In a construction projection with an extensive scope of work, a delay could cost your contracting company a lot more than time. Project missteps and setbacks can have serious financial repercussions and undercut the net revenue from all of your hard work. Furthermore, unforeseen delays and expenses aren’t going to sit well with your clients. While you can’t control everything that might impact the course of completing a project, smart preparations and precautions can help you do your best to keep your work on track.
Get Your Permitting in Order
Go through the right channels to get permitting for each phase of work. In some instances, you’re going to be at the mercy of an inspector’s timetable and there won’t be any way around it.
Work as cooperatively as possible with the building department in the city or municipality where your project is located. Trying to bypass the building or fire department in any way could cause you to incur violations with monetary fines or even injunctions that prevent you from carrying out work as planned.
If you aren’t familiar with the permitting process in a particular area, consider working with a company that provides help with permitting. Permit expediters have contacts within local building departments and are usually knowledgeable about application criteria.
Practice Full Compliance With Applicable Code
When a property owner receives a notice of violation from a local authority involving work on your property, you may have to deduct the fee from your invoice. Moreover, the remedial work that you’ll have to put into curing a violation could involve a lot of time and expense. Familiarize yourself with local regulations covering the hours that you may perform work and job site requirements.
Avoid leaving building materials or demo debris in a condition that could be perceived as unsafe or even just unsightly. Any improper storage or disposal of building and demo waste could mean a direct fine to your business instead of the property owner. Find out about local guidelines and choose a practical solution for storing, transporting, and disposing of waste. Reach out to a company that offers dumpster rental Bucks County and will drop off a container at your job site.
Bid With Practicality and Precision
Addressing discrepancies in estimated project expenses and actual expenses can take time and resources away from completing work. When you bid on a project, you want your estimate to beat out competitors. However, you can’t cut line items so close that a moderate variation is going to have a significant impact on the total value that the project represents for your business. When your project estimate itemizes expenses accurately and clearly, your clients will appreciate your efforts.
Address Delays in Your Agreement
Some contracting company owners are wary about incorporating completion dates into agreements. In many of the most popular form agreements, provisions assessing liquidated damages for each day that a phase of work remains incomplete have practically become boilerplate.
Structuring contract language in a way that compels clients to acknowledge the possibility of delays for factors beyond your control such as supply shortages, inspection delays, or weather emergencies. Making sure that you and your customer are on the same page about delays deters disputes
Create an Emergency Preparedness Plan