Maybe a business owner can’t put their finger on exactly what is wrong. How will they know they need to hire someone like you?
When they get to the end of big project or a fiscal year and wonder why they’re not making much money.
From my perspective, specialty contractors have a far greater chance of making money than general contracting. You see, general contractors are largely paid for managing risks. The best general contractors have become adept at transferring every conceivable risk to the trades or an insurance company. At their best (or worst, depending on your perspective), the general contractor coordinates, sequences, communicates and orchestrates the work to its necessary completion within an expected timeframe without taking any other risks. Simply put, they manage the production schedule and project on behalf of all vested parties.
The specialty trade provides an essential component of every construction project – their craft. No one should know better the complexities and cost of putting this work in place. The specialty contractor is uniquely qualified to do the work and know how to complete the work ahead of schedule and under budget. With good job costing data, the specialty contractor can estimate the cost of the work with some level of precision. When they add to a good estimate a well written work scope and adequately negotiated contract, they position themselves to win a profitable job from the very beginning.
If your company is not thriving, especially in the current environment, take a hard look at comparing your estimated costs and your actual job costs. If your projects are completing more than three to five percent over the estimate, you’ve may a major disconnect between estimating and job costing. In this business, money is made or last on the bid desk. Period.
