It is without doubt that the relationship between contractors and subcontractors is the construction industry’s bread and butter. Maintaining healthy relations between all the parties involved in a project is completely essential to delivering a project on time and to specification, writes Richard Boston, Marketing Director at Eque2. However, in some cases difficulties between contractors and subcontractors can arise, particularly in terms of price estimation and job costing. With this in mind, how can construction management software solutions prevent these issues from occurring? Why relationships matter There are many mutual benefits when it comes to sustaining a positive working relationship between contractors and subcontractors. An equal, transparent relationship between these two parties ensures projects are completed efficiently and safely; for the benefit of not only the building’s occupants but the companies’ reputations.   In comparison, negative relationships between contractors and subcontractors can have adverse effects on a build, potentially jeopardising productivity, quality, completion times and securing future work. On a large commercial project a single contractor can be working with up to 20 subcontractors, possibly more. For the contractor, there is a huge amount of responsibility on their shoulders to manage their subcontractors efficiently. On the other hand, for the subcontractor, there is always a pressure to deliver what is required of them. A positive working relationship between the two operates in exactly the same way most healthy, mutual bonds work – through clarity, communication and respect.  Creating the best working relationship To build and maintain honest relationships throughout a project’s lifecycle, it is crucial to put these three factors into practice at each stage, particularly when it comes to dealing with more sensitive tasks that are likely to cause temporary confusion and disagreement. For example, let’s consider a delicate subject such as a project’s initial job costing stage. A common procedure across the construction industry and indeed further afield, job costing is a crucial process which creates an image of the labour and materials required and how profit can be made. The usual process is: one party, a subcontractor, estimates the cost of labour and materials and delivers this quote to the other party, the contractor. Although this description sounds relatively straightforward and unambiguous, this process can be more complicated when put into practice. In some cases, a contractor might be sceptical that the cost of materials or labour is a little higher or lower than originally anticipated. But, as this would typically be a manual process in which a subcontractor would present physical documentation to a contractor, there is little means for the contractor to accurately benchmark the costing to any other source. The lack of consistency and standardisation is an issue here and rarely bodes well for the remainder of a project. Immediately, this kind of situation creates a precarious bond between contractor and subcontractor. Although the contractor might go ahead with the job, there will always be that seed of doubt at the back of their minds which questions the reliability and accuracy of the job costing. “Is that piece of machinery really needed?”, “Could I have got it at a different price?” Consistency is crucial Clearly, there needs to be a standard process in which price estimations can be traced and compared to a faithful source. An example would be a modern construction estimating solution such as Eque2’s Evaluate, which incorporates industry-recognised and centuries-old Laxton’s pricing book. Built into Eque2’s EValuate, Laxton’s Priced Libraries features authentic, standardised rates for contractor’s to benchmark subcontractors’ tenders. Compatible with both SMM and NRM rules of measurement, Laxton’s provides annually updated rates for accurate up-to-date information. EValuate with Laxton’s Priced Libraries is fully compliant with industry standards, giving contractors and subcontractors complete peace of mind when it comes to labour and material cost estimation. And, what’s more, as Laxton’s is now fully integrated within modern estimating software, it means all estimations can be traced, recorded and accessed easily in the same place. But what does this mean for contractor and subcontractor relationships? With modern estimating software, subcontractors and contractors feel more comfortable during the estimation process. This is because Laxton’s can be used as a benchmarking tool for contractors to compare rates with an accurate, reliable source, and can work with the subcontractors collaboratively from there. Overall, it creates a mutually healthy and beneficial business relationship for all. There is no doubt that the contractor and subcontractor relationship is essential to a project’s success. With this in mind, isn’t it high time that more robust, digital measures were employed to preserve this important bond? Visit:  https://www.eque2.co.uk

Advancements in technology have improved most industries, including the construction and engineering sectors.  But could humans eventually find themselves redundant within these work spheres at the expense of technology?  Probably not!  After all, software is usually only as good as the human operating it… Computer-based assistance really is just that: a tool to assist. The successful link between computer programmes and engineering skill varies depending on which part of the AEC industry they are being used in. To understand how this factor can impact their relationship, we must first look at the three main stages of engineering design.  Concept design: At this stage, the majority of the design comes from the imagination of the engineer, supported by some simple sizing elements or calculations. Drafting and analysis: This stage brings the concept design into the real world more earnestly, checking that it is feasible and how it will succeed. This stage is predominantly computer-based, using, for example building design software, which strives to assist engineers work with regards to accuracy. Detailed design: This stage is when, as the name suggests, the design becomes much more detailed. At this point, the design is almost completely computer-based, with analysis happening in the background. It’s likely that such processes will always require an aspect of creativity and imagination — the ability to think outside the box and problem-solve in new ways. But it’s not just the imaginative aspect that machines cannot replicate in full: fine tuning, for example, still needs a guiding human hand in order to ensure the outputs are correct. While leaps and bounds are certainly being made in machine learning, whereby computers can now make decisions based on historical data and records, it is highly unlikely that this will develop to the point where human skill and judgement become obsolete. Naturally, human judgment is not flawless. Mistakes can be made when writing the programmes designed to support design, or further along the line when inputting data into these programmes. Either error will result in an inaccurate output. For this reason, the topic of automated checking — whereby computer programmes will check the input against previous projects and their success or failure — has been a hot point of discussion within the AEC industry lately. However, it is worth bearing in mind that the majority of engineering disasters have occurred due to something unusual; that is, something that has not happened in previous related projects. While rule-checkers help when situations where rules apply, they aren’t able to flag something that hasn’t happened in previous records, i.e. something unusual. There are many examples of such missed errors. For example, the Millennium Bridge’s well-known wobble was not picked up on at any point by the design’s code. Programmes failed to predict the wind instability of Tacoma Narrows. While engineers can make use of a value judgement, computer programmes do not. As the world changes, engineers will make a value judgement to adapt their designs accordingly. In order for both human and technological processes to be as accurate as possible, formulas need to be crafted. There are several structures and designs that have had formulas developed exclusively for them. For example, the original formula creation for shell structures had to be created by expert mathematicians to ensure success. Now, with Finite element Analysis, almost any form can be analysed — but that does not mean these forms are always sensible. There’s a certain amount of tension between architects and engineers surrounding this. Where engineers are seen as wanting functionality, architect are seen as wanting novelty first. But this disparity makes for the perfect partnership towards the best designs.        

Construction is a very perplexing business where many different stakeholders, tools and equipment are involved in every step along the way. In that sense, it comes as no surprise that the industry is continuously struggling with low productivity, budget overruns and costly delays. The emergence of digital technologies in the course of the last two decades has started to change things for the better but there is still a long way to go before we can claim that construction has managed to become fully-digitised. Lack of trust on contractual relations and the undisputed power of habit are two of the main factors which hinder the digital transformation of the building sector so far. It goes without saying that all the parameters described above have a strong impact on the plan of every construction project. Real-time communication is probably the number one challenge as many project agents end up to work on outdated versions of the plan due to the lack of a simple way to share and receive the latest updates from the site. The problem is that every construction project is a chain of tasks, specifications and deadlines. Even the slightest alteration on the programme (eg. a two-day delay on the delivery of on-site materials) can bring a project weeks or months behind the initial schedule resulting in considerable financial and resource losses. Keeping all that in mind, we did our research and present to you below five powerful tips that will help you stay on top of your plan in construction: 1. Invest in standardisation Adding clarity to all the systems and processes that you are using both on the field and the office is extremely important for your effort to keep your project under control. The earlier you implement such an approach the easier it will be for every member of your team to follow the agreed plan. Standardisation in a project can be achieved in a number of ways. For example, using the same type of equipment in every project of following the same process when it comes to reporting from the field can help you monitor easier if everything goes according to the plan. Especially if this process has been replicated in previous projects, you will already have some substantial benchmarks which can effortlessly show you whether there are any threats for the smooth development of your project. Given the increasing momentum of prefabrication and modularisation, it is quickly understandable that investing in standardisation can have a positive influence on the future development of your company, too. 2. Implement software early in the process Once all your processes are in place, it’s time to implement software in your project. There are many types of digital solutions where you can choose from. In any case, there is one parameter that you should always consider a must. That is the ability of your new tool to interact. It is of paramount importance that all project agents can effortlessly exchange updates, documents or photos from the site. On top of that, all members of your team should have access to real-time overview of your project’s progress. The existence of a single source of truth can make a big difference for the development of your project as it will decrease misunderstandings to a great extent. Of course, the implementation of a new digital tool can be received with skepticism in the beginning so you want to start the roll out as early as possible in order to give your workers time to work with the tool and explore the features and possibilities that it offers. 3. Learn by your data One of the most valuable services that construction software can provide to you in order to stay on top of your plan is data. These precious pieces of information can reveal a lot about the progress of your project and warn you on time if your programme isn’t going as expected. Moreover, data can be the groundwork on which you can build your future tasks and projects as it can point out the areas where you should improve. Data can also play a decisive role in resolving disputes on and off site offering an objective representation of what’s happening in the project. In other words, a data-driven plan equals to higher accountability and more precise overview of the construction process. In the long run, this can be the key for a healthy project with low rework rates, increased productivity and a good connection between the office and the construction site. 4. Hold regular meetings with your team Construction software can help a lot with bridging the gap between the boardroom and the field but this doesn’t mean that you should remain proactive and willing to meet all members of your team on a regular basis. The best way to achieve this is by holding frequent update meetings with your team. These meetings should be the time where all your co-workers can voice their concerns, discuss any problems that they might face and ask for advice. In the same sense, it’s a good opportunity for you to provide guidance and give constructive feedback. This exchange of updates and opinions can eventually result in a better coordinated project where everyone remains at the same page and feels part of the team. Such an approach will greatly increase your chances for a successful project with no delays and clear communication. 5. Replicate the process in future projects In the long term, being able to replicate the same process in your future projects is the safest way to remain on top of your plan in construction. Through repetition, the development of a project can become much faster and efficiently. Everyone will have a good grasp of what it is expected by them and how they should complete their tasks. Without a doubt, this will lead to a smoother project process with fewer miscommunications and substantially less waste. In addition, due to the high standardisation of the entire procedure it will be much faster for your team to detect mistakes or areas which could hinder the progress of your project. Final word Wrapping it all up, staying on top of your plan in construction is always a challenge. Nevertheless, with the right processes and systems in place it can be much easier to retain control over multiple projects and connect the site to the office in real time eliminating budget overruns and project delays. About the author: Anastasios Koutsogiannis is Content Marketing Manager at LetsBuild (formerly GenieBelt).    

Technology is evolving through all work sectors, and in particular, it is streamlining construction processes. As software offers ways to gain and store data for projects, and hardware is developed to pick up basic tasks such as bricklaying, concern has been rising over how much longer the human element will be needed in the workplace. Here with structure analysis software experts Oasys, we investigate what the future of builders holds. Worrying over technology taking over jobs It’s a common concern within the industry that technology will ‘steal’ jobs. Technology will not steal our jobs, but just replace us as we shift roles. But how will this impact the construction industry? To understand, we need to have an oversight on statistics that have been released regarding this issue. Boston Consulting Group has said that by 2025, up to a quarter of jobs will be replaced by smart software or robots. This includes a range of professions, from factory workers to doctors, and even journalists. However, a study carried out by Oxford University has said that 35% of existing jobs in Britain are at risk of automation in the next 20 years. There is a great deal of uncertainty regarding the reduction of physical workers, however. However, this can be challenged if we start preparing early and encourage current and future workers to adapt to the changes. This could include advancing their own skillset with a focus on how they can do their job better with the use of technology. How roles in construction are shifting With all the worries over technology taking jobs, there’s often little focus on the need to maintain this technology and the jobs that will create. It’s also left unmentioned that workers will need to use technology, and that leads us to the decision that in the construction industry, builders of the future will become programmers. Over the years, we have seen constant changes in the way we work, and the construction sector has been very accepting to new and innovative methods to make jobs easier. From hammers to nail guns, shovels to diggers — and now practical labour to programming. This isn’t a change that will happen rapidly though. Programming is a topic that schools around the UK should be looking to implement into their curriculums as a core subject to keep up with the demand of jobs and to keep up with the constant changes in technology. If we’re teaching young people old ways, they will be useless when it comes to doing the work and there might not even be jobs available that match their skillsets. With the constant growth in technology surrounding construction, young people need to be prepared with the skills and this shouldn’t be up for debate. Like the studies discussed earlier, more jobs are at risk of being lost due to smart software and robots. Workers need to be as good as the technology. Let’s consider this technology. When it comes to a common piece of software that is used in construction, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is an element that can be beneficial, as it allows the appropriate people to access all of the information about a project in one place. It can look at key stages of a project across the lifecycle of a job and provide the information that is needed. This can save both time and money for any construction company and allows builders to have a clear oversight. BIM can help illustrate the entire building, from starting processes to its demolition, and can even show how materials can be reused. Technology is, in a way, taking over the workplace, but in order to maintain relevance in the industry, people must be willing to pick up new digital skills. Sources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-33327659 https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/19/robot-based-economy-san-francisco