Project Estimates
The Highs and Lows
Recently, one of our project managers priced a rather small, straight forward project. We negotiate a lot of our work, but on this particular project, the prospect had asked another…
Project Estimates
Years Over Year Pricing
Since the pandemic hit, it seems like construction materials and costs have been the number one topic of conversation for anyone involved in our business. Is what we need going…
Read MoreProject Estimates
The Bigger Picture.
In our business, there are times when the tendency is to quantify by the unit. “Price per square foot” is used to measure all kinds of things, from the average…
Project Estimates
5 Tips for Getting It Right with Highly Specialized Subcontractors
In commercial construction, we have found it’s easy to get in a rut. Sure, we build different types of structures, but we are often dealing with a similar set of…
Project Estimates
On the Road to Simplicity
This week, we were finalizing a contract with a new customer. The process of the last few days did not go as I had expected. Confusion from too many details…
Project Estimates
Slow and Steady (Usually) Wins the Race
I’ve recently been working on a project with one of our customers. Everyone is in a hurry to complete the submittal before a real estate committee meeting. All parties are…
Project Estimates
In Bidding, What’s the REAL Total Cost?
Price? Transaction experience? A combination of the two? Judging from a few meetings I’ve had recently, seems like it depends on who you talk to. Investors. Last week, I was…
Project Estimates
Change Orders and Communication: How to Avoid Hanging In the Balance
On construction jobs, the unexpected is…well…expected. Circumstances inevitably change. In our case, codes are updated, conditions in earthwork shift or we encounter any other variety of circumstances that affect the…
Project Estimates
Why We Hired a BIM Specialist
A while back, I mentioned our desire to explore Building Information Modeling (BIM), a database which catalogs a structure throughout its life cycle in real time 3D. We felt the…
Project Estimates
If You Want the Win, Practice and Prepare.
We recently made a presentation to a prospective customer who had an adaptive reuse project that seemed perfect for us. It involved revitalizing an area of the city, which is…