TECHNOLOGY MATTERS |
JESSICA LOMBARDO, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Why Construction Companies Need to Plan Now for Influx of Infrastructure Projects
T
he good news: the industry should see more money to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure before 2021 ends. The bad news: most construction contractors are not prepared to take on more work at the level these projects are going to require. An influx of work will require more crews, more equipment and more technology to manage all of the pieces. Still, there's hope. With a little preparation now, contractors can position their businesses to be more successful in bidding and completing projects on time and within budgets. This Q&A with John Meibers, VP and general manager of Deltek + ComputerEase provides more insight.
Q
Why is it important to have a comprehensive plan for every project? What can happen if projects are not thoroughly vetted and executed?
Schedule delays and rework can be very costly. If you don’t have a plan in place, you are going to end up with delays and rework. It is important to properly vet each project especially if you are beginning a project in an area
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(i.e., type of work, geographic region, type of customer) that you may be unfamiliar with. The investments to prepare a winning bid, coordinating subcontractors and pivoting to execution are all critical in the path to a successful project lifecycle. When not properly vetted, it can set you up for compliance issues, schedule delays or cost overruns Part of the comprehensive plan is making sure all parties (contractor, architect and owner) are on the same page and working towards a common goal of a successful project. If the project is not properly executed, the project can fail in many ways including schedule delays, cost overruns and legal issues.
Q
The construction industry is notorious for not adopting technology and market intelligence. Why is this a problem?
Lacking good market intelligence and not getting involved early in project planning is the primary reason companies lose important bids. Reacting to inbound RFPs puts companies in reaction mode preventing them from putting their best foot forward
and helping to shape the project requirements. The number one problem caused by not adopting technology is poor communication. Not being able to properly communicate between the field and office leads to many inefficiencies such as poor job costing, decreased labor production, not properly coordinating material deliveries, and having the right tools and equipment onsite. Not having the right technology to deliver real-time job costing prevents you from being proactive with realtime decision-making and adjustments on the job. The time it takes for a contractor that has not yet adopted technology to execute things manually takes away from the time that could be spent on increasing their overall productivity. With today’s labor shortage, we’re also seeing the contractor who is slower to adopt technology is struggling to attract and retain a talented workforce.
Q
As more work is expected to come down the pipeline, how can technology help contractors better execute the projects they already have?
www.ForConstructionPros.com/Asphalt
8/18/21 2:05 PM
