| Incentive Programs for Superintendants |
| Posted by:schultissundberg on 1/2/2012 3:09:49 AM | Number of Views:230 | Rating:4.0 out of 5 |
We have recently decided to introduce an incentive program for our superintendents in order to improve productivity and ensure that the schedule is met and customer satisfaction is attained. Here is a synopses of the program...
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| Projecting 2012 |
| Posted by:jamie on 12/29/2011 7:07:32 PM | Number of Views:228 | Rating:5.0 out of 5 |
It’s that time of year again…time to put together your company projections for 2012! You may be in the process of crunching numbers to let your partners, bankers, and other stakeholders know your company’s outlook for 2012. Hopefully, 2012 will shape up to be a great year!
Instead of rewriting what has previously been written in past articles, below are some articles to reference to assist you in creating your 2012 plan:
Projecting Part 1: Flow Work
So how do you go about figuring out where
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| Is Your Company Aerosmith or an Airline? |
| Posted by:Craig Pierce on 9/27/2011 1:48:50 PM | Number of Views:1131 | Rating:4.5 out of 5 |
Construction subcontractors tend to be more like Aerosmith than like an airline. What exactly do I mean? Well to further the analogy, let’s look at the definition of both of these entities.
Rock bands are made of a small group of talented people that perform specific functions. As the band forms it is not a big secret what each person is to do, however, there are not written rules on how this is done, it just happens. On the other hand airlines are a collection of people where before someone
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| Project Fade (Discussion Board) |
| Posted by:jamie on 8/17/2011 4:19:14 PM | Number of Views:1055 | Rating:4.7 out of 5 |
The most frustrating experience for a project management team and the owners of a construction company is project fade. The process of margin disappearing as the project becomes more complete deteriorates moral, the balance sheet, and may threaten the ability for an organization to continue as a viable concern.
Fade comes from many causes: optimistic estimates, poor team performance, work outside the normal scope of business, incorrect cost reporting, and even fraud. The hardest part to und
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| Should You BAFO Your Vendors? |
| Posted by:Craig Pierce on 6/9/2011 3:29:54 PM | Number of Views:1321 | Rating:4.5 out of 5 |
Best and Final Offers (BAFO) are probably the fastest growing trend in construction, especially given the economy today. In a previous blog, I talked about the ethics of the BAFO process. There are legitimate reasons to utilize the process, but you have to have integrity from everyone involved or you may just be another bid shopper.
When dealing with vendors you need to ask yourself several questions when it comes to entering the BAFO process:
Was the information that the vendors were pro
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| How to Sell a Project Beyond Cost |
| Posted by:Craig Pierce on 6/6/2011 11:19:07 PM | Number of Views:1348 | Rating:4.2 out of 5 |
Last week I wrote about how proposals could help you win work more than numbers. I know that this is a controversial issue and most contractors are convinced that low cost will win the project every time, but in my career that is simply not true. Your customers are looking for the "lowest responsive bidder" and outside of someone buying the project or being smarter than you if they are much lower than your number than you have more or they don't have enough. The question is did you explain th
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| Proposals, not numbers, WIN Projects |
| Posted by:Craig Pierce on 6/2/2011 3:28:30 PM | Number of Views:1273 | Rating:4.8 out of 5 |
Typically the Get Work activity for a project in construction is focused 95% on getting the "right" number and 5% on showcasing that number to the client (i.e. the proposal). Most companies don't have a Get Work department or Business Development; instead they have an estimating department. Why is that? It is confusing to me, because most contractors insist that they sell work by having the most complete bids and provide the best quality. So if they claim they are selling on more than a number,
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| Enhance Your A-Team (Part 2) |
| Posted by:Craig Pierce on 4/28/2011 3:35:20 PM | Number of Views:834 | Rating:4.3 out of 5 |
In part 1 we covered the basics of the Acquisition Team (A-Team), in this installment I would like to discuss some of the mechanics of procuring work. Like the construction of a building, procuring work does not just happen, it comes about through hard work and planning and a very focused effort. The most skilled craftsman without engineered drawings cannot accomplish as much as those with detailed drawings. Winning work follows this same principle.
Data is the Key
I am a big believer that i
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| Enhance Your A-Team (Part 1) |
| Posted by:Craig Pierce on 4/26/2011 5:21:08 PM | Number of Views:793 | Rating:4.5 out of 5 |
Recently Ted Garrison from NCS Radio interviewed Terry Kramer with Kramer Management Consulting regarding acquiring more profitable business. In the interview the theme was repeated over and over that construction companies need to focus more attention on the Work Acquisition Efforts from the personnel they us to the systems utilized. It really struck a chord with me since the past 20 years of my career has been focused on work procurement and I felt it was important to expand on the ideas that
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| Increase Productivity in Your Construction Company |
| Posted by:Craig Pierce on 1/19/2011 5:19:53 AM | Number of Views:1767 | Rating:4.5 out of 5 |
It appears with 2010 behind us, the worst year of this economic calamity is behind us, that is good news. This upcoming year should show new projects being started which should allow for expansion in revenues and margin. This increase in construction work however will not be dramatic and increases will be slight over one of the worst years in a generation. So how are you going to handle the increased business? I would suggest increasing your productivity, prior to expanding to your cost base
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