makes a Specialty Contractor so Special? 7    In construction there are the general trades and then the infamous specialty subcontractors.  Ever think what is so special about the specialty trades?  The construction industry... Risk Mangement, What is Your Role? 6    ...han it is to General Contractors.  Due to the contracts (paid if paid clauses), the amount of self-perform labor (and thus immediate payment to employees with no payment from Customer), and the legal ... Boating from an Owner's Perspective 5    ...most Owners, General Contractors, and the general public have about contractors.  That the only way we can make money is via change orders and we are waiting for an opportunity to "stick it to them" w... Subcontractor Projecting 2010: Part 2 5    In Part 1, we talked about how to start coming up with a realistic look at 2010 by looking at your continual or flow work.  In this part, let's take a look at the next part of th... Is the Economy Affecting Your Ethics? 5    ... to say that General Contractors took more qualified numbers, selected the best value, and shared numbers less frequently in 1999 than they did in 2009.  Why?  Maybe because they felt like their famil... Best and Final Offer, Are They Ethical? 5    ...h Private Owners and Contractors have expanded the definition of BAFO to many other instances than the complex example I noted above.  It appears that this becomes nothing more than a buyout practice ... So What is BIM? 4    ...f many large General Contractors that haven't invested a lot of money into developing a BIM department or sometimes called Virtual Construction.  Even though they have invested money in technology and... MEP Coordination: why it’s expensive to be cheap 4    MEP Coordination: why it’s expensive to be cheap. You’re a contractor and you have been awarded a contract to do what your good at, build a building. You assemble a team to ma... Construction News U Can Use: 2.24.2010 4    ...n for Nonresidential Contractors Reed Construction Data is reporting that 2010 looks to be the worst for commercial contractors.  With project completions being more than project starts and material... Will Distributors Have A Place in Tomorrow's World 4    As subcontractors we buy the vast majority of our material through Distributors.  The system was established well before my time and benefited almost everyone along the supply ch... What are we really selling? 3    As subcontractors, especially during tough economic times, sales is a tougher and tougher battle.  In the US there are approximately 800,000 specialty subcontractors, which means... We are selling Trust, That's It! 3    In the previous part to this series, I made the claim that customers look towards the subcontractors to find the best "expert" in the field (or group of them) and then select fro... Construction Customer Service 3    ...onstruction, General Contractors, Subcontractors, Engineers, etc. and for all of the roles, Project Manager, Estimator, Preconstruction Team Leader, Superintendent, Journeyman, Apprentice, etc. we hav... Contract Sales: How to Understand Your Performance 3    Last week we bid a few jobs.  This week we bid a few jobs.  Next week we will bid a few jobs.  I am sure we all know which ones we won and which ones are lost, but do we really k... MEP Coordination: It’s Expensive to be Cheap 3    MEP Coordination: It’s Expensive to be Cheap. You’re a contractor and you have been awarded a contract to do what your good at, build a building. You assemble a team to manage... Construction News U Can Use 2.10.2010 3    ...y on their members. Contractors lay off 75,000 workers in January Reed Construction Data reviewed and reported on the employement statistics.  The sad news is that all other industries have added 16... How to Improve Construction Productivity 3    pro·duc·tiv·i·ty  (prō'dŭk-tĭv'ĭ-tē, prŏd'ək-) n. The rate at which goods or services are produced especially output per unit cost of labor.  Or if you prefer how much does it c... Construction News U Can Use 3.24.2010 3    Some news that will be of interest to you: Sustainable Expansion Underway in Eleven States through January Reed Construction Data is reporting that 26 states are expanding ... Is there More Work with ObamaCare? 3    Three months ago, I took a stab at what I thought ObamaCare meant to Subcontractors.  In reviewing that after passage, I still agree with my thoughts in that article.  I did not ... Will Hiring A Safety Manager Matter? 3    The vast majority of subcontractors in the country do not have a dedicated Safety Manager, so will hiring one make a difference?  Short answer, yes.  The real answer is much long... Can Contractors Change? 3    ...market dynamics.  As Contractors this lesson can be directly applied to some of our business practices.  Even though it is not an ideal scenario, if our customers are demanding a no frill price that i... Is ObamaCare Good for Subcontractors? 3    Even though the health debate is not yet over and the full scope of health care reform is not known (or even if there will be reform), I think it is important to look at how it c... So What Does the Project Manager Do Anyway? 3    At the expense of offending Project Managers as wells as the Monkey: A woman was looking at the animals on display in a pet store. A few minutes later, a man walked in and sai... Three Most Important Things to Being A Contractor 3    In retail and real estate there goes a saying that the three most important things are location, location, and location.  In construction there is a similar truth that the three ... Increase Profits, Minimize Risk 3    What is the best way for a contractor to improve their profits?  Minimize risk.  Let's face it, contracting is another form of gambling.  When we look at all of the stipulations ... A Tale of Two Boats 2    ... that information to Contractors to ensure that the original intent is met. No matter how you look at the photo, besides it being a great screen saver, it deserves some deeper thought and the way t... Subcontractor: Projecting 2010 Part 3 2    In Part 1 and Part 2, we looked at projecting the flow work and the backlog, now to get a total picture of 2010, we need to look at work we don't have yet, our pipeline.  The pip... Why BIM? 2    ...of the large General Contractors out there really push that they BIM, but I have not seen many models that combine schedule, warranty, and all of the other data that it possible.  Given the technology... Cap and Trade, What to Expect 2    With Copenhagen behind us and health care on the ropes, will Cap and Trade be on the block?  The US House of Representatives have passed a bill, but the Senate has not taken it u... Revit: No Place for Amateurs 2    Revit: No Place for Amateurs Let us look at the typical building information modeling services firm and how things are done. Typically, a CAD manager is hired to create all of... Quality Control, Be in Control 2    ... that quality. As Contractors, our image and the ability to get repeat business is based on references.  For Owners the ability to provide a quality product is key to that end means.  If you start ... Customer Service, It is About the Little Things 2    Customer service in a service industry is the key to success.  As specialty contractors, the service we provide is sometimes the only thing that makes us different than our compe... What Can the Rig Disaster Teach a Subcontractor? 2    Last month a terrible accident happened aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, killing 11 workers on the platform and creating an oil leak that is still no fully contained.  The i... Will Anti-Immigration Law Affect You? 2    Arizona recently took an unprecedented step in passing a law that required the state to action on a federal issue.  I am not going to get into the middle of the political ideals ... The Art of Estimating 2    Sun Tzu wrote the Art of War in the 6th Century BC.  Since that time military experts have considered it a complete view on how to operate a military machine and business scholar... Do You Know What You Are Building? 2    ... at how many General Contractors do not perform this task and given the velocity of information on a jobsite, that is suicide.  Make sure that you know what you are building and have a great week Are Trade Shows a Waste? 2    As spring approaches so does one of the two trade show seasons.  With the economy difficult, it begs the question: Should we spend money on attending a trade show?  Just a busine... Construction News U Can Use 4.20.2010 2    Some of the more important news for subcontractors for the week of April 20, 2010 Commodity prices are on the march again Reed Construction Data is reporting that commodity p... Best Way to Win that Next Project 2    It appears as if the market is recovering (at least there are more projects out there to be bidding on), so how can you win that work to turn it from an opportunity to revenue?  ... This Bonus Sucks! 2    Bonus programs can really suck.  Whether you want to call them bonus or incentive programs almost every company has them, but if they are not administered properly they can reall... Want to Win Better Projects? 2    Given the turmoil in the marketplace over the past 2 years, I have heard repeatedly from different contractors that they are looking to move into different markets. We need to... What Does Earth Day Mean for Construction? 2    Yesterday was Earth Day, a yearly mark that is growing in significance around the world.  It is a time for us to understand the issues about our impact on the environment.  I am ... News U Can Use: Feb.3.2010 2    In a new weekly installment, we will be scanning the news sources to find the most interesting news items for contractors and summarize what it means to them.  For our Februrary ... Where Have the Good Craftsmen Gone? 2    ... we can change it as Contractors. Why do you go to school?  To learn what to think or how to think?  When I was in college and taking Calculus III it started to become very clear to me that I would...