By Scott Jennings, P.E. This article was originally published in CFMA’s Building Profits April 2019 Sometimes financial situations can cause a contractor to fail. But these mishaps can likely be avoided. Forecasting and managing the timely implementation and execution of cost controls can considerably impact effective bidding. In fact, cost […]
Avoid Claims with a Pre-Bid Analysis
In a best case scenario, a construction claim will make the contractor financially whole again on the matter. In a worst case scenario, the contractor goes out of business. Most claims conclude somewhere in between with all parties unhappy.
Proposal Terms and Conditions
Listen Read PDF Executive Summary: Submitting a clear and concise proposal is an important step in getting the project off on the right foot. An ambiguous proposal welcomes dispute. Be complete in the listing of terms and conditions in your proposals. What are terms and conditions? Terms and conditions […]
Construction Contract Review Basics
Executive Summary: Each day we hand contracts down to our subs or we are signing contracts down from Owners or General Contractors. Know some of the basics of what to look for here. What is and when will I ever use a Contract? A contract is a laying out of […]
Bidding a Civil Construction Project: Part II
Letting, or bidding out, a civil construction project can be a challenge for an Owner. Questions inexperienced owners may have involved choosing an engineer, what sort of contract to use, how to collect bids from contractors, and finally how to manage the construction of the contract. In this two-part series, in Part […]
Owners Need to Stop Expecting Filet Mignon on a Hamburger Budget
Executive Summary: An August 19th, 2017 cover page headline in The Economist magazine reads Construction: the least efficient industry. Their general position on our industry’s efficiency I didn’t think was far off, but the blame was misplaced. Owners need to help turn this industry. For their own sake, not just […]
The Engineer Was Negligent
As published in Civil Engineering, February 2017 Click for PDF The Law in the June 2016 issue ( “Engineer Found Negligent for Not Verifying Product Data,” page 92) discussed a legal case in which a contractor installed an engineer-specified rain tank that later failed, causing financial damage to the project owner. […]
Opinion: Engineer Found Negligent for Not Verifying Product Data
Engineer Found Negligent for Not Verifying Product Data Civil Engineering magazine, page 92, June 2016 Executive Summary: Scott Jennings, P.E., M. ASCE, responds to an article published in ASCE’s signature publication, Civil Engineering magazine. Kudos to the project owner for holding the engineer of record responsible for the engineering of […]
Previous Episodes & Issue Archive
Previous Episodes Subscribe and listen to the Pipeline Podcast and check out back issues of the Pipeline Newsletter below. Click here for more podcast episodes. Issue Archive Click here for individual articles. 2022 Week 6: Why To Get A Contractor’s License 2021 Week 43: Claims Tools & Methodologies Week 41: […]