Mastering Project Delivery and Choosing the Platform That's Right for You - 4-Part Series

Download this four-part series to learn best practices for construction project delivery that fits your goals. It's a fact - successful construction projects require three essential components: collaboration, a workable schedule and proper contract administration. Whether design-bid-build, design-build, CM at Risk, or IPD, collaboration between the owner, design team, contractor and construction manager enables early identification of risks and least-cost solutions, reducing or avoiding contentious claims and adversarial posturing

Mastering Project Change Orders (Plus Bonus Training Program -- Paper to Paperless...)

Download this four-part series that dissects the numerous complexities that lead to claims on construction projects. Attorneys presenting the sessions examine federal and private contract clauses that govern the ability to recover costs and time, including the roles and dynamics of the project staff and the owner's team. They shed light on solving the technical specification conflicts that typically cause claims. The series will help you understand various rights and remedies you might have to recover all costs and time related to the changes. Owners and contractors alike should have their teams sit in on these sessions to be able to quickly resolve potential costly problems at the least expense to all parties.

Small Unmanned Aerial Systems: Keep Your Drones From Going Rogue

Are you flying a drone without a pilot’s license? Laugh if you will, but the Federal Aviation Administration adopted rules recently to regulate the commercial operation of drones. Drones offer extensive benefits to all the parties involved in construction projects, but drones are not mere off-the-shelf toys that you can take out of their boxes and fire up for use. For better or worse, operating a drone is legally considered operating an aircraft in U.S. airspace, with all the attendant regulatory burdens and legal risks. 

Identification and Notification - Keys to Success

Joe McManus discusses the "hows and whys" of identifying claims and notifying the owner of all potential problems. This is one of the most important aspects of contract administration, as proper notification is paramount to avoid losing one's right to submit a claim as well as to establish the foundation for ultimate proof and recovery.

The Fundamentals of Joint Ventures in Construction

Learn why, in an industry that is filled with fiercely competitive and independent-minded risk-takers, we so often see competitors come together to form Joint Ventures to pursue and perform work on construction projects in the USA and around the world. This 90-minute session, which is presented in a simple and straightforward manner by a professional with years of hands-on experience in the negotiation, drafting and administration of Joint Venture Agreements, highlights basic differences and alert you to the unique risks of Joint Ventures.

Documentation: Best Practices for Identification and Support of Claims

Listen to Robert Freas and Wesley Grover for this in-depth review of the various records and documents including examples of times & material reporting, daily reports, documentation logs, production and other reports that should be kept for both improved project performance and improved change order management and claims resolution.

ADA Accessibility – Is Your Project or Property in Compliance?

The presenters review the new rules such as “safe harbors,” highlight major changes, and point out potential implications for your projects. This webinar explores the scoping and technical aspects of ADAAG/ADASAD and offers guidance on how owners, contractors and operators of facilities available to the public can navigate the technical aspects of the Law and avoid claims of non-compliance.

OSHA Focus Four Hazards: Best Practices to Prevent Accidents and Fatalities

This is your opportunity to learn from one of the foremost and experienced safety consultants and OSHA-authorized trainers, Neil Opfer, also professor of construction management at UNLV. This unique presentation will have your staff working with renewed interest and incentive to improve the safety culture at your organization. Whether you're a contractor, construction manager or an owner, safety knowledge is your responsibility and provides you with direct benefits. Workers who feel their organization is looking after their safety will work more confidently and more productively as well.

High-Performance, Low-Risk Building Envelopes: Avoiding Water Intrusion Related Mold Problems

A poorly planned building envelope can leave owners and occupants "open" to the elements. The majority of building performance issues come from water leakage that can quickly become highly destructive and even lead to the sever fungul contamination of a building. Learn design tips for the critical elements of the building envelope water barrier so that water intrusion and mold problems are avoided - know where your greatest risks are.

From Paper to Paperless: Controlling Construction Documentation, Improving Record Management and Identifying Risk in an Electronic Age

Learn best practices for documentation and record management in this 90-minute webinar. This interactive program will provide you with guidance to help you develop effective procedures for documenting your projects, including the transformation to the paperless project. You’ll get answers to your pressing questions about electronic evidence on a construction project, including the legal issues surrounding social media.

Using Lean Techniques for Measurable Productivity Gains

While many of us are familiar with the concepts, few of us have taken the time to actually attempt to implement lean construction techniques, often due to misconceptions that it is a total project commitment. James Choo and Roberto Arbulu of Strategic Project Solutions Inc. show how lean construction can be implemented, with the level of optimization determined by what you want to achieve. Some prefab and logistics planning is better done and implemented ahead of the project starting, but lean construction can be implemented at multiple levels. Join Choo and Arbulu to learn more about synchronizing supply with installation, logistics design, production control, prefabrication and virtual operations design, and other lean concepts you

can apply to your project. 

Traditional Productivity Improvement Techniques

Construction productivity expert Michael Casten presents his views and techniques for development and management of productivity improvement. The average construction operation underperforms production capacity by a factor of three or four times. Careful study of work at the crew level will reveal massive amounts of delays, wasted effort, and inefficient and ineffective use of resources. Casten provides solutions to help project managers, supervisors, and engineers find opportunities for reengineering process and resource utilization that can almost immediately double the output of many operations.

Commissioning LEED Projects

Building commissioning is a holistic process that spans from pre-design planning to post-construction operation and can be thought of as a checks-and-balances system, providing a collaborative process for planning, delivering, and operating buildings that work as intended. Architects and engineers, construction managers, LEED consultants, trades and clients must work alongside commissioning agents to ensure that the Owner's Project Requirements are met. Understanding the role of commissioning can make this cooperation much more effective with regards to time efficiency and financial and technical performance of a project. Commissioning is an integral and required component of LEED certification, requiring an understanding of its role in the LEED certification process by all stakeholders in the design, construction and occupancy timeline of a LEED-certified project. Watch this webinar to understand the value of commissioning to any building project with focus on the financial case for commissioning, roles and responsibilities of key players, how to implement commissioning with an integrated design process and the integral role of commissioning in LEED certification.

Maximizing Value in Retro-Commissioned Buildings

This webinar will present the fundamental strategies for understanding retro-commissioning. Also referred to as "existing building commissioning" or "re-commissioning," this webinar will focus on the systematic process used to develop an understanding of the operation of the building’s major energy-using systems, options for optimizing energy performance, and a plan to achieve energy savings. With a focus on the commercial-building sector, participants will learn about developing a commissioning plan, conducting the investigation and analysis phase, documenting energy-use breakdowns, listing operating problems, and identifying capital improvements. In addition, participants will review appropriate strategies to implement no- or low-cost operational improvements, staff training, and update the building operating plan. This program is ideal for anyone seeking focused training on commissioning activities during the occupancy phase of the building life cycle.

The Art and Science of the Turnaround Schedule

There is great demand to find industry practitioners who know the industry.  Here’s your chance to learn how to approach a turnaround schedule, or to tune-up your current process.

This two-session webinar on best practices for owners, contractors and schedulers in preparing and executing the Turnaround Projects   presented by Jack Pernice and Gordon Aronson, who have 75-plus years combined experience in the construction management, scheduling and plant turnaround industry. These twin events will walk you through a soup-to-nuts coverage of what a turnaround schedule is, what needs to go into the planning process and then the actual scheduling and execution process.

Understanding Mandatory New E-Verify Requirements for Federal Contractors

All federal contracts awarded after September 8, 2009 are subject to mandatory new E-Verification requirements for certain employees and independent contractors.  The new regulations were designed to improve accuracy of wage and tax reporting and to guarantee a legal workforce on all federal projects. Failure to comply could result in suspension or debarment, adverse performance assessment and termination for default and damages.

Avoid Project Failure: Take Time to Plan the Project — 13 Proven Steps to Success

Many projects fail needlessly. In fact, several reputable studies indicate that almost half of the projects undertaken are found to have failed to meet their goals of on time, within budget, and according to specifications.

Drones in Construction - 2015 Survey Report

ConstructionPro Network’s first Drones in Construction survey, conducted in the summer of 2014, was a short four-part questionnaire to obtain the industry’s pulse as drones were just beginning to be used on construction sites.

Surprisingly, 73% of respondents said they were aware of drone use on construction sites, while 29% reported having hands-on experience. The number of respondents aware of drones in the 2015 survey jumped to 88%.

Challenges and Issues of Government Construction Contracting - 2015 Survey Report

This survey was conducted to learn about the issues and challenges of working on government contracts. The focus of the survey was on 35 questions contracting issues frequently encountered on five major categories of the construction process:

• Procurement
• Project Start-up
• Construction Activities
• Construction Claims
• Project Close-out

The survey also highlights differences in federal construction contracting vs. public contracting. Finally, specific comments and best practices provided by the respondents are included for use of both contractors and government employees.

Avoiding Contract Provisions and Construction Management Practices that Generate Claims

We all want to avoid claims, but too frequently our contract provisions and construction management practices actually work against us and lead to the generation of claims! The key to successful claims avoidance, once the project contract has been executed, is to provide the project team with the tools it needs to identify problems quickly, measure impacts reliably, and price those impacts fairly in order to resolve changes as they arise and, thus, avoid claims. Although all contract provisions aim to avoid claims, in reality, some of the most significant claim avoidance-related provisions actually generate claims.

This recorded session will identify contract provisions that lead to claims as well as construction management practices that encourage claims. The speaker offers practical solutions and alternatives to these provisions and practices.

Change Order Management: Best Practices & Strategic Considerations

Watch this information-packed recorded webinar to understand best practices that will help your company successfully manage change orders to make sure you come out on top.  You will learn about the contractual basis for change orders, their impact on your schedule, contract management, documentation, change management and much more. 

Weather Planning on Construction Projects: Addressing Delays and Time Extensions

Estimates of the economic losses caused by Hurricane Sandy recently reached $50 billion after experts assessed the costs of severe property damage, shut-down subways and power outages. Hurricane Sandy's recent devastation along much of the East Coast is a reminder of the significant factor weather can contribute to the planning and execution of a construction project. Weather conditions can wreak havoc on project schedules and the calculation of time extensions. Preparing and scheduling your projects for weather conditions can help you avoid, or at least minimize, delay claims.

Dealing with Contractor-Submitted Construction Schedules that Cannot be Approved

Too many projects start without an approved baseline schedule, and sometimes the schedule, or subsequent schedule updates, are never approved. This raises risks to both the contractor and the owner. However, if the risks to the owner of approving the schedule are greater than the benefits to the project of approving that schedule, the schedule should indeed be rejected. In the case of rejection, knowing what to do and how to deal with a project that does not have an approved schedule in place can be very important to the success of the project and protection of the two parties' interests. This webinar will address the very difficult choices that must be made when a schedule is submitted that is either substandard or does not meet the requirements of the specification.

Construction Project Management

It has been documented that properly managing the first 25% of a construction project is the best way to keep the final 10% of it just that — the final 10%. This program will discuss the collaborative planning role of ALL parties involved, with an outline of a project delivery system that measures the first 25% of a project as a springboard -- so all players can achieve successful project delivery goals.  

Risk Allocation During Pre-Construction Phase Services: Expectations, Perceptions and Reality

Project owners are seeking more involvement and participation in the pre-construction phase from construction managers and contractors.  There is growing concern that as project delivery methods, such as integrated project delivery and design-build, demand that project stakeholders provide owners with input into many issues, such as schedules, budgets and design, their liability increases well beyond what was originally anticipated.  Many firms are concerned that early involvement in the project may place an implied “stamp” of ownership or approval on the project’s design and financial outcome without such risks being fully understood.