I sound really old but there is a basic bidding knowledge that is missing in today’s construction industry! IT USED TO BE: Contractors relied upon estimators and their bid managers that would not blindly accept the goofy low subcontractor’s bid. They knew there was a problem. Contractors had estimators and bid managers on staff that [...]
My recent blog on The Competitive Advantage Nobody Needs generated some interesting responses on ENR.com. There were some very insightful comments, even from the one responder that thinks everybody is a crook in the construction industry. Bidders that short circuit the specifications are taking something of value from the owner of the project. In the [...]
I recently attended a breakfast educational meeting. It involved a panel discussion on construction. The panel members were an architect, contractor, subcontractor and an attorney. It focused on project delivery methods and some of the problems associated with the various types. The one common thread, for all of the problems discussed, was the lack of [...]
I recently overheard a contractor bragging to others on how they could have a cost advantage over their competition. This caught my attention. So I listened. It seems in their bidding practices they priced materials/equipment items that were not approved in the specifications. They would not request these items to be approved in the bidding [...]
The answer to the age old question, “Does size matter?” is, “Yes it does!” for the construction industry. The answer is appropriate for owners, designers, contractors and vendors. When it comes to selecting the right firm, capabilities and capacities of the firms must be determined. The owner that contemplates being involved in a project that [...]
A few of our contractor clients have seen an upswing in their markets. Yes, they are in specialty areas. However even specialty areas were, or are, depressed as much as the overall construction market. This upswing is both good and bad news for them. While it is good news for my firm, it is a [...]
A pre-bid meeting is an event that is usually a waste of time in the way it is handled by many of the owners, designers and contractors these days. It appears that the time has passed for it being an informative, strategic and beneficial event in the bidding of the project. Yes, these can be [...]
The three most important considerations in real estate are location, location, and location. In estimating or developing a project budget the three most important considerations are scope, scope, and scope. If the scope is not considered and thought out, the budget will suffer and so will the project. Bringing the end users, designers and estimators [...]
The owners and designers of the Vdara hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada are looking a little red in the face. No really! The orientation of the building and the concave surface of the curtain wall focus the suns light creating a “Death Ray” on the pool deck below. Even the personal injury lawyer and part [...]
I have had the opportunity to sit in on contract and pricing discussions over the years on a wide variety of projects. Some of them are simple and straight-forward others are large and complex. I have also had the opportunity to participate as an expert or as an arbitrator when disputes develop over cost reimbursable [...]
