Oh, By The Way…

As a way of introduction, I am Don Short. I am an estimator. I have been involved in construction, one way or another for over 35 years.  Along the way I have worked on some very large projects and very small projects.  They have ranged from retail to heavy industrial and just about everything in between.  The largest project involved over $4 billion in construction costs.  The smallest was way under $10,000.  The project locations not only involve the United States, they span the globe.

Currently I am President of Tempest Company, located in Omaha, Nebraska.  Omaha, for those of you who are not up to speed on geography, is almost smack dab in the middle of the country.  This location is an advantage.  I have been doing this since 1981.  Prior to this I worked with Peter Kiewit Sons’ Co., J.A. Jones Construction Company and Daniel International to name some names that would be recognized.  As a consultant I have worked with the some of the largest owner/developer, construction and design firms in the world.  I have also worked with some of the smallest firms in these areas.

A lot of the work I do involves costs, schedules, practices and procedures, legal issues, change orders, claims and the other functions such as value engineering.  These are used on projects at the concept and feasibility stages, pre-construction design milestones, and on the bidding period and later milestones.  I also apply this knowledge as an arbitrator and expert witness.

My experience is such that I have had last minute surprises dealt to me on many projects and assignments.  Whether it is a new deadline, changed information, or revised approach to a problem, there is usually a preface such as “Oh, by the way….” involved in this development.  Usually it is more than just a minimal impact upon what is being done.

In addition to being a commentary, I hope this column is informative, educational and promotes discussion.

 Oh, by the way…

In determining the construction cost of a project, one of the largest criteria for determining the costs is the actual project conditions.  These conditions include, but are not limited to: access to the site, size of the site, condition of the site and location.