Once again actions by politicians and political appointees are dealing a blow to progress and success. This latest example can be found in Florida where the Florida Public Service Commission denied rates hikes needed to construct new power facilities and modernize existing plants and infrastructure. This rate hike would help fund the construction of two [...]
When I started in construction it was a common practice to take the “new guy” and pair him with an “old guy” so the job could be learned. This apprenticing or mentoring practice was a method to help the inexperienced get a practical education without learning bad habits or making expensive mistakes. From the 1960’s [...]
My ENR View Point http://enr.construction.com/opinions/viewpoint/2009/0916-WhenBiddersBomb.asp on qualified contractors losing work to unqualified contractors really struck a chord with numerous readers. A couple of the responses suggested tightening up the bidding process by requiring prime contractors to name subcontractors. This is already a requirement, and has been for many years, in various locations around the country. [...]
The August 31, 2009 issue of ENR contained notices about two highway projects with vastly different results. The State of Virginia shelved plans to add 56 miles of toll lanes to I-95/395. The State of Texas awarded a highway contract 32% under the estimated cost. The “challenging credit market conditions” were blamed as a part [...]
In good economic times there is a tendency to build up contractors that don’t fail in spite of themselves. They usually bid the margins lower than their competitors. They may make money, but not enough to cover “responsible” business objectives. They may have bid below the market rates by mistake but still make a profit because profit margins were good enough to cover most of the mistakes at bid time.
The Department of Energy resurrected the FutureGen project in Mattoon, Illinois. This project is supposedly the “Flagship” of the future when it comes to generating power from coal – with reduced emissions. The problem is this project could not survive without the government contributing substantially to the cost of the facility. Why is this? Could it [...]
ENR just announced that the AIA is issuing a revised set of Construction Manager (CM) contract documents that include a couple of important features for contractors and owners alike.
