Quote:
Originally Posted by Superman
I am in the construction industry and have noticed a pattern. There are two distinct classes of construction contractors. There are efficient contractors who focus a great deal of attention and energy on planning and managing projects. These people create a tight but realistic construction schedule that considers ALL the details of material delivery, staging, storing and scheduling subcontractor work to occur at the best possible time, making sure the work that needs to preceded that subcontractor's work is sure to be completed by that time. "A thousand details" understates the challenge, which they rise to meet and exceed. When it comes to hiring construction workers, these companies insist on fully-skilled and motivated workers. The hourly rate they pay is, in their view, inconsequential.
Then there are the other contractors. Those guys want to pay a lesser wage to the workers, and hope for the best. They attempt to be a low-cost alternative to the companies described above, and they fail. These guys are not less expensive. They're cheaper, but more expensive.
|
In my professional experience as an architect, this sums it up nicely.
A+
All-too-often when you get bids back it's a formality. The client ends up paying the same in the end for the high bidder as the low bidder plus umpteen-bajillion pesos in change orders.
The real difference is in how many extra gray hairs and days taken off peoples' lives due to stress, not the dollars.
I like to cite what I call the "Seven P Rule":
Proper
Prior
Planning
Prevents
Piss
Poor
Performance
Too true.