CONTACT
SUBSCRIBE- SOLUTIONS
- 2008 Classes
- Project Management Training
- Strategic Operations Programs
- Process & Workflow Improvement
- Excel Tools For Contractors
- Operations & Acctg. Integration
- Customized Training Programs
- RCCA (Rapid Const. Co. Analysis)
- Emerging Contractor Development
- CCD (Const. Co. Development)
- Special Projects
- RESOURCES
- BLOG
- CONTRACTOR HEADLINES
- ABOUT
- CONTACT
- SUBSCRIBE
- CLIENT LOGIN
HEADLINES ADDED: December 30, 2007
Mechanic's Lien Notice Language
In response to more questions regarding Mechanic's liens we have cut and pasted the standard notice of lien form lifted from the Maryland Annotated Code. Remember, this notice must be sent registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, to the Owner. It can also be personally delivered to the Owner. If notice cannot be accomplished by these means, it can be posted on the property.Notice to Owner or Owner's Agent of Intention to Claim a Lien ........................................................(Subcontractor) did work or furnished material for or about the building generally designated... Read More
Defective Specifications
A recent Federal Circuit case underscores a contractor's rights to equitable adjustment when the owner provides defective specifications. In this case, the contractor made a claim for a constructive change as a result of having to proceed under what it contended were omissions in the specifications. The Government took the position that since the specifications were defective the contractor should not have relied upon them. Citing to well established precedent, the trial court had expressed that"[w]hen the government provides a contractor with defective specifications, thegovernment is deemed to have... Read More
Secrets to Superior Safety
Secret number 1: There are no secrets... Read More
How Do We Learn? - A Primer
... Read More
Your Corporate Website Is Boring Applicants
... Read More
A Success Story - Reinventing The Educational Process
... Read More
Are you using the office "grapevine" to its fullest potential?
... Read More
Branding 101
... Read More
From sales pitch to trusted partnership
... Read More
Job Theft on a Construction Site
A contractor called recently with a question about what to do with a homeowner complaint that some of their liquor has been stolen (just the liquor - the bottle was left behind). He had two subs on the job site during the time when this “theft” took place, and that he had to deal with a customer that was behaving unusually. He asked several times when she bought the bottle of Old Grand Dad, but she never gave a direct answer. Which leads one to believe that the owner... Read More
Searchers vs. Planners
In the December Atlantic, Sarah Chayes tells the fascinating, frustrating story of her Afghan adventures in entrepreneurship--and the utter lack of interest she encountered from U.S. funders charged with aiding Afghan economic development.... Read More
Industry Insider’s Best of 2007
In 2007, I wrote 12 Industry Insider columns. In doing so, I articulated at least 12 controversial, humorous, bizarre, audacious or profound thoughts. ... Read More
Go Get Your Goals in ‘08
It’s a new year and 2008 is going to bring you what you want, I promise. How can I make that promise? Because I promise you are more likely to stick to your resolutions WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FRIENDS. I just spent seven days in life-planning bootcamp that I put on for a group of my friends and I have all my goals clearly laid out. A complete first draft of my next book by June. Getting my blood pressure down to 130/70 without meds. Going to... Read More
Asia/Pacific Equipment Demand Expected To Exceed North American Demand by 2011
... Read More
New-home Sales Fall Nine Percent
New-home sales plummeted by nine percent in November from October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 647,000 according to a report released by the Department of Commerce and the Department of Housing and Urban Development on Friday.... Read More
Top Classroom Technologies for 2008
As teachers and students get geared up for the second half of the school year to start, systems integrators are reviewing last year’s sales figures and predicting what may be top technologies for classrooms in the coming year. Bob Berry, a Seattle-based sales executive for AV supplier Troxell Communications... Read More
1997 UBC / 2006 IBC Structural Comparison and Cross Reference
By 4012S06. ICC. Price: $45. Publish Date: 06/2006... Read More
Update Your Knowledge of Concrete and Framework Easy!
... Read More
Sir Norman Foster to Give Moscow World’s Largest Building
Moscow may soon be home to the world’s largest building, described as a city-within-a-city, and four times the area of the Pentagon. Dubbed ‘Crystal Island’, it will cover 27 million square feet and stand roughly 1500 feet tall, and comes with a price tag of $4 billion. Just what will this building contain? 3000 hotel rooms, 900 apartments, a 500 student international school, a museum, cinemas, theaters, a sports complex, and a plethora of shops. The idea is to have every desirable amenity within a comfortable, indoor walking distance. It will... Read More
Could Gains in Energy Efficiency Cause Increases in Energy Consumption?
I was browsing Reed’s market insights today when this piece on energy efficiency caught my eye. After doing a number of interviews with green building leaders and researching the topic, this article was especially thought provoking. It challenges the conventional wisdom behind many green building practices and policies. Conventional wisdom tells us that one way to decrease the carbon footprint of a building or building project is to increase its energy efficiency. In homes, for example, this translates into energy efficient appliances, the smallest possible HVAC systems, and energy-conscious windows (among... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: December 27, 2007
The Pitfalls of Using Your Name as Your Company’s Name
Many construction companies are named after their founder, like “Smith Construction”, “Larry’s Plumbing”, and “Johnson Electric”. But companies that make use of surnames may have problems obtaining exclusive trademark rights in those names -- rights that the company could enforce against competitors that adopt confusingly similar names. This is a brief explanation of why you may want to rethink using your name as your company’s name.A company can obtain enforceable trademark rights without formally registering its trademark, so long as the company makes commercial, public use of the trademark.... Read More
A101 2007 Changes
The A101- 2007 provides a few significant changes from its 1997 counterpart. We will outline those that we believe are more than just stylistic. 1. On the cover page, the A101-2007 requires a more detailed description of the project.2. In Article 3, liquidated damages can be assessed for failing to achieve substantial completion on time. The A101-1997 referred only to completion3. Article 4 provides for the inclusion of any allowances in the Contract Sum.4. The dispute resolution provision is markedly different. It creates an Initial Decision Maker, with the... Read More
Important Changes to the 2007 A401 - AIA Standard Form of Agreement Between A Contractor and Subcontractor
The American Institute of Architects (“AIA”) revised its standard form contract documents this year, including the standard form agreement between a contractor and subcontractor.Published in October 2007, the changes to AIA A401-2007 contain large impacts to both general and subcontractors, some of which are summarized below: Subcontract Documents Under the new A401-2007 contract form, a contractor need only make available the Subcontract Documents to a subcontractor, where previously copies of these documents were furnished by the contractor. As such, a subcontractor must specifically request all Subcontract Documents from the... Read More
Mechanic’s Liens - The 15% Issue
A mechanic’s lien secures payment for labor or materials supplied by a subcontractor or general contractor in the improvement of real property, but not all buildings are subject to a mechanic’s lien. Unless the building is newly constructed, work done on a building to repair, rebuild, or improve an existing building must increase its value by 15%. If the work performed does not increase the value of the property by 15%, then Maryland will not permit the establishment of a mechanic’s lien.Bowie & Jensen represented a heating, ventilation and... Read More
Bid Protests and Appeals - Time for Filing
Maryland provides only a limited time for a contractor to file a bid protest and failure to abide by these time constraints will be fatal to all claims by the contractor. Further, Maryland provides a limited time for an appeal to the Maryland Board of Contract Appeals and contractors must be aware of these rigid time restrictions when considering protesting an unsuccessful bid or denial of any claim.If a contractor believes it has been aggrieved in connection with the solicitation or the award of a governmental construction contract in... Read More
The ‘Columbo Objection’: Recovering the Lost Sale
Many people feel that if you give any price concessions, they’ll just keep pushing you and won’t stop. When you’ve hit your limit, stop. It’s okay to give a little.... Read More
Marketing Lessons for the New Year
Does your year just happen, or do you make it happen?... Read More
Growing Pains or Growing Gains?
The devil is in the details when you build your company through acquisitions.... Read More
Blogging’s a Low-Cost, High Return Marketing Tool
Although small businesses with blogs are still a distinct minority, blogging can be a low-cost way to market and boost a small company’s brand. (Subscription required)... Read More
Trucktruth.com Launches Lift Truck Calculator
New online tool compares the costs of owning IC versus electric-powered lift trucks... Read More
What's IT Worth?
Most companies fail to report the true value of their software assets, according to a new study.... Read More
Look Who's Not Talking
Both company directors and senior managers place a premium on strategic planning. So what keeps them from collaborating on it?... Read More
Homeland Security's Tom Ridge
The first secretary of Homeland Security tells CFO what companies should fear most.... Read More
Habitat for Humanity Earns LEED Certification for Ninth Home in Grand Rapids, Michigan Area
For a Grand Rapids, Michigan family, this Christmas was particularly special as it moved into a $110,000 LEED-certified home built by Habitat for Humanity and sponsored by Spartan Stores. The home is the ninth for which Habitat’s Kent County chapter has received a LEED rating (including one Platinum and two Gold) under USGBC’s LEED for Homes Pilot Program. The Mast family moved into their new house in mid-December after providing the required 300 hours of service to Habitat after their application was approved in March. Kent County’s Habitat chapter... Read More
Process Improvement - The Second Most Important Thing
Any construction firm seeking a faster or more accurate business process must start at a reservoir of best practices. For a quicker achievement of its goal, a library of best practices allows a contractor to sort, discard and pare down dozens of ideas in a single day to the strongest ones which will help him or her reach schedule, financial, safety and quality goals. Once a good set of practices are destined for adoption, the next step is not so obvious. It is the concept of "discrete tasks go... Read More
Enforcing a Mechanic’s Lien
... Read More
Sales and use tax relief for contractors.
The Maryland sales and use tax will be increased from 5% to 6% on January 3, 2008; however, there is a limited exception for contractors and subcontractors who buy materials after January 3rd for incorporation into real property under a contract that was made before January 3rd. In other words, contractors who entered into contracts in 2007 can buy materials for those projects at the 5% sales tax rate even after the 6% rate generally goes into effect. The Comptroller's office has created a certificate that contractors can submit... Read More
Hammering Away at Construction Hazards
As the construction season heats up, make sure your workers won't get nailed by the most common causes of injuries.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: December 26, 2007
Prevailing Wages on Government Contracts
Certain federal laws require contractors and subcontractors to pay some employees wages in excess of minimum wage. Most notably,