Load Path & Building from the Bottom Up
Executive Summary. Everyone was taught early in their career, or even in childhood, that things...
Increase Profit by Rule of 27
Executive Summary. Most decisions can be further analyzed by collaborative or self-inquiry. When...
Data Collection Without the $100,000 Fancy Toys
Executive Summary. Collecting data from a construction jobsite can serve many purposes, and all...
Two Negatives of Owning Your Own Construction Business
Executive Summary. Owning your own construction business, or any business for that matter, is not...
Red Flags in Bid Day v. Change Order Pricing
Executive Summary. The difference between bid day pricing and change order pricing is miles apart...
How to Make a Submittal – Check, Check, Check!
Executive Summary. Making submittals on a construction project is art and science. Increase your...
Common Rebar Inspection Fails
Executive Summary. Learn here the what-not-to-dos of rebar installation. Some photos of fails...
Daily Cost and the What-If
Executive Summary. Paramount to cost control is a superintendent’s and project manager’s ability...
Construction Crossword Challenge
Executive Summary. Need something fun around the office? Post this on the bulletin board in the...
Trench Talk: Kelly Jennings, Small Business CFO
Executive Summary. Accounting is, to some, a necessary evil. Here we hear from an accountant...
Profitability the Easy Way – Via the Bottom Line
Executive Summary. In construction, there are more ways to make money than by increasing...
What’s a DRB?
Executive Summary. Construction claims are resolved by varied methods. One method is by “DRB”,...
ELB v. HDD or Jack and Bore or Microtunnel
Executive Summary. There are many trenchless methods, and variations of these methods, when it...
Get a Master’s Degree in Engineering? Umm…
Executive Summary. Obtaining a master’s degree in engineering is a personal and professional...
Trench Talk: Paul Kennedy, Surety (Bonding) Agent
Executive Summary. Hear firsthand from a surety agent (also known as a bonding agent) what...
Selling Your Business – EBITDA is “Bullshit Earnings”
Executive Summary. Construction businesses are bought and sold every day. If you’re looking to...
Know Your Audience – Legally and Practically
Executive Summary. When communicating in any manner, written or otherwise, knowing who your...
Your Construction Career Path – 90% is Your Drive
Executive Summary. The career path in construction (for a construction professional, versus in...
Forensic Reporting 101
Executive Summary. In any formal forensic investigation, there’s going to be some sort of report....
What’s a Deposition?
Executive Summary. A deposition is an event in the legal process. Although here I’m talking...
Project Specifications – The Basics, in Five Minutes
First of all, apologies, the recording is just over eight (8) minutes! Executive Summary. Project...
Concrete Formwork Takeoff 101 – It’s All About SFCA
Executive Summary. There are some basics to concrete formwork takeoff whether you’re doing...
The Differing Site Conditions Clause – Careful!
Executive Summary. For underground contractors the differing site conditions (“DSC”) clause can be...
Kobe’s Gym Rats and Angela’s Grit
Executive Summary. The “older” generation currently in executive management across the working...
Find a Mentor: They’ve Seen What You’re Seeing
Executive Summary. Finding someone who has been what you’re going through, has seen what’s in your...
Constructive Acceleration: The Bully Owner
Executive Summary. Constructive acceleration is a common occurrence on job construction projects –...
Increase Profit by Knowing Design Intent
Executive Summary. The designer knows design. You know cost. If you can satisfy the designer at a...
Internal Divisional Subcontracting: Like Swallowing Hemlock
Executive Summary. It sure looks good on paper, but internal subcontracting to another division...
The Field Sketch: Kiss a Pencil Today
Executive Summary. A field sketch is not considered a “bonus”, or “extra work” in the world of...
Trench Talk: Paul Hartmann, Rebar Foreman
Executive Summary. Listen to my chat, on the live jobsite, with Paul Hartmann who is a big job...
Larry King and Katt Williams: Now It’s Your Turn
Executive Summary. Reflecting on your career and your life is always fun and interesting. Try this...
Measured Mile: It’s Not Just for Contractors
Executive Summary. The measured mile is a common term used in claims by Contractors. It is the...
Partner, But Not Necessarily Via Partnering
Executive Summary. Partnering was created decades ago to bring the Contractor and Owner together...
Stroke: You’re Having One Right Now
Executive Summary. A stroke is when blood flow to the brain stops. A quick response (on the radio...
Contractor Estimating: Drop the Curtain
Executive Summary. Lots of times we hear from Engineers that Contractors have fat and...
New Civil Grads: Three Roads, Choose One!
Executive Summary. A recent discussion with a soon-to-be civil engineering graduate spurred this...
Construction in Thailand: 1st and 3rd World Combined
Executive Summary. A quick visit to Thailand revealed some interesting construction and...
Your Last Choice: The Total Cost Claim Approach
Executive Summary. In a claim situation, when choosing a method of claim recovery, the total cost...
What is Extended Performance?
Executive Summary. Generally speaking, the cost associated with time loss on a contract are called...
Mindset Differences – Major Leaguers v. Minor Leaguers
Executive Summary. There’s a different mindset between major league contractors and minor league...
An Offering of a Contractor’s Standard of Care
Executive Summary. Many are familiar with a design professional’s standard of care (SOC). Why...
Business In Hawaii Is The Same, But Totally Different
Executive Summary. Business in Hawaii is just like in other states, but yet so different. Read on...
Trench Talk: Clem Conceicao, Crane Operator
Executive Summary. Listen to my discussion with Mr. Clem Conceicao, long time operator of friction...
How to Start a Professional Construction Company
Executive Summary. If you’ve ever wanted to start your own construction company, here’s the...
What’s the Difference Between Unit Price and Lump Sum Bids?
Executive Summary. Prices in construction bids are usually received in one of two ways: unit...
The Low Bid Model – Time to Go?
Executive Summary. Although great in concept, the low bid model of construction proposal award is...
Utility Drawings 101: The Plan and Profile
Executive Summary. Learn the basics of how to read a utility plan and profile. One thing is...
Subsurface Disclaimers Don’t Hold – Travelers v. U.S.
Executive Summary. The age old issue of whether or not the geotechnical information in, or...
Parkinson’s Law – Hoping to Quantify Pacing
Executive Summary. Parkinson’s Law states that “…work expands so as to fill the time available for...
The Preparatory Meeting: Priceless
Executive Summary. Federal construction work usually requires three phases of quality control...
Legal Jargon and Process 101
Executive Summary. Being in management, middle or upper, will likely land you close to a...
Bonds and Bonding Capacity 101
Executive Summary. If you’ve ever wondered how bonding capacity is earned and calculated, it may...
Construction is Broken – Give me the Onsite EOR
Executive Summary. Contractors are told to build projects in record time without having complete...
The Importance of As-Builts
Executive Summary. As-builts are critical to future projects and can save Owners thousands or...
University Cooperative Education – the Real Deal!
Executive Summary. Most resume readers consider professional experience, as an engineer or...
Water in the Hole! What’s it Mean?
Executive Summary. Water in an excavation can tell a story. It can provide valuable information if...
Smartsheet™ – A Contractor’s Dream
Executive Summary. It’s like Excel™, but not Excel™. It’s a great fit for logging: submittals,...
Pipe Encasement Flotation – Archimedes was the Man!
Executive Summary. Ever prepped to pour a concrete encasement and lost sleep over whether or not...
Owners Loosen Your Grip!
Executive Summary. COVID and inflation in 2020, 2021, and 2022 have created challenging and...
Reading Rebar Drawings 101
Executive Summary. Rebar drawings take on their own lingo. Here are some basics to get you through...
Great Ways to Die: The Potential Energy Edition
Executive Summary. The construction site is fraught with danger. Avoid these hazards to get home...
Don’t Get Your P.E. License
Executive Summary. If you went to college for an engineering degree and you work in a field with...
I Wrote a Children’s Book Because I Could
Executive Summary. Nothing is better than getting your kids interested in what you do for a...
Why to Get a Contractor’s License
Executive Summary. Operating without a contractor’s license can be anywhere from inconvenient to...
Claims Tools & Methodologies
Executive Summary Construction claims are generated using many tools and many different...
Cake Batter and Concrete Mix Design: Same Thing!
Executive Summary Knowing how to read a concrete mix design is helpful for the project management...
Help Yourself: Be the Most Coachable Player
Executive Summary Being the best employee does require having traits which benefit your company,...
Ways that Engineers Manage Failure: Deflection
Executive Summary In construction, or after the fact in the permanent structure, engineers are...
Bridges 101: What Makes up a Bridge
Executive Summary There are several types of bridges, but herein presented are the basic bridge...
Another Contractor Claims Tool: ASCE 71-21 Identifying, Quantifying, and Proving Loss of Productivity
Executive Summary Loss of productivity claims for contractors are common, and always difficult to...
Project Loss Insurance: Heard of It?
Executive Summary There exists an insurance product to mitigate the risk associated with...
Debt: You Need It
Executive Summary Debt, at least in the American construction business, is helpful when it comes...
Utes and Bunds: Working in New Zealand
Executive Summary Civil construction is the same, but different, in New Zealand. Some terms and...
Bluebeam Revu Review
Executive Summary Bluebeam Revu is a tool that’s been around for several years now to aid in the...
Don’t Be Afraid of a Little Manual Work: It’s Ok
Executive Summary In a world now so heavily reliant upon computers, many construction...
Keep the Excavator Digging – It Drives the Cost
Executive Summary Properly planning and monitoring the work can result in a safer and more...
Estimating: Theoretical versus Production History
Executive Summary Many approaches exist for estimating – two of them being a theoretical approach...
Inside the Contractor’s Mind: Bidding, Change Orders, & Claims
Executive Summary Scott Jennings and Patrick Mullen gave a very frank presentation on what runs...
Using a Static Indirect Bid Item in your Bids
Executive Summary Create a static bid item in all of your bids to serve as a checklist for...
Lose the Guilt – Mark it Up!
Executive Summary Contractors deserve to be profitable. It’s necessary for business survival. A...
Blind and Dumb: Meeting Attendees
Executive Summary An effective meeting is one wherein the attendees are “with” the facilitator the...
Trained or Untrained? Being Claim-Ready
Executive Summary Contractors that deal with tough projects, tough clients, and/or tough contracts...
The Calibration Period: Plan for Patience
Executive Summary New business relationships do not come free of humps and bumps. Work through...
Delay Letter: A Template & How to Write One
Executive Summary As a contractor, the notification of delay is critical. Here are the important...
Your Equipment Rates: Where to Start
Executive Summary Whether in an estimate setup or change order negotiation scenario, if you do not...
The Leonard Curves: Another Tool in Labor Loss Quantification
Executive Summary Charles Leonard performed a study which resulted in the Leonard Curves. These...
Going “Legit”: Lose the Brown Paper Bag
Executive Summary If you’ve been running the accounts receivable and accounts payable out of a...
Jet Grout in Five Minutes
Executive Summary Jet grout has been, and continues to be, a successful means of ground...
Engine Failure Makes Engineers Great: Redundancy
Executive Summary On February 20, 2021 a Boeing 777 airplane lost an engine during flight over...
What a College Degree Says
Executive Summary A college degree sometimes seems overrated as it isn’t necessarily a measure of...
Contingency Doesn’t Exist When Low Bid Wins
Executive Summary When an owner determines the method of award is that the low bid wins, they...
Bucketing – the Proper Claim Accounting Method
Executive Summary The categorization of costs incurred in a changed condition scenario is critical...
K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple Stupid
Executive Summary There’s power in simplicity. Harness the power to more efficiently communicate...
Scott Jennings, P.E.: Subject Matter Expert
Mr. Jennings has decades of experience in the construction industry, from contractor to executive....
Incidental: What’s in a Word?
Executive Summary The word “incidental” is common to the construction industry and it can be...
Toolbox Tech on the Connected Jobsite
With the growing amount of technology being developed and used in the world and on construction...
Tech Tricks for Computer Efficiency
Practice implementing these tech habits into your daily routine and you’ll become more efficient...
Pipeline Podcast: Best of 2020
Here’s a look back as we’ve had some great topics in 2020 for new and experienced contractors,...
Top 7 Reads of 2020
While we’re getting 2021 off to a good start, take a look back at our most popular articles...
Delay Types – Top 4 List
Executive Summary Contractors experience all sorts of delays. This article covers what, arguably,...
Starting a Construction Business: a 5-Minute “How To”
Executive Summary Starting a construction business has its unique requirements. These plus the...
Foundations: Shallow vs Deep – What’s the Difference?
Executive Summary Our nation’s infrastructure bears on many types of foundations. Generally...
Pre-Bid Questioning to the Owner or Yourself
Executive Summary Many challenges in a project can be flushed out in the pre-bid phase with clear...
Financial Protection for the General Contractor & Owner: Two Ways
Executive Summary When making regular payments throughout the lifespan of a construction project,...
Please Cough – The One Thing to Do This Week
Executive Summary Caring about your employees is human and it’s good for business. Combine the two...
Setting the Bid Unit Price: 2 Main Reasons for Unbalancing
Executive Summary Setting of bid prices on a unit price bid can have significant effects on the...
Top 6 Ingredients of a Letter
Executive Summary Letters in the construction industry, during the course of a project, usually...
Pipe Goes Bang!
Executive Summary Any noise beyond liquid simply flowing in a pipe is likely not a good thing. Two...
Day Labeling: Insult Your Client with Simplicity
Executive Summary Construction contracts are almost always measured in some sort of day: a working...
Closer to 1.30, not 1.50
Executive Summary A common mistake in estimating is the cost of an overtime manhour. Overtime is...
Fire! Run to It, Not From It!
Executive Summary Construction often times does not go per plan. These unexpected variances in the...
Contract Mapping: A Valuable Tool in Your Toolbox
Executive Summary Contract interpretation can be difficult for a construction professional....
Bid Day: You Better Honor Your Bid, Mr. Subcontractor
Executive Summary As a general contractor you can rely on your subcontractor’s bid on bid day as a...
An Hour’s not an Hour, and it’s Certainly not a Day
Executive Summary There are differences in an hour: a manhour, a crewhour, a 50-minute hour. And...
Anatomy of a Change
Executive Summary Construction changes are generally handled in a similar way in most contracts....
Shhh, You’re being Recorded – and Two Other Tips
Executive Summary Just three random important things for contractors that didn’t make up an...
Quantifying the Loss in Labor Productivity: the MCAA Factors
Executive Summary There are very few “court-accepted” ways a contractor can quantify his or her...
Cash v. Accrual Accounting – Whatchu Talkin’ About Willis?
Executive Summary There are basic differences between cash and accrual accounting. Here’s a quick...
How to do a Job Cost Projection: Cutting through the Fog – Part 2
You can find Part 1 here. Let’s run through an example. Let’s do an example so you see some of the...
How to do a Job Cost Projection: Cutting through the Fog – Part 1
Executive summary. An accurate job cost projection is vital to Company survival. And it’s not too...
Mistaken Taboo: Project Overhead
Executive summary. Field overhead carries different names with different contractors and owners....
The #1 Driver of a Construction Claim
Executive Summary A construction claim is a dispute in the Work as it was contemplated in the...
Don’t Be Charlie Brown’s Teacher
Executive summary. If you are interested in communicating information to your audience, and you...
Better the Devil You Know
Executive summary. Many folks make changes based on temporary pains. More often than not, better...
Estimating: It’s an Art and a Science
Executive summary. Construction estimating isn’t wholly about the numbers. It involves a “feel” in...
Bond Premium and the Project Time Extension
Executive summary. Most traditional bond rates have two variables in their cost: the contract...
Video Conferencing Softwares: a Quick Review
Executive summary. Many video conferencing softwares are in existence. Which one suits you best?...
Dear Owner, No Change Orders Thank You
Executive summary. Most Project Owners are convinced that Contractors thrive on change orders. The...
I Didn’t Ask for a Lamborghini
Executive summary. Extra work on a construction project must be delivered at fair and reasonable...
Letters to the Owner Need to Tell, Not Ask
Executive summary. Most contractors use letters to communicate significant events in a project....
“Boosting” Job Profits on Equipment Purchase – on Paper
Executive summary. Whether in a bid situation or a change order negotiation, there is a way to...
But What Does It Smell Like?
Executive summary. Field experience is necessary to be a best of class construction and...
Project Parties – Who does what?
Executive summary. The management structure of sizable projects usually involves four major...
Signing a Change Order: What to look for
Executive summary. Ensure that before you sign a change order, all of the necessary components of...
What Information Governs: Order of Precedence
Executive summary. As a construction professional in the field, when information conflicts between...
Notice: Writing the Letter
Executive summary. There’s almost nothing more important than notifying your client, in accordance...
Legal Word of the Day: Contemporaneous
Executive Summary In a construction matter, the quality of evidence can be as important as the...
The Joint Venture Estimate: Setup is Key
Executive summary. Whether bidding a job together in one shared document, or running comparison...
Optimizing the Contractor’s Professional Engineer
Executive summary. Do you often need a professional engineer to facilitate the construction at...
Wanna Eat? Help me Kill
Executive summary. Maintaining employment is a factor of your performance, but for construction...
Laos: Infrastructure / Means & Methods
Executive Summary. You’re probably reading this from America or Canada. Ever wonder what the...
Earthwork: What’s a Cubic Yard?
Executive Summary A cubic yard is not a cubic yard when it comes to earthwork estimating and field...
Takeoff: Beyond the Drawings
Executive Summary. Takeoff is a primary function in the estimation of construction costs. A good...
From Me to You: Things I’ve Learned as a Professional
Executive Summary. Advice for life in general, and professional life, is often gleaned by the...
Introduction to Contractor Estimating
Executive Summary. The reader is introduced to the process of contractor estimating, from initial...
Designers Design, Constructors Construct: Drawings Constructability Review
Executive Summary. A constructability review can significantly and positively impact a project....
Designing with Cost in Mind
Executive Summary. Contractors are often brought into a project in the design phase to minimize...
The Lookahead Schedule and 90/60/30
Executive Summary. Once the project starts, it is the Contractor’s project management team’s...
Cracks in Construction
Executive Summary Cracks in construction provide information to a superintendent. We identify what...
Needed Software for a Contractor
Executive Summary. What are the “necessities” for software and apps for your construction...
Is One RFI One Too Many?
Executive Summary. How many RFIs (requests for information) are too many on a construction...
If Cash is King, Time’s the Queen
Executive Summary. Time for any business is critical, perhaps more so in construction than many...
Time, an Owner’s Achille’s Heel
Executive Summary. Discussed here, by a contractor, is arguably the #1 area of recommended...
Microsoft Excel v. Microsoft Project v. Primavera P6
Executive Summary. In the construction industry, there are three main tools used for scheduling. ...
Live Crew Cost Clicker
Executive Summary. Education of your staff or of your client can be effectively done using SJ...
Construction Law Bible
Executive Summary If you work for a public works construction contractor or you do construction...
Davis-Bacon, OSHA, Jones Act, and Buy American
Executive Summary. A quick background on terms you hear every day in federal construction...
Embedding Cost Control Culture into the Project Cycle
This article was originally published in CFMA’s Building Profits April 2019 Sometimes financial...
The Basics of Advanced Scheduling Terminology
Executive Summary. It’s important as a contractor, or even as an owner’s representative, to know a...
A Crane with Wings!
Executive Summary. Construction equipment is always evolving in its attempt to increase safety...
Fleet Management: Ways to Gather Data
Executive Summary. Several means exist in the way of gathering data from your operating fleet....
Instant Resolution of Contractor Overhead Daily Cost
Executive Summary. Projects often experience delays for which the Contractor is awarded...
Timecard Collection – Like You’ve Never Heard
Executive Summary. One of the top complaints of construction employers is the collection of...
Unit Conversion
Executive Summary Converting from one unit of measure to another is critical for any position of...
What’s BI? Do I need it?
Executive Summary: BI stands for business intelligence. It is the process by which information...
Freight Terms Over Land
Executive Summary. There are several trucking freight terms that a buyer should know. They’re...
What is Section Modulus, S?
Executive Summary: One of the most basic properties of a beam is its section modulus. How does...
What’s a GL Account?
Executive Summary A GL account is separate from a cost code financial and job cost reporting. Here...
Forecasting with Confidence
How Contractors Can Solve Four Common Challenges Recently Mr. Jennings took part in a CMiC...
Avoid Claims with a Pre-Bid Analysis
In a best case scenario, a construction claim will make the contractor financially whole again on...
Top 5 Excel Tips for Contractors
Executive Summary: Microsoft Excel is probably the most common tool in the construction industry....
Cost Codes: What, Why & How
Executive Summary: Many construction companies run their operations with too little specificity;...
Why be an Engineer: It’s the Mornings
Executive Summary: A recent article by the American Bar Association caught my eye. It was...
The Internal Pre-Con: Top 10
Executive Summary: Contractors usually are mandated to attend a pre-construction meeting with...
The Construction Daily Report: Why & What
Executive Summary: The importance of the daily report cannot be overstated. Knowing why to write...
Spearin and Modified Total Cost Method Adopted in Missouri
Executive Summary: One of contractors’ most reliable defenses, the Spearin Doctrine, has been...
Training: Now I see the Value
Executive Summary The benefits of training can be great for numerous reasons. You’re...
Choosing a Construction Consultant
Executive Summary: Once the decision is made to engage a consultant, choosing the firm to assist...
Construction Claims Hierarchy
Executive Summary: Construction claims are an unfortunate part of the construction process in...
Customized Programming: Easy Access and Low Cost
Executive Summary: There are no perfect software solutions out there for many industries. Many...
Some Basic Analysis Techniques in Claim Preparation
Executive Summary: A claim is made because a contractor has lost money and/or time on a project....
Engineering or Communication Failure?
Basic communication would have prevented mass casualties in Kansas City in 1981. Almost 40 years...
If I Told You, You Would Have Screwed Everything Up
My Story I’ve written a couple posts about my superintendent Mike. This one involves another one...
Balance Sheet – Knowing the Basics of Liabilities
Executive Summary: The balance sheet says a great deal about a company. If you’re a business owner...
Construction is a Battlefield
I was surfing the web recently and I saw an article by a construction management student. I read...
Is that a “Pinky Ring”?
Yup. It’s a “pinky ring”. Get over it. Respect it. Keep reading. I wear one on the outside...
Importance of Timely Notification
I have not done the official research on what are the most common causes of success or failure in...
Being a small construction business owner: tough, tough, tough
So, you want to start a construction business? Install tile, frame houses, lay pipe, move dirt,...
Lose the political correctness and go find that pipe stretcher
We all hear on the news about this over political correctness and how everyone’s become so...
Engineering tip, steel erection: if it’s taut, it’s carrying load
I’ve got the fancy degrees on the wall. Even have myself a professional engineering license or two...
Contract favors the non-drafting party
If you get into a contract dispute, and you did not draft the contract agreement, know that the...
Spearin Doctrine – a Landmark Construction Law Case
Have you ever had a project you were building according to plans and specifications and it just...
Equipment – Buy, Rent, RTO, RPO, Lease – Which One???
Executive Summary: Construction equipment is a necessary tool to perform many types of...
Inventory Tracking: A Money Saver
Executive Summary Construction companies have inventories that should be managed to improve...
Top 10: Basic Business Etiquette
Executive Summary: Landing the work has enough challenges in meeting the scope, schedule, and cost...
The Unilateral Change Order
Executive Summary: The purpose of a change order is to add work to an existing contract. Ideally,...
Project Management Triple Constraint
Executive Summary: There’s an adage, fast/cheap/good, pick any two. This relates to the Project...
Cost versus Price
Executive Summary: Cost and price are two different measures of money in a construction bid....
Two for Today: Taxes and Fuel
Executive Summary: Do two things today to improve your company: (1) check to make sure you are...
A Quickie on DEF
Executive Summary: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency implemented a rule on May 11, 2004...
Plans Constructability Review: Why, When, and What?
Executive Summary: A constructability review of a plan set can greatly benefit the project. On the...
Credit Unions versus Banks
Executive Summary: A credit union is a viable option for many small businesses. Consider the...
Conversion of Inches to Feet (in decimals)
Imperial vs. Metric Length in the United States is still primarily measured using inches and feet...
An RFI can Satisfy Notice Requirement, said the Feds
Executive Summary Possibly the leading cause of contractor claim denials – lack of proper notice –...
Escrowing Bid Documents: What, Where, How, Why, & When?
Executive Summary: Escrowing your bid documents and estimate calculations allow the contractor and...
Standardized Contracts and ConsensusDocs: a Win-Win
Executive Summary: Standardized contracts provide tremendous benefit to the construction industry...
A Cheap Lawyer
Executive Summary: Construction projects are becoming more and more litigious. The cost of outside...
Letters – Keep them Simple & Discrete
Executive Summary: Written communication is a skill every good project manager must have. Knowing...
Temperature Effects on Productivity
Executive Summary: Effects of weather on labor productivity can be difficult to quantify. Consider...
Unbalancing a Bid and Cash Flow
Executive Summary Cash flow is vital to a contractor’s survival. Taking advantage of setting unit...
Users of Your Financials: What They’re Looking At
Executive Summary: Some parties may require their own review of your financial reports before...
Build your Business into a Machine
Executive Summary: Without solid processes and controls in place, too many decisions can be left...
Divisional Separation: Pure Crap
Executive Summary: Companies lose money and affect reputation by divisive behavior between...
Why Hire a Management Consultant?
Executive Summary: Consultants sometimes carry a bad rap for what they do. They’re expensive and...
I See Claims…
Executive Summary: Construction is a litigious business. Often times the signs were right in front...
Proposal Terms and Conditions
Executive Summary: Submitting a clear and concise proposal is an important step in getting the...
Engineers and Architects Gotta Step It Up
Executive Summary: Contractors for as long as I can remember have been taking on risk that is not...
The Difference Between a Good and Great Estimator
Executive Summary Estimators are difficult to find, but one way to determine whether you have a...
It’s Concrete, not Cement.
Executive Summary: Defining concrete and cement. The common misconception. Once a month or so it...
Here’s where you should be using QR Codes today in your Construction Company
Executive Summary If you have a discrete thing that you want to know about or report about now,...
Construction Contract Review Basics
Executive Summary: Each day we hand contracts down to our subs or we are signing contracts down...
Top 3 Reasons to Leave Spreadsheets
Executive Summary: The electronic spreadsheet is arguably the most common tool used in the...
Dead is the Handshake
Executive Summary The “Steel Team” composed of fabricator and erector joined together to sue the...
Why is the Accounting Department Telling Me How to Estimate?
Executive Summary: Estimators know the construction work while the accountants know the...
Anticipate Non-Obvious Movement to Prevent Serious Injury
Executive Summary: There exist thousands of hazards on a construction site. Some are obvious, some...
Top 5 Uh-Oh Signs of a Client
Executive Summary: If you do not have a relationship with a client, or you are moving to a...
Top 5 Countdown: Things to Look for in Vendor Quotes
Executive Summary Each quote on bid day, whether from a subcontractor or a supplier, needs to be...
In Choosing a Software – Best Advice is to Talk to a Friend
Executive Summary: There exists construction software to do nearly all functions in your...
Changes in the 2017 AIA A201/A101/A401 Documents
Executive Summary: Probably the most common construction contract documents in use in America are...
The “All Zeroes One” Code Prevents Lost A/P Invoices
Executive Summary: A key component of job cost reporting is accurate posting of accounts payable...
An Alternative to Eichleay: HOOP!
Executive Summary Contractors delayed by the owner often want to be reimbursed ‘x’ dollars per ‘y’...
Getting Paid: Some Suggestions
Executive Summary The law* provides the rules of getting paid in construction. Sometimes...
Bidding a Civil Construction Project: Part II
Letting, or bidding out, a civil construction project can be a challenge for an Owner. Questions...
Bidding out a Civil Construction Project: Part I
Letting, or bidding out, a civil construction project can be a challenge for an Owner. Questions...
The Importance of Construction Cost Estimating for Civil Engineers
In episode 066 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, Anthony Fasano talks with Scott Jennings,...
RFID (and NFC): What is it & how can it help you?
Executive Summary: RFID is defined and the differences between RFID and NFC are explained here....
Hawaii Case: A Subcontract is Valid and Binding Without a Signature
Executive Summary: Contractors too often allow their subcontractors to commence work without a...
Fraud: Stop Thinking it won’t Happen to You
Executive Summary Fraud is a real risk to businesses and most do not realize they’ve become a...
Owners Need to Stop Expecting Filet Mignon on a Hamburger Budget
Executive Summary: An August 19th, 2017 cover page headline in The Economist magazine...
Make Claim Preparedness the Standard, not the Exception
Executive Summary: More and more construction jobs year after year go to litigation – or at least...
Cut Out the Office Cancer for Better Office Health
Executive Summary A lot of offices have that one person or that one small clique that creates a...
Invoice Your Clients Clearly and by the Rules to get Paid Quickly
Executive Summary Invoices get paid untimely for numerous reasons. The reason for slow payment...
What’s a Banking Covenant?
Executive Summary: What are banking covenants? Banking covenants are conditions put upon a...
The Power of Habit
Executive Summary: Although policies can be created overnight, getting them to function and last...
Small Tools Tracking Software – Get It!
Executive Summary Estimates vary on the financial loss suffered by contractors due to lost or...
Including the Portion of Corporate Overhead in a Bid
Executive Summary: Determining how to account for the portion of corporate overhead to be...
Choosing a Professional Services Provider
Executive Summary: There are many factors in determining who should provide your firm professional...
Balance Sheet – Knowing the Basics of Assets
Executive Summary: Knowing the basics of accounting is essential in business. Knowing the balance...
Estimate Handoff – Estimators to Field Team
Executive Summary It’s great that your estimators just landed a new project, but your competitive...
Bid Unbalancing – How It’s Done To Increase Profit
Executive Summary Contractors unbalance unit prices in their bids to take advantage of anticipated...
Award Reversed Because of No Expert Testimony
Executive Summary: A Washington concrete contractor, Salinas Construction, Inc. (SCI), was...
Concrete Formwork – Pressure not a Function of Wall Thickness
Just a quickie on formwork pressures. One of my foremen once asked me if we needed more form ties...
Field Tip: If in a Confrontation, Don’t Hang Up on the Police
I just learned this one a couple months ago from a fantastic superintendent – Mike. One of his...
Owner Involvement, Careful What You Wish For
Executive Summary: Owner involvement in the way of project management and furnishing material is...
The Good and the Bad of Contracting
Executive Summary: Contracting can be the most fantastic of businesses, but also one of the...
Consistency Results in Predictability
Executive Summary: Sustaining a business, and more so growing a business, relies heavily on...
Jury Finds City Acted in Bad Faith and Contractor Still Pays His Own Attorney’s Fees
Executive Summary: Kevin McKeon, Senior Partner at Watt Tieder (McLean, Virginia), reported in...
Killer Clauses: No Damages for Delay
Executive Summary: A presentation on March 8, 2017at the 98th Annual AGC Convention reviewed ten...
A Contractor’s Cash Flow: Acknowledgement and Improvement
Executive Summary: Managing cash flow is imperative and it never hurts to see these challenges on...
Best Way to Save Money is to Not Spend It
Executive Summary: When in a changed condition situation, the best way to minimize loss or to...