In an ideal world general contractors would be able to negotiate all their new contracts with repeat customers and avoid bid jobs like the plague. Unfortunately we don’t live in an ideal world and probably never will – bidding projects has become big part of most general contractors’ everyday lives and the competition for available jobs in the current economic climate can be fierce. Bid days can be stressful to say the least, but if you follow a few tips, you can ease the pain and you may even win a few projects in the process.
Be Comfortable with your Numbers
Bidding a large or medium sized project is always easier when the team concept is used. Whether it’s you and an estimator or project manager, or just you and the receptionist – having more than one person involved relieves some Construction Service Department of the stress if for no other reason than one person can be waiting at the bid opening while someone is back at the office checking the numbers and receiving last minute bids from subcontractors. A few other tips for bidding:
• New Blood – some general contractors fall into the pattern of always using sub-contractors and vendors they’ve developed long term relationships with over the years. This is fine up to a point, Free Cabin Plans With Material List but don’t be afraid to try a new sub-contractor with a low bid for their phase of work if they seem to have the scope or work covered in their proposal. Their low price may help you get the job
• Specifications – always check and double check the specifications for anything out of the ordinary that may add cost to the project. You don’t want to be the low bid because you didn’t add in the $30,000 of high security door hardware the job requires
• Jobsite Visits – regardless of how busy you might be, don’t even think of bidding a project without making a jobsite visit. Blueprints and specifications are great, but nothing beats looking at a project firsthand
• Two Sets of Eyes – losing a project because you didn’t add the numbers correctly can be heartbreaking, being the low bidder because you didn’t add the numbers together correctly may cause a heart attack if you were off by a lot. Always have team members check the addition on your bid budget and the larger the bid, the more eyes should review the numbers
Bidding for projects is like jumping out of an airplane – it’s always stressful, but the more you do it the easier it gets.…
success
Bidding for Success
In an ideal world general contractors would be able to negotiate all their new contracts with repeat customers and avoid bid jobs like the plague. Unfortunately we don’t live in an ideal world and probably never will – bidding projects has become big part of most general contractors’ everyday lives and the competition for available jobs in the current economic climate can be fierce. Bid days can be stressful to say the least, but if you follow a few tips, you can ease the pain and you may even win a few projects in the process.
Be Comfortable with your Numbers
Bidding a large or medium sized project is always easier when the team concept is used. Whether it’s you and an estimator or project manager, or just you and the receptionist – having more than one person involved relieves some Construction Management Fees Percentage 2019 of the stress if for no other reason than one person can be waiting at the bid opening while someone is back at the office checking the numbers and receiving last minute bids from subcontractors. A few other tips for bidding:
• New Blood – some general contractors fall into the pattern of always using sub-contractors and vendors they’ve developed long term relationships with over the years. This is fine up to a point, Construction Business Books but don’t be afraid to try a new sub-contractor with a low bid for their phase of work if they seem to have the scope or work covered in their proposal. Their low price may help you get the job
• Specifications – always check and double check the specifications for anything out of the ordinary that may add cost to the project. You don’t want to be the low bid because you didn’t add in the $30,000 of high security door hardware the job requires
• Jobsite Visits – regardless of how busy you might be, don’t even think of bidding a project without making a jobsite visit. Blueprints and specifications are great, but nothing beats looking at a project firsthand
• Two Sets of Eyes – losing a project because you didn’t add the numbers correctly can be heartbreaking, being the low bidder because you didn’t add the numbers together correctly may cause a heart attack if you were off by a lot. Always have team members check the addition on your bid budget and the larger the bid, the more eyes should review the numbers
Bidding for projects is like jumping out of an airplane – it’s always stressful, but the more you do it the easier it gets.…
Trusting Your Construction Management Software Is Crucial to Your Project Team’s Success
When you are implementing a collaborative construction project management application that will be used by architects, engineers, contractors and consultants, it is important that every participant trust the chosen solution. Construction management software delivers not only important cost savings, it also provides a trusted third-party information cache for managing crucial project information including drawings and schematics, cost information, audit trails and more.
Evaluating an application for deployment requires consideration along a number of dimensions, including data integrity, application availability, data ownership, and what happens at the end of the project. These are explored in further detail below.
Data Integrity General Contractor Tips
When the application is hosted by one of the project participants there is always the possibility that a participant could disable access to other project team members, or worse yet, alter project records by changing data stored in the database. To prevent this from occurring, the application should be hosted by either the vendor in a software-as-a-service (SAAS) or cloud-computing model, or at least hosted by a neutral third-party application service provider.
Application Availability
The application needs to be highly available – 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Whether you host the application yourself or use a third-party, you should verify that they have redundant data centers and redundant equipment to ensure that the application is available 99.99% of the time. The vendor should also provide a service level agreement (SLA) stipulating when they perform maintenance and when they notify you of this maintenance. Make sure you review maintenance windows as not all vendors conduct maintenance on the weekend or during off-hours.
Data Ownership
Before your teams starting using any construction management software, your project participants need to have established data ownership terms within their respective contracts. The data stored in the application should belong to the project participants and not the software vendor. With collaborative teams spanning multiple organizations, it is important to spell out data ownership at the beginning of the project.
Project Completion
When the project is complete, all the project participants will need copies of their respective project data for their records. The vendor should provide a minimum of one copy of the project data in a format that can be read without having to purchase proprietary software. Adobe PDF is an excellent format for documents like RFIs, Submittals and Pay Estimates that were stored in the vendor’s database. Pictures, drawings and other files that have been uploaded should be delivered in their native file format.
Selecting a trusted third-party for delivering your Sub Subcontractor management software increases acceptance and use of the application, resulting in greater cost savings and improved project control.…
Construction Business: Success Is No Longer a Myth
The booming world of the construction industry faced serious setbacks when the recession hit. In some states, businesses are no longer what they used to be, but they are recovering. They have to adapt to sustain themselves in the present-day construction industry, as it is becoming increasingly competitive. However, there are some fundamental strategies that can help any business get back on track and excel beyond past success.
For a Subcontractor Legal Definition business to succeed, they have to understand the market. Buildings are meant to last, so it is very important to understand that different geographical regions may have different regulations and standards. Besides the legal limitations, climate, geography and the cultural norms of a region also determine what is important to include and what should be left out of a successful design. The requirements for construction jobs in Austin, TX, for example, will be different from those in New York City. Conduct thorough research on the prospective projects and know where you can put your expertise to best use, and find the right person for the job.
If you are an independent construction worker, looking for work can be a daunting task. You need to do your research too. Make sure you are clear about the duties and responsibilities involved in the construction job and the prospects of the projects. Then exercise your knowledge. Just knowing is not enough; you have to put in practice what you know. If you are applying for a construction job, even if it is an overseas construction job, you have to convince the construction company that you are the best candidate for the position. Make sure to showcase all of your unique talents and skills, so you are working on projects that are best suited to you.
In recent years, What Is A Qualified Electrician companies and workers alike have faced the same problem: not being able to find the right person or project that meets their needs. This gap needs to be bridged. There are online portals that help prospective employees and employers come together. However, many of these are either too expensive or difficult to use. Find one that works for you and use it to find the right person or project. In the construction business, some job descriptions have a very fine line of distinction, but it is this fine line that makes all the difference. It is essential that you only appoint a person with the exact skills that are required for the particular position. A business will only thrive if it has the right kind of manpower.…