Even though it often feels like we are the problem child on a project, construction pros and their teams aren't the top causes for construction claims on delays on large projects. At least that's the findings that leading AEC consultant, HKA published in their Crux Insight report. Globally, contractor driven causes aren't even in the top three causes of claims and delays. In the Americans, we are responsible for one of the top five issues (workmanship deficiencies).
Even though we aren't directly responsible for many of the most common project issues, we can help project teams work through them in the most cost and time effective manner possible. No matter when a client involves us in the design and construction process, the more knowledgeable and experienced we are, the better we are able to find issues that impact construction cost and time. Clients often look for construction pros that provide the cheapest price but would knowing how much, on average, the price and schedule increase on their projects be a metric to consider? I'd say yes. Contractors that have lower price and time increases would be ones most clients would like to talk with. Their ability to control increases could be related to project management skill, project selection expertise and many more variables. A huge warning sign for clients could be if the best contractors are steering their project pursuits away from their work. If the best contractors are avoiding their projects the scope and design quality might not be up to snuff.
Now, to focus on contractor specific issues. Workmanship is 100% our responsibility. Even with skilled labor getting harder and harder to find, we should have processes and the right leaders on the team to make sure projects are built right. Rework is both costly and dangerous. Most contractors have a higher number of safety incidents on rework related to workmanship deficiencies. Management of subcontractors and vendors is similar. We should build relationships and use the best ones when possible. When we aren't able to find a top notch construction pro for a certain scope, we should have the leadership and processes in place to help them succeed. If they win, we win. If we win, the client wins.
The HKA report was focused on large construction projects. Interestingly, and anecdotally, my experience with small projects has seen similar issues and outcomes. The proportions are the same but the total dollars and time are much less so they might not seem like as big of a deal. No matter the size of project we are building, we can build the best project team and implement the best practices possible to build the best projects we can. As construction pros, we should do our best to build a better world on each project and for each project.
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