The key to screening projects, estimating and landing competitive bids is in what you know and where to find it. Using Internet tools will help you work your way to the projects best suited for your company.

By Larry True
Last month, I wrote about various approaches to job cost control for trade contractors. This month, I shift the focus to heavy/highway contractors to discuss the various successful and not-so-successful methods I have seen through the years. Heavy/highway contractors frequently depend on pay items to judge their project progress. However, that may only cover part of the picture. To be complete and effective, a construction job should be subdivided into paid and non-paid items—or direct and indirect costs, as they are sometimes labeled.

By John Jurewicz, AIA
Finding new leads on worthwhile projects is a vital function of any successful contractor. Knowing which jobs are best suited to your organization and mobilizing your estimating team to chase it before bids are due are key steps toward giving your organization a competitive advantage in landing profitable projects. Improving your company’s bidding process through online bidding communities is one way to ensure landing the jobs you should.

By Gordon H. Aronson, P.E. and Dan Patterson, Ph.D., PMP
The project architect/engineer, owner, construction manager or contractor who has made the decision to move to an advanced system like Primavera Engineering & Construction or its younger brother, Primavera Contractor, is ready to carry project management to the next level. All who make their living in the engineering and construction industry recognize the long list of factors that make this a business full of risks. Yet, it is the rare project, from start to finish, that openly assesses and accounts for the time and cost risks. Evidence suggests that most engineers and owners simply ignore its existence, too many construction managers refuse to deal with it, and countless contractors believe that it’s not worth the effort, given the specified and accepted contractual constraints.

By Gordon H. Aronson
One of Primavera’s most compelling features is its graphics for displaying activity sequence, duration and logic. P3e/c and Contractor present new features, as well as new challenges. This article demonstrates the importance of careful attention to the bar layout settings.

By Marc Johnson
A successful schedule is more than just starting and ending a job on time. While nothing guarantees 100% performance on every job, following these steps significantly increase the probability for successful, on-time project completion.