Category: Construction

Top 10 Construction Companies in the U.S.

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How the Biggest Construction Companies in the U.S. Are Building Our Cities & Workforce

As the U.S. works to bounce back from the pandemic, top construction companies are helping lead the way to recovery. Across the industry, you can feel the momentum in resilience, creativity, and the human spirit for problem-solving.

While spending has seen fluctuation lately, it’s expected to rise over the next several years. In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, national construction spending is expected to exceed $1.55 trillion in 2021. That’s a 7.5% increase from 2020. Of that $1.55 trillion, $1.2 trillion is expected to go to the private sector, with much of the remaining funds addressing public needs. With the passing of a major Infrastructure Deal, official construction spending estimates may change. The deal is expected to generate about two million jobs per year, for the next ten years, with an emphasis on America’s physical infrastructure.

So, who are the largest construction companies leading the way? We’ve created a SlideShare of the top 10 construction companies in the U.S. to answer that exact question. Our list is composed of companies ranking on ENR’s Top 400 Contractors list. On the SlideShare you’ll find information about each company’s location, revenue, employees and year founded. Flip through below, then continue reading to discover insights about how a few of these top companies, and more, tackle some of the most common construction challenges. 

Top 10 Construction Companies in the U.S. 

10 of the Largest Construction Firms in the U.S.

Here are the top 10 construction companies in the United States as listed above in our SlideShare. 

1. The Turner Corp

  • Location: New York, NY
  • Employees: 10,000
  • Revenue: $11.77 billion
  • Founded: 1902

2. Bechtel

  • Location: Reston, VA
  • Employees: 55,000
  • Revenue: $17.6 billion
  • Founded: 1906

3. Fluor

  • Location: Irving, TX
  • Employees: 53,000
  • Revenue: $19.166 billion
  • Founded: 1912

4. Kiewit Corp

  • Location: Omaha, NE
  • Employees: 22,000
  • Revenue: $10.3 billion
  • Founded: 1884

5. The Whiting-Turner Contractin Co

  • Location: Baltimore, MD
  • Employees: 3,800
  • Revenue: $6.2 billion
  • Founded: 1909

6. Sto Building Group Inc

  • Location: New York, NY
  • Employees: 2,200
  • Revenue: $4.9 billion
  • Founded: 1971

7. Tutor Perini Corp

  • Location: Sylmar, CA
  • Employees: 10,000
  • Revenue: $4.76 billion
  • Founded: 1894

8. AECOM

  • Location: Los Angeles, CA
  • Employees: 54,000
  • Revenue: $13.24 billion
  • Founded: 1990

9. Skanska USA

  • Location: New York, NY
  • Employees: 7,600
  • Revenue: $6.5 billion
  • Founded: 1971

10. DPR Construction

  • Location: Redwood City, CA
  • Employees: 5,900
  • Revenue: $5.94 billion
  • Founded: 1990

How Top Construction Companies Approach 3 Common Challenges

Of course, with opportunity comes new obstacles. If you’re adept in problem solving, the following obstacles are exciting challenges that can give you a competitive edge if tactfully approached. For a better understanding of how you can approach three very common challenges in construction, we’ve provided examples of how top firms have succeeded in solving these problems.

1. Complex projects with tight deadlines

As technology improves, expectations rise as well. Highly technical projects require significant resource planning, forecasting, and attention to detail. Add in tight turnaround times and the obstacles only increase. Gilbane Building Company, ranked #11 on 2021’s ENR400, is one of the construction companies tackling challenges like this one head-on. 

The Rhode Island-based firm constructed a state-of-the-art engineering lab and academic facility for students at the Wentworth Institute of Technology (WIT) in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. This project was WIT’s first new academic building in over 40 years. 

Gilbane was brought in to construct the new four-story, 78,000-square-foot academic building for engineering innovation and sciences. They were on a short, 15-month schedule. In order to meet the tight turnaround and represent the polytechnic university’s focus on innovation, the firm leaned on cutting-edge technologies and processes. Specifically, Gilbane leveraged prefabrication, design-assisted preconstruction processes, and virtual reality (VR) to meet the deadline and high-tech requirements. 

Speaking to prefabrication as one of those crucial pieces to finishing on time, John Myers, Gilbane’s director of visual design and construction for New England says, “Off-site fabrication for us, from a safety standpoint, from a schedule standpoint, from the standpoint of being able to do things in parallel instead of in sequence, those are the things that make Gilbane successful.” For a deeper dive on this this impressive, yet challenging project, we recommend you read the full story here.

In the spirit of higher education, Gilbane also created a “living” classroom out of the project. It allowed WIT students to learn the most current and advanced construction methods as Gilbane went through the building process. Students got hands-on experience with each step of the project in real-time.

2. Identifying benefits of new technology in preconstruction

We’ve all heard the adage: “No one likes change.” It’s common for firms to face resistance to new technology and innovations. Usually, the resistance is not due to an individual’s resistance—it’s an organizational challenge. Improving structure and processes can be slow when the productivity and profit gains haven’t been fully understood by decision-makers. The truth is that technology proves to be an ally over and over again. We look at how two leading firms responded to different scenarios related to the need for new technology in preconstruction.

2a. Proving value of new technology with money saved

Multinational construction and development company, Skanska, ranked #9 on the 2021 ENR400, encountered some pushback from clients when moving from 2D to 3D modeling. The company decided to switch to 3D modeling for quantity takeoff to save time and money on projects.

The Skanska team has found that the best way to reassure hesitant clients is to provide proof of 3D modeling’s value. Kelsey Stein, National Preconstruction Technology Manager at Skanska explains, “By having better standards that we can give to the design team, it’s helped us perform a closer estimation while saving time and money on our projects.”

The 3D takeoff uncovered missing quantities that accounted for a 28% discrepancy….saving a tremendous amount of money that would have been lost under the traditional 2D method.

To provide greater context for clients, Skanska compared the results of a traditional 2D takeoff and a 3D takeoff using Assemble on the same project. The 3D takeoff uncovered missing quantities that accounted for a 28% discrepancy in the curtain wall scope. As a result, the firm saved a tremendous amount of money that would have been lost under the traditional 2D method.

2b. Building easy-to-use technology for your own employees

PCL, a construction company coming in at #14 on the 2021 ENR400, found themselves needing to create easy-to-use technology for their preconstruction managers—so they did just that.

Breaking out the challenge, PCL’s estimators and managers were adept at reviewing 2D drawings and managing the preconstruction process. However, the review of 2D drawings can be a very manual process and slow down workflows. This created inefficiencies. On top of that, preconstruction managers were regularly receiving more 3D models from the design team as they moved to digitizing their workflows.

Knowing they had to improve access to insights that 2D drawings couldn’t provide without significant effort, PCL created a multidisciplinary team to evaluate and identify their priority project KPIs. They determined which ones would be most effective at tracking design progress in real time and got to work building their own data management and interpretation tools. 

“Predictability is the name of the game when it comes to construction. If we can better track the progress of design, then there will be little-to-no surprises when we receive milestone design deliverables.” -Nick Kurth, PCL Construction Enterprises Inc.

Their team can now easily access critical, real time project progress data through Autodesk Assemble, Autodesk Revit and a Power BI dashboard. This technology enables them to better interpret data and generate cost-effective designs with the most efficient use of materials.

Nick Kurth, VDC Manager at PCL Construction Enterprises Inc, shares why the dashboard was so critical, “Predictability is the name of the game when it comes to construction. If we can better track the progress of design, then there will be little-to-no surprises when we receive milestone design deliverables. This dashboard solution is another means for us to drive lean principles around target value design. It’s also essential to have transparency between our design team and our precon team, and that’s a key part of what this provides.”

3. Having geometric & cost certainty

As a Fortune 500 firm and ranked #8 on the 2021 ENR400, AECOM is used to partnering with clients in the public and private sectors to solve complex construction challenges. The premier infrastructure firm is known for its construction and design-build approach, which leads to optimized collaboration, productivity, and efficiency. Under the design-build construction delivery model, contractors, designers, and owners collaborate as a team to meet owner expectations. 

AECOM America’s BIM Director, Russ Dalton, is responsible for helping the teams behind the firm’s construction and design-build approach win new business. He then supports them in making sure the projects are executed effectively. 

Technology is essential for helping Russ do just that. His team, and AECOM as a firm, has embraced BIM 360 to achieve geometric certainty and cost certainty. They’re now moving toward operational certainty. Through their commitment to achieving certainty, and the technology that enables it, AECOM has carved out a competitive advantage.

“We’ve witnessed a 32% increase in productivity with this methodology.” -Russ Dalton, AECOM America

AECOM’s Barclays Center Arena project was a testament to the effectiveness of how they use BIM 360. Russ shares, “We looked at [this project] through predictable lenses to make sure that in the construction process it could be completed with geometric certainty and cost certainty.” 

The $450 million project was not only finished early but came in under budget due to AECOM’s commitment to BIM 360. Russ says that the use of BIM 360 generated “$4.5 million in cost savings” on the project. He goes on to add, “We’ve witnessed a 32% increase in productivity with this methodology.”

The Road Ahead

These leading construction companies are showing the industry, and the nation, what’s possible on the road ahead. They’re also highlighting that it takes innovation, persistence, and the right tools to not only survive, but thrive in the face of challenge. Remember, obstacles are opportunities and the best days are ahead for our industry. Technology is helping us get there.

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A Practical Guide to Construction Accounting Software

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Construction accounting software is a must-have, but may seem daunting to implement new solutions if your accounting technology hasn’t kept up with the complexities of your growing business. Managing the myriad of accounting activities across an entire construction business, or at any phase of an individual project, you’re going to want access to the most accurate, real-time numbers possible.

No stranger to disruption, the construction industry is experiencing higher levels of digitization than ever before. The pandemic has accelerated digital transformation by as much as seven years according to some experts. Technical tools and solutions are making some of the most complicated and manual practices in construction a concern of the past. 

ƒThat includes accounting. Sure, accounting may have a bit of a reputation for being mundane. But the latest innovations in construction project management software provide an exciting level of financial clarity—especially useful to connect project finances to accounting decision-makers. If you’re exploring options to make construction accounting more efficient and accurate, you’ll find plenty of helpful information on choosing the right software below. 

The Basics of Construction Accounting & What Makes It Different

At its most basic level, accounting helps businesses understand and capture accounting activities. It’s essential to business administration, management and financial reporting. Sometimes referred to as the “language of business,” accounting personnel document an organization’s accounting activities to accurately measure financial performance. This information is then communicated to owners, investors, creditors, and regulators. It will also dictate who you do business with and how.

Construction accounting takes into consideration the challenges that come along with the construction business. This includes tracking revenue, job costing, payroll, and managing several contracts and project risks simultaneously. Because the building process is so uniquely complex, accounting practices must be adapted to the construction industry.

Let’s look at what makes construction accounting different from most other businesses.  

Everything Is Moving All the Time

The nature of construction is quite different from your average business. Outside of a major project roadblock, all aspects of a construction project are moving forward simultaneously. Instead of operating from a fixed location with a fixed set of products or services, construction projects rely on a range of locations, materials, and services. Everyone and everything tends to always be on the go. As a result, accurately managing milestones and finances throughout the life of a project—whether payables or receivables—can be challenging.

Unique Project- and Contract-Based Milestones

Firms typically work on multiple projects at a time. Instead of having one transaction, organizations may have multiple transactions occurring simultaneously across several project partners. Each project partner likely has their own set of timelines and milestones that impact accounting. Furthermore, it can take time to actually receive payment for services rendered. Some firms use project-based accounting. In this practice, each project functions as its own entity with profits and losses. 

Another consideration for construction accounting is long-term contracts. It’s not uncommon for projects to take years to finish. In these scenarios, expenses and revenue may occur at different times than had been originally planned. Knowing the implications of when and how to accrue income and expenses across multi-year projects is an art in itself. 

Tracking Sales

Businesses often create categories and cost codes to track sales. There are often multiple vendors on projects in construction, whether that’s to account for materials or services, there are often tens, if not hundreds, of billable line items on any given job. Traditional accounting practices leave a lot of room for error and confusion. Purpose-built construction accounting software can help to automate this process and meet the need for multiple service or product categories. Smarter categorization enables a much cleaner look at overall business performance. This is made especially easy with dedicated construction accounting software.

Industry-Specific Costs and Expenses

Every construction job involves direct and indirect costs that cross multiple categories. To make things even more complex, items that you might consider overhead expenses are often actually costs of goods sold because they are connected to a client project. Overhead costs can fluctuate month to month based on workers’ compensation, subcontractors, insurance, training, and more.

What to Include in Construction Job Costing

The complexity of construction accounting extends to calculating how much a project will actually cost the firm. That’s where job costing comes into play. This calculation method divides the project into specific tasks. That way, you can track expenses to the various tasks of a project. It provides greater visibility into which projects, activities, and materials are generating the most costs. 

With job costing, you can separate the project into the main phases and then sort scopes of work into each phase. Organizations can then create unique construction cost codes to track the expenses. You may choose to create a handful of codes or multiple codes for a more granular view. After developing the codes, you can generally divide them into five categories: labor, materials, subcontracts, equipment, and overhead. 

Labor 

How much does your crew cost you? That’s what the labor categories in job costing can help you answer. To find this number for each project, start by calculating how much it costs per day to have your crew. This is likely to be your high level hires like general contractors, who you’ll interface with regularly. Don’t forget to include insurance, worker’s compensation, and taxes into the figure. You can then multiply the number of days you’ll have the crew on the project. 

Be sure to include a buffer for unforeseen labor costs in your estimates. Project progress is rarely linear. You’ll also want to parse out subcontractor costs with the help of your general contractors. More on that below.

Materials

These costs can be both direct and indirect. For example, direct material costs can include items like concrete and steel. It’s often easier to link these items to a specific project. Indirect material costs include things like nails and caulking. You may also apply a margin for delivery and cleanup. It’s important to think of the life of a material, and any complimentary materials, when costing your project.

Subcontracts

General contractors are enlisted to manage construction activities and schedules, but are also instrumental in minimizing risks and issuing subcontracts. Each subcontract encapsulates costs for a general contractor and revenue to a subcontractor for specific scopes of work on a construction project. Managing subcontractor payment applications is fundamental to construction accounting, and also drives the upstream receivables, as subcontractor costs translate into general contractor revenue.

Equipment

Depending on whether or not your contracted labor brings equipment to the table, you may want to cost this out separately. At which point, identify your equipment supplier rates and multiply by the estimated length of the project or time needed with that particular asset. It’s possible that equipment needs will span multiple projects. 

If your contracted labor does bring equipment to the table, work with them to identify expected costs for a clear picture of how your equipment impacts accounting activities over the life of a project.

Overhead

A lot of work goes on behind the scenes so you can’t forget to include the cost of doing business. That means you’ll need to measure accounting activities that go beyond the above mentioned categories. In other words, don’t forget about overhead when job costing. Some things to consider including would be full-time staff, office rentals, administration, and depreciation of equipment.

5 Steps for Revenue Recognition in Construction

Revenue recognition is the accounting of revenue when certain conditions are met on a project. Certain governing bodies issue revenue recognition standards to disseminate accounting best practices.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) updated reporting standards for revenue recognition from contracts with customers in 2014. This standard is known as Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606 (ASC 606), or more simply, the new standard. Prior to the new standard, many organizations relied on the percentage-of-completion method and completed-contract method.

According to FASB, the intent for the latest guidance is to “report useful information to users of financial statements about the nature, timing, and uncertainty of revenue from contracts with customers.”

FASB has adopted a principle-based revenue recognition approach. With this approach, revenue is recognized according to two key factors. First, the contractor must meet performance obligations. Second, the control of goods or services must be transferred to the customer. This transfer can take place at a particular point in time or over a period of time. 

To comply with revenue recognition standards, or ASC 606, be sure to follow these five steps:

  1. Identify the contract with the customer.
  2. Identify the performance obligations in the contract.
  3. Determine the transaction price.
  4. Allocate the transaction price to the separate performance obligations.
  5. Recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation.

Top Construction Accounting Technologies

Dedicated construction accounting software solutions can help to optimize processes and automate manual tasks. As you consider ways to improve your construction accounting processes, keep these leading solutions in mind. 

QuickBooks Online (Intuit): This cloud-based financial management software helps you manage your finances efficiently and gives you time back in your day. Create estimates, build invoices, track sales, monitor cash flow, and manage your customers as well as suppliers from one intuitive platform. Oftentimes, QuickBooks Online will be integrated with a project management platform to track costs and provide an operations team with the tools they need to control documents and manage budgets.

Morpheus: Connect any ERP to Autodesk Build’s leading budget and cost management solution for a truly integrated financial environment. No more double entry, manual errors or missed information.  You gain full transparency from the field to the office on job costs.  Trusted for over 20 years by the ENR 400.

DataStreet: DataStreet was built to eliminate time and material tag paperwork and reduce the amount of time spent on change order processing. The cloud-based project management platform increases transparency between your office and field teams. All of the data is stored in the cloud for easy access; use project-specific settings to customize your workflows and experience. 

Rhumbix: Want to streamline your field operations? Rhumbix can do just that through easy capture of time and materials changes and construction labor costs. You’ll get all the data you need to make smart decisions about labor cost management, risk management, and safety, and they can integrate directly with accounting.

Sage: Autodesk Construction Cloud partners have built dynamic integrations between Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate and Autodesk Build, uniting accounting, project management, and field collaboration. Manage cost-related activities, streamline workflows, and connect data for greater real-time visibility into your project’s financial health.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, there’s a lot of nuances specific to construction accounting. The software solutions that exist are getting better at addressing these complexities every single day. 

With the right construction accounting software, accurately job costing, tracking timelines, and adhering to the revenue recognition standards is much easier. It puts owners and contractors on the same page throughout the life of a project. Plus, the standardized approach makes tracking company-wide finances across all projects a much less daunting task.

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Vinci Europe chief to head rebranded Engie UK business

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Equans, the new name for Engie’s services-led operations, has named former Vinci UK MD Jean-Philippe Loiseau as the new chief of its UK & Ireland business.

Loiseau will join in September and succeeds current CEO Nicola Lovett, who leaves the £2bn turnover UK business to pursue new challenges outside of the group.

He has previously led a number of Vinci’s Group’s European subsidiaries, including Vinci’s FM and construction businesses in the UK.

He also managed Antea, an independent environmental services company for ten years.

Jérôme Stubler, Equans CEO, said: “I would like to thank Nicola for the part she has played in the establishment and launch of our new business and for the great dedication and leadership she has shown throughout her successful career with Engie.

“The UK is an important market for Equans and I am pleased to welcome Jean-Philippe, who is a strong, experienced leader with the qualities to implement the next phase of growth for our UK & Ireland business, while continuing to deliver high performance outcomes for our customers”.

Last month, Engie announced the creation of Equans, bringing together its global service activities under a new brand, creating a market leader in the sector with 74,000 employees and revenues of 12 bn euros.

In the UK & Ireland, all of Engie’s activity in technical services, facilities management, construction and regeneration and and renewables, now come under the Equans brand.

Equans UK & Ireland employs 13,500 people – a significant part of the overall new global operation.

 

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Goodbye, Spreadsheets: Win More Work with Centralized Bid Management

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As the world continues to open back up, we’re starting to see more signs of recovery in the construction industry. Research from Dodge Data & Analytics and Autodesk shows that bidding activity has been increasing since the start of the year. In fact, bidding activity in BuildingConnected was up 36% in January 2021, compared to a three-month pre-pandemic average.

This is great news overall, and as a contractor, you can capitalize on these opportunities by optimizing your systems to keep up with the increasing number of bids coming your way. 

The best way to do that is to eliminate cumbersome tools like spreadsheets. 

Spreadsheets are useful for tracking basic information but they’re not ideal for higher level processes and tasks such as bid management. 

Since the bidding process requires you to manually enter and track numerous bits of info, putting everything in a spreadsheet can get messy and confusing. This could lead to missed bids and loss of potential work. 

What’s more, collaboration can be a pain with spreadsheets. You can’t share files in a centralized manner, so people typically end up emailing each other different versions of the file, resulting in issues with version history and conflict between updates. 

Another problem with using spreadsheets? It’s much more difficult to analyze data. While they can display raw information in neat rows and columns, extracting useful insights from spreadsheets is largely a manual process. 

All this to say that spreadsheets aren’t great for managing bids and they’re certainly not going to help you win more work.

If you’re still using spreadsheets, it’s high time to replace them with a centralized bidding management system. The right solution can streamline the bidding process and make collaboration easier, ultimately helping you win more bids. 

Our recent guide discusses how a centralized bid management system can benefit subcontractors. Download it for free. 

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Read on to explore some of the key insights you’ll find in the guide. 

What is a Centralized Bid Management System?

A centralized bid management system refers to a single platform on which you can centrally manage the entire bidding process. It’s an excellent solution for contractors, because it enables you to track and handle all your bids from one place, which can help you increase your win rates and revenues. 

Case in point: Bowman Flooring Contractor, a Georgia-based specialty contractor increased its win rate by 25% and revenue by $9 million when the company adopted a new bid management system.

The team at Bowman used to rely on Excel and emails to manage bids, and they decided to implement bid management technology to improve their processes. 

In doing so, Bowman was able to be more organized and keep all the necessary bidding information in one place. The new software made it easy for teams to track and assign bids and they were able to prioritize jobs that were more likely to win. What’s more, they could pull up past project estimates, which led to better estimates on current projects. 

“Our new software totally changed the way we do business,” said Mike Adams, Senior Project Manager at Bowman Flooring Contractor.

Benefits of a Centralized Bid Management System

We’ve discussed the general benefits of a centralized bid management system, now let’s take a look at the specific advantages of having one. 

Streamlined Bid Management

Having a centralized system that’s accessible to multiple team members reduces the need for double entry and other manual tasks. Unlike using spreadsheets, which involves manually entering data, a centralized system for bid management lets everyone work on the same information at any given time. 

As a result, subcontractors can minimize errors, confusion, and tedious work like reviewing and re-entering data. 

Easy Bid Tracking

Juggling multiple bids can be a nightmare when you’re using spreadsheets and other manual methods. These cumbersome tools can’t centrally store data, so it’s easy for information to slip through the cracks. 

When you have a centralized bid management system, you can easily get a bird’s eye view of the entire bid process. You’ll also have a single source of truth when it comes to the status of all your bids and invites, so you’ll never miss an opportunity again. 

Better Collaboration

A centralized bid management system allows teams to work together without a hitch. Since information is stored and accessed in the cloud, team members can collaborate in real-time and everyone can always get their hands on the most updated information. This eliminates confusion and miscommunication, which leads to a smoother bid management process. 

Simplified Bid Solicitation

A centralized bid management system also improves the process of bidding on and bidding out. When soliciting bids from other subcontractors, the information they submit feeds directly into the bid, so there’s no need to re-enter the same info.

Having the ability to manage both bids in and bids out from a centralized platform paves the way for more competitive final bids. You can track proposals in one place and make data-driven decisions before submitting your bid. 

Download Our Free Ebook

To win more bids in today’s increasingly competitive market, you need all the help you can get. A centralized bid management system enables you to stay organized, save time, and understand your bids better, so you can win more projects and continue to grow. 

Download our free ebook to learn how a centralized bid management system can help you improve your business. 

The post Goodbye, Spreadsheets: Win More Work with Centralized Bid Management appeared first on Digital Builder.

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Bidding starts for Midlands £28m Camp Hill Line stations

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West Midlands Combined Authority has started prequalifying firms to design and build three stations on the Camp Hill railway line reopening in the Midlands.

The Camp Hill line stations closed during 1941 and since then the line has been used only by freight and non-stop passenger services.

Reopening for passenger services involves constructing three stations at Moseley, Kings Heath and Hazelwell including supporting rail infrastructure works.

These new stations will provide regular train services into Birmingham New Street, with quick journey times offering commuters a genuine alternative to their car.

Authority procurement chiefs plan to use an NEC 4 target cost contract including clause X1 to alleviate contractors’ risk on material price fluctuations on volatile material like timber, concrete and steel.

Firms have until the end of August to submit an interest in bidding for all three stations. Shortlisted firms will then be invited to bid on 30 September.

 

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Plans in for £180m Milton Keynes tower scheme

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Developer First Base and investor Patron Capital have submitted plans for the £180m redevelopment of the Saxon Court former council office building in Milton Keynes.

The 2.35-acre site, which will be known as MK Gateway, will see the original former council building extended upwards by three floors and a  landmark 27-storey apartment built beside it.

The MK Gateway project is designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners

The overhauled Saxon Court building will provide office space while the existing large atrium space will become an indoor public square, with local independent food, drink, and leisure spaces, connected to an outdoor ‘village green’.

MK Gateway will provide the equivalent size of 19 tennis courts worth of publicly accessible space, creating a new neighbourhood to live, work and play.

Vertical gardens integrated into the residential building are claimed top be a first for the UK

Delivering 288 flats for rent, the vertical village building will feature 11 vertical gardens, totalling 4,500 sq ft, for residents to share and enjoy.

“We believe this highly sustainable development will support Milton Keynes’ growth ambitions, celebrate the city’s innovative spirit, and generate significant long-term benefits,” said Steve Eccles, Project Director, First Base.

Remodelled Saxon Court building will provide offices and a new indoor public square

If approved, construction should start before the end of this year.

 

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https://www.cmcconstruction.net/?p=258

5 Reasons Construction Projects Fail

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5 Reasons Construction Projects Fail

For commercial contractors, both GCs and subs, a successful project is one completed on time and within budget. The client is happy with the finished product and the contractor walks away with a tidy profit. Everybody wins. When a project fails, it’s typically due to conflicts and issues that cause cost overruns and delays in the schedule.


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Construction Resource Management: Tips and Tools for Success

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Staying on top of construction resource management is an absolute must. With today’s increasingly complex projects and tighter-than-ever timelines you simply can’t afford to misallocate the resources you have at your disposal.

There’s also the issue of labor shortages in construction. Research by the Associated General Contractors of America and Autodesk revealed that 80% of contractors are having difficulties finding qualified workers. As the industry continues to grapple with manpower challenges, you need to be smart about how you handle and assign labor resources.

This article will cover all that and more. 

We’ll dive into the ins and outs of construction resource management, plus discuss best practices and tools that can help you ensure that all your resources are allocated effectively and are put to good use. 

Let’s get started. 

What is Construction Resource Management?

Construction resource management is the practice of planning and managing the use of construction resources, to ensure that projects are delivered on time and within budget. 

Typically done by construction managers or project managers, construction resource management involves many tasks, including the following.

  • Monitoring the amount of resources available — everything from time and manpower to equipment, materials, and facilities.
  • Allocating and reallocating resources based on project needs and timelines.
  • Tracking and optimizing the use of resources.

The goal of construction resource management is to maximize the utilization of resources and reduce waste, ultimately meeting the project’s objectives in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible. 

Why Workforce Planning is Essential

Workforce planning — which is a key component of construction resource management — involves monitoring and allocating team members across projects. 

Effective workforce planning entails monitoring schedules, team bandwidth, and jobsite capacities. Managers need to balance all these components to ensure that each project is well-staffed and that team members aren’t over- or under-allocated. It also involves reviewing the company’s manpower resources and forecasting workforce needs, so the firm can recruit accordingly. 

Workforce planning is critical, particularly amidst issues like labor shortages. When you have limited manpower available, it’s even more important to keep a tight handle on your workforce. 

There’s also the matter of labor logistics. The world is starting to open back up and everyone is eager to put the pandemic behind us, but some of the issues brought about by COVID-19 will linger well into 2021. 

Some jobsites may continue to have limited capacity, so it’s essential to map out how teams are distributed in the field. Being mindful of capacity limits will keep construction sites safe and ultimately prevent any pandemic or health-related issues and delays. 

Benefits of Construction Resource Management

Now that you know the fundamentals of construction resource management, let’s discuss the benefits that you’ll gain from the practice. 

Lower Construction Costs

When you don’t have a handle on how much resources you need for your projects, you may end up allocating either too much or little to certain activities. This leads to double-work, wasted time, and delays — all of which add more costs to the project. For instance, the mismanagement of equipment or materials can result in excess spend that can be better used elsewhere. 

Proper construction resource management can prevent such issues from happening. When you’re closely tracking the use of resources and reallocating them based on the project’s needs, you can ensure that time and money are always well-spent. 

Higher Productivity

By implementing construction resource management, you can see to it that team members are assigned to the right place and they have what they need (i.e., equipment, materials, and supplies) to do their jobs well. 

As such, teams are able to be more productive. There’s less downtime or waiting around, plus they can do their best work because they have the necessary resources at the right time.

Increased Visibility into Your Resources

Construction resource management gives you better visibility into your resources. The practice involves closely monitoring resource utilization, so you always know what you have at any given time.

This, in turn, helps you make well-informed decisions on how to use and allocate construction resources. 

Ability to Be More Agile and Adaptable

It’s not uncommon for projects to run into sudden changes. If you’re not prepared, you may end up with inadequate resources to cover unexpected needs. 

You can avoid these situations by implementing proper construction resource management. When you constantly stay on top of how your budget, manpower, equipment, and materials are used, it’s much easier to re-evaluate and reallocate resources to cope with unforeseen project changes.

Creating a Resource Management Plan

One of the first steps to effective construction resource management is mapping out a plan for how resources will be allocated and used. While the specifics of this process will vary depending on your teams and projects, here are some general steps and considerations to keep in mind when crafting your construction resource management plan.

Determine the project timeline and all activities associated with it. Iron out all the necessary details involved in the project. Itemize the tasks and activities that need to be completed and specify the deadlines for each milestone. 

Determine the resources you need and the right allocations. Use the information from the previous step to figure out the right resource allocations for the project. At this stage, you’ll need to calculate the amount of resources required, assign them to the appropriate activities and project phases, and indicate when you’ll need them.

One thing you could do at this stage is to tap into your experience as well industry standards and previous project data to figure out the best allocations. 

Secure the necessary approvals. The next step is to get approval for the resources that you’re planning to use. Coordinate with the necessary parties and decision makers and ensure that you have the authorization to use the resources at the appropriate time. Be sure to complete this step before the project kicks off. 

Optimize and retool your plan when necessary. Your construction resource plan shouldn’t be set in stone. Keep an eye on it, even when the project is underway and don’t be afraid to pivot or launch a plan B if unforeseen issues arise. 

Top Innovations for Construction Resource Planning

Construction resource management shouldn’t be done manually. Equip yourself and your team with construction technologies that streamline the process of planning and allocating resources. 

Consider the following.

BIM 360 Plan

BIM 360 Plan offers robust capabilities to help you view and monitor supply chain and jobsite resources. The software’s customizable project views enable you to see work plans in List, Ganntt, or Swimplane view, so whether you’re looking for an itemized list of resources and activities or prefer to get a high level view of the project, you can do so easily with BIM 360 Plan. 

Bridgit

Bridgit is a leading workforce intelligence solution for construction pros. An excellent tool for planning and allocating manpower resources, Bridgit makes it easy to view which project roles are unfilled, so you can plan accordingly. It also has detailed reporting that offers insights into workforce utilization and project pipelines, enabling you to plan for your manpower needs.

Triax

Construction sites have many moving parts—including workers, equipment, and other materials—that need monitoring. However, the dynamic and fast-paced nature of jobsites make it difficult to do so. Enter Triax’s IoT solution designed for rugged working environments, Spot-r Mesh provides real-time visibility into all the resources you have on site. It’s low power requirements and easily deployable hardware give you actionable insights into your workforce and equipment on the construction site, making it simple to know resource location, utilization, and more.

Kwant.ai

Need detailed insights into workforce activities? Kwant.ai has you covered. The solution uses AI and IoT to monitor worker location and activities, giving you powerful intel for planning and allocating manpower. With Kwant.ai, you can easily see how workers are spending their time, which then helps you identify inefficiencies or areas that need to be optimized.

SkillSmart

SkillSmart’s compliance reporting and tracking software has excellent data and analytics tools to help you plan and manage project resources. SkillSmart InSight not only lets you track labor and compliance, it also provides real-time reports that cover payroll, contractor wage rates, and supplier tracking, among others. 

LaborChart

Another useful tool for labor allocation, LaborChart has several features for managing your construction workforce. One particularly helpful tool is the software’s Labor Allocation feature, which gives you a visual representation of your labor pool based on projects, trades, regions, and more. 

Proper Construction Resource Management is a Must

You can’t complete projects without the right workers, equipment, and facilities, which is why it’s critical to plan and allocate your resources effectively. So, take the time to understand each project’s needs then figure out the right resource allocation. To make things easier, use technology to automate various tasks and generate the necessary reports. 

For more best practices on construction management and technology, subscribe to our blog and get regular tips, stories, and news delivered to your inbox!

The post Construction Resource Management: Tips and Tools for Success appeared first on Digital Builder.

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How Much Does A Construction Worker Make?

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How much does a construction worker make

How much does a construction worker earn? That is a question that most of us have asked at some point or another in our lives. And the answer is never really comforting. There are a lot of factors that go into the calculation of pay for a construction worker. Let’s take a look at the most common factors and how they affect your pay.

 

One factor is experience. How long have you been working on a job? You might be young and just starting, or maybe you have been working for many years, and it’s time to move up to another challenge. The more experience you have, the more you will be paid.

 

Experience isn’t the only thing that directly affects how much a construction worker makes. Experience also is related to education. How many years have you worked in the construction field? The more education you have, the more potential you will have for higher-paying positions. Years of experience don’t always translate into high pay. Many younger workers don’t have years of experience in the field, so they are usually hired as apprentices for less money than they would otherwise earn in their first position.

 

Working conditions are also a huge part of the amount that a construction worker earns. How safe are the working conditions? Are there any health hazards? These can make a big difference in your pay packet as well as your overall experience.

 

The type of construction project that you are working on can greatly affect what you make. Certain types of buildings require different safety equipment, and many must meet particular building codes. This makes them a precious asset to a construction company. They have to be safe for the people who work for them, making or breaking a construction company.

 

Experience is the key factor in determining the amount of what a construction worker earns. They have to know how to work with tools, and they have to be skilled in their trade. It is always a good idea to ask what type of training they receive each year before hiring them. It never hurts to inquire. They may have been trained for a completely different job than what you need them for.

 

What jobs do they usually work in? There are numerous construction companies, and each one requires different types of workers. Finding out what a construction worker makes in your area can help you save money by avoiding overpaying. For example, some of the best jobs to find when you are trying to answer the question, “How much does a construction worker earn?” are the ones that pay well but don’t require any special training.

 

The best jobs to find if you want to know how much construction workers make are not seasonal. This is because the construction industry is always changing. They need construction workers for new projects, and they need them to stay on-site to perform maintenance and cleanup. They are a crucial part of any construction project, and any company that uses these people should be sure that they are fully insured and pay well.

 

If you have never worked as an apprentice, you may want to ask how much a construction worker earns? These apprenticeships are very popular today. In fact, many people can get a job as an apprentice through a previous company or another type of industry. The person must then learn everything they can about the construction process, and they are trained according to the company’s needs.

 

It’s also important to find out how much a construction worker earns when talking about temporary employment. This is where it can get tricky. If you are working as an apprentice and hoping to get hired on as an actual construction worker, you shouldn’t worry about how much you make. Your wages will depend upon the company you’re working for, and it will also be based upon your experience level and what you have to do for your temporary job.

 

When you are looking for answers to all of these questions, it can often be helpful to start by talking to some construction companies or individuals you know. You can find out how much a construction worker earns by talking to some of the actual people who work in these fields. However, if you don’t have any personal contact with anyone from this field, you can still find out what a construction worker earns by checking online. There are many websites dedicated to answering questions like this. However, keep in mind that these figures are only estimates – it’s really best to check with several different companies to get a good idea of how much you can expect to make.

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