Theft at jobsites is a problem that won’t be going away anytime soon. With low or no profit margins, a project can’t afford to have equipment and/or materials stolen. A few simple tasks can help reduce exposure to a possible theft. Some considerations to implement on a site are listed below: Schedule material deliveries to [...]
A couple of months ago I saw two separate articles talking about how the federal government is hiring additional employees to investigate/fine companies that are incorrectly paying their labor force as contract workers instead of full-time employees which is a problem in the construction industry. Paying an employee as contracted help saves the employer big [...]
Architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, construction managers, vendors, owners, and even construction consultants are facing big problems in estimating. The problem is there is a shortage of skilled, knowledgeable estimators. These are estimators that know more than just how to do a take off. These are general contractor estimators that can price out and/or evaluate virtually [...]
We did it! Cost Estimators made the list of U.S. News & World Report – Best American Careers. We are not high on the list but we are on the list. The list reports that the stress level is high and the activity can very from sitting behind a desk to being out in the [...]
I always like it when someone asks us about our project experience. Do you specialize in or have you done a {insert type of facility here}? How many? What makes you an expert on these? I actually have to tell them we are not experts for any particular type of project. We are estimators with [...]
Problems in estimating are not the exclusive domain of architects and engineers. Contractors and construction managers experience the same problems with accuracy. They can be too high and too low. What is amazing is that the contractor and construction manager estimating problems occur in the same project phase as the architect and engineer encounter. This [...]
Contractors and do-it-yourselfers can capitalize on the unfortunate closing of businesses. Anyone that attends auctions knows, you can either get some really good deals or end up paying more than what the item is worth. You never know how the bidding will go unless you go and check it out. With companies trying to save [...]
Everyone has favorites or memorable events of one kind or another. It can be cars, restaurants or vacation places. For me that would be C-2 Corvettes, hamburger joints and Glacier National Park. I also have numerous favorite or memorable estimates in my career. Because each estimate is different I am also expecting to add to [...]
When architects and engineers prepare estimates, it has been likened to representing the cost of construction in heaven. Their estimates often bear little in common with the reality of the project costs. One of their most common complaints, lack of accuracy, is tied into this particular theme. A component of this is the “volatility of [...]
The construction industry, especially the estimating field, has been known for the high stress. Now more than ever the stress levels are high. There are many ways to cope with the stress from physical activity to having a drink of your favorite libation. I know that I love being able to hop on my bike [...]
