If you perform in the construction sector, be sure that all the challenges you face are easy to solve. If you face serious problems as a general contractor, it brings more risks to your business. That is why you should consider the most common but very dangerous issues beforehand. From the very starting point of each construction project, you need to have a precise strategy to progress in your niche even if some pitfalls might appear your way.
Thus, most present-day contractors select precise decision-making algorithms based on automated and digital-friendly approaches. One of them is using software for building estimation. The construction estimators get modern digital tools for estimating, costing, and reporting to automate maximally the pre-construction phase and improve bidding and tendering experiences.
Almost all the sharp questions that are still open for representatives of the building sector can be solved with the help of the leverages and programs that promote digitization and automation of the construction workflows together with the idea of paperless operations on the site and in the contractor’s offices. Let’s take a closer look at the three biggest problems in construction that annoy today’s contractors and subcontractors (both large building firms and middle-size or even small businesses in this niche).
3 Issues to Do Away for Your Success in Construction: Review of the Common Problems of Today’s Contractors
Be sure that your business is free from risks that can be brought with inaccuracies in reports, calculations, and estimates. If you still have challenges that require relevant solutions right here and now, explore the top three issues of today’s contractors to do away with standing progress. Among these burning problems are:
- Procurement of the irrelevant materials;
- Moisture-related weak spots of your construction;
- Budget restrictions & blueprint-related issues.
It is worth noting that all these difficulties bring more and more imperfections to your workflows and operations. It means that poor budget planning and budget restrictions can cause a chain of unpleasant surprises after the pre-construction phase comes to an end. You are likely to have more and more issues in the construction and post-construction phases without well-thought approaches for accurate estimating and costing.
For this purpose, optimize your pre-construction arrangements with the help of the best-matching digital tools like 3D modeling for designers and project bidding software for estimators and risk managers. Speaking about three sharp questions we still need to observe and find solutions for them, here they are.
1 – Procurement of the Wrong Materials
As procurement is a fundamental aspect of your pre-construction phase, any issues concerning this stage can be critical for your business. For example, procurement of materials and any forms of construction supplies matter for your high-profit margins. Some contractors order improper materials, and others – ask suppliers about the wrong quantity that is not enough or too much for your project.
Finally, you need to overpay for additional supplies that are not enough for building procedures. This way, the rates of your supplier can be far from the ones you had before for bulk orders. At the same time, extra materials bought for the project should be stored somewhere. This is about extra costs and new holes in your budgets because of spending on storage services and transportation costs.
Solutions
Not to order improper materials and be sure of the number of required supplies, it is better to compare all the construction specifications at the very beginning. Ask your competent specialists about the planned number of these or other materials for your on-site building tasks. Additionally, you can share responsibilities concerning collaborations with suppliers with your managers (this person is going to check transportation costs, storage requirements, the quantity of supplies, etc.).
Finally, ask your accounting specialists to track delivery dates specified in the agreements with your suppliers. If any delays take place, you can get compensation and decrease rates to order materials at lower price tags. Check routes and optimize them together with your specialists while informing your supplier about new transportation specifications and delivery terms.
2 – Moisture and Weather-Related Issues
Heavy rains and other weather extremes can damage the interior and exterior of your premise. Your ceiling and walls can be spoiled with moisture and other weather-related issues, and unpleasant transformations.
Solutions
Do not neglect waterproofing services for your commercial and residential premises. User water-resistant materials like a specific type of clay, plaster, cement, and other supplies. Your newly-built projects will be protected from any form of moisture and perform increased stability and integrity.
3 – Budget Restrictions & Poor Blueprint Background
Speaking about your original blueprint, the contractor might deviate from it much. That is why budget restrictions take place. The company feels limited in the choice of materials and planned costs for the project performance on time and with zero risks.
Solutions
Be ready to compare your original blueprint with the final results. Exclude the risk of reworks for your teammates but always ask about some tasks redone when it comes to attracting subcontractors. Additionally, optimize your budget planning from the very starting point.
This way, most holes in your budget will be excluded together with possible restrictions. Have a balanced list of expenditures before bidding and tendering to assess your profit margins correctly before the project begins.
