Executive Summary Construction often times does not go per plan. These unexpected variances in the plan can make or break a job. How you treat these “fires” can define your effectiveness as a manager. What could go wrong? In construction there’s dozens, if not...
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 binding agreement. But not in all states. Read on to learn about protection granted by the Doctrine of Promissory Estoppel. Call Your Attorney I’m not a lawyer, and I...
Shhh, You’re being Recorded – and Two Other Tips
Executive Summary Just three random important things for contractors that didn’t make up an article all on their own: the legality of audio recording, running one man short, the golden rule of bid forms. What’s this article about? It’s about being a smart contractor...
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 loss as a result of labor productivity, or lack thereof. MCAA’s (Mechanical Contractors Association of America, Inc.) document PD 2 Factors Affecting Labor Productivity is...
Cash v. Accrual Accounting – Whatchu Talkin’ About Willis?
Executive Summary There are basic differences between cash and accrual accounting. Here’s a quick review. What is Accounting? Sounds simple, right? It’s just keeping track of money in a business. And money only does one of two things – it either goes in the bank...
The #1 Driver of a Construction Claim
Executive Summary A construction claim is a dispute in the Work as it was contemplated in the original construction documents. However, a large percentage of what drives a claim is not the Contract. It’s the people. It’s personalities. The Spark Losing money. That’s...