"Many construction companies fail to carry out basic research before submitting a price for a project." Pricing a construction project without researching it properly could be costly.Some years ago we were staying at a Bed and Breakfast in the highlands of South Africa. It was winter and the day’s temperature was about 16 degree Celsius (60F) and the nights dipped to -2 Celsius (30F). It wasn’t freezing but the air had a bite to it. It was late evening and we were having drinks in front of a cozy log fire when two tourists arrived (bird watchers) with their guide. They immediately gravitated to the fire to warm up. The bird watchers were thinly clad in shorts and T-shirts and one had a sleeveless light jacket. They looked frozen. The local guide had a pullover and a thick jacket. We asked them why they were dressed for summer and where their sweatshirts were. Apparently they arrived in South Africa the day before from New York (where it was summer) and were collected at the airport by their birding guide to start a 10 day bird trip through South Africa. They hadn’t packed anything warm as they were coming to Africa – apparently they thought Africa was always warm! Now Africa actually consists of about 50 countries and South Africa spans from about 20˚⁰South to 35⁰South and much of the interior has an altitude over 4,000 feet so in winter it can get fairly cold – although snow isn’t common. Since these guys were on a bird watching trip they weren’t staying in towns where warmer clothes could be purchased. We thought of them the next morning when we heard them leave at 5.30am. When we had breakfast at 7am the frost was still thick on the ground. Bird watching means you are outside much of the time walking the fields – it wouldn’t have been fun in summer clothes that morning. So here’s an example of individuals who hadn’t done their basic research before leaving on vacation – and suffered for it. Of course we hear many vacation disaster stories of tourists unable to travel because their passports had expired, they failed to get the required visas, overstayed their visas, or missed their flights because they hadn’t looked at their flight times properly. All of this costs them money and time. They have to rearrange travel plans. Indeed, I have sometimes been amazed at the lack of travel knowledge and preparation of some tourists on my journeys. On a cruise to the Antarctic a fellow passenger remarked she didn’t realize that all she would be seeing was ice! In the same way I’m often amazed at construction companies that fail to carry out basic research before submitting a price for a project. They seem to assume the construction project is the same as their last projects. Frequently we hear stories of contractors losing millions on a construction project - often leading to bankruptcy. Why these huge losses. Well of course sometimes it's just due to poor project management, but many contractors also lose money because they priced the construction project badly. Possibly this was due to them not reading the contract document, or misinterpreting the project scope, or misunderstanding the project conditions. "Understand the project conditions." What homework should construction companies do when pricing a new project?
Research your construction projects before pricing themMany construction companies have lost big money because they failed to do adequate homework when pricing a project. Sometimes these companies have even gone bankrupt. Spending that extra time to understand the pricing documentation, know your customer, visit the project site and understand the local conditions will prevent you from making expensive mistakes. Even if you worked in an area before don’t assume the conditions haven’t changed. Even if you have worked for the same customer before don’t assume the contract conditions and specifications are the same. Spend time and do your research. 12 Tactics to Win More Construction Projects at The Right Price This article was first published on the ClockShark website - Get The Industries' #1 Time-Tracking AppRunning a field service or construction business takes coordination and a great team. With ClockShark you get the industries' #1 timesheet app Please share this post Learn more about Construction Project Management"It is a very easy to use book with guidelines that are referenced intelligently with case studies." (Reader - Amazon.com) To read more about the author’s books and find out where you can purchase them visit the pages on this website by clicking the links below: 'Successful Construction Project Management: The Practical Guide' 'Building a Successful Construction Company: The Practical Guide' 'Construction Claims: A Short Guide for Contractors' 'Construction Project Management: Tips and Insights' 'Construction Book reviews' To read more about the author visit the page 'Paul Netscher' Want to contact Paul Netscher please enter your details on 'Contacts' Find out how Paul Netscher can help you Order your books from Amazon Order your books from Amazon UK © 2016 This article is not to be reproduced for commercial purposes without written permission from the author. construction management construction project management
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