Table of Contents

• A. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• B. Preface
• 1. An Introduction to the Construction Industry
• 2. The Start of the Construction Process
• 3. The General Conditions to the Construction Contract
• 4. Bonds and Insurance
• 5. Organizing the Project Team
• 6. Successful Project Completion Demands a Successful Start
• 7. Estimating
• 8. Buying Out the Job
• 9. The Change Orders
• 10. Quality Control and Quality Assurance
• 11. Project Documentation
• 12. Claims, Disputes, Arbitration, and Mediation
• 13. Safety in Construction
• 14. Design-Build
• 15. Sustainability and Green Buildings
• 16. Interoperability and Building Information Modeling (BIM)

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• table (8)

Expanded Table of Contents

• A. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• B. Preface
• 1. An Introduction to the Construction Industry
  • Critical Issues Facing Contractors in this New Millennium
• 2. The Start of the Construction Process
  • The Letter of Intent
  • Prevalent Types of Construction Contracts
• 3. The General Conditions to the Construction Contract
  • AIA A201—General Conditions of theContract for Construction
  • AIA Document A201CMa—General Conditions for the Construction Manager Contract
  • The Associated General Contractor’s Version of General Conditions between Owner and Contractor-AGC Document No.200
  • The Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee General Conditions
  • A Word to the Wise
• 4. Bonds and Insurance
  • This Risky Business
  • Why Contractors Fail
  • Bonds and the Bonding Process
• 5. Organizing the Project Team
  • Organizing the Job in the Office
  • Organizing the Estimate
  • Organizing in the field
  • Shop Drawing Organization
  • The Future of Project Organization
• 6. Successful Project Completion Demands a Successful Start
  • What Owners Consider Important
  • Starting Off on the Right Foot
  • Controlling the Project Start
  • Review of the Contract with the Owner
  • Review of the Project Specifications
  • Record Drawings
  • Inspections and Test Reports (Other than Those Required by Local Officials)
  • Operations and Maintenance Manuals
  • Commissioning and TAB
  • TAB—A Procedure that Requires Special Attention
  • The Punch List
  • Preparing for that First Project Meeting with the Subcontractors
  • That Dangerous End-of-Project Syndrome
• 7. Estimating
  • The 2004 Edition of CSI’s MasterFormat
  • Acquiring a Database
  • Analyzing Unit Costs
  • Conceptual Estimating
  • The Postconstruction Project Review
  • Mining Completed Projects to Enhance the Database
  • The Project Parameter Cost Model Form
  • Sources of Conceptual Estimating Data
  • Order-of-Magnitude Estimating
  • Special Requirements Associated with Office Building Estimating
  • The Tenant Work Letter
  • The Developer’s Responsibility
  • Subcontractor Responsibilities as They Relate to Tenant Fit-Ups
• 8. Buying Out the Job
  • Awarding Subcontracts
  • The Bid Summary Sheet
  • Unit Prices
  • Combining Work to Best Advantage
  • Subcontract or Do It Ourselves?
  • Key Questions to Ask Subcontractors during Negotiations
  • Pitfalls to Avoid in Mechanical and Electrical Contract Negotiations
  • Who Is the Contractor?
  • Issues To Be Addressed
  • Warranties and Guarantees
  • Job Cleaning and the Contract
  • Communicating the Terms and Conditions of the Subcontract Agreement
  • Purchase Orders
  • Pitfalls to Avoid When Issuing Subcontracts and Purchase Orders
  • Do Your Subcontract Agreements Include These Key Provisions?
• 9. The Change Orders
  • A Cardinal Rule
  • Reviewing the Important Contents of a Change-Order Request
  • What Constitutes “Cost”
  • Completion Time and the Change Order
  • Public Works and the Change-Order Process
  • Roadblocks to Acceptance of Change Orders
  • Liquidated Damages and the Change-Order Process
  • Change Orders Reflecting Costs Due to Job Delays
  • Pitfalls to Avoid when Preparing Change Orders
  • The Change-Order Cost Checklist
  • Effective Change-Order Control
• 10. Quality Control and Quality Assurance
  • Quality Begins with Quality Design
  • Total Quality Management
  • Benchmarking
  • The International Standards Organization
  • The Six Sigma Approach to Quality
  • From Theory to Practice
  • Quality Control and the Specifications
  • The Preconstruction Conference—QC and QA
  • Developing a Company QC/QA Program
• 11. Project Documentation
  • The Documentation Process
  • Documentation to the Owner
  • Documentation to the Architect and Engineer
  • Requests for Clarification and Requests for Information
  • Field Conditions Documentation
  • The Coordination Process
  • Other Important Documents
  • Documentation to the Subcontractors
  • Documentation When Major Drawing Revisions Are Made
  • Documentation Required When Contracting with Public Agencies
  • Project Documentation from the Field
• 12. Claims, Disputes, Arbitration, and Mediation
  • What Triggers Claims and Disputes?
  • The Bid Proposal Process and the Potential for Disputes
  • Other Potentials for Disputes
  • Arbitration and Mediation
  • In Summation
• 13. Safety in Construction
  • The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
  • Factors Responsible for Declining Accident Rates
  • Safety Pays—In More Ways Than One
  • Developing the Company Safety Program
• 14. Design-Build
  • What Is Design-Build?
  • Developing a Design-Build Capability
  • Developing a Design-Build Program
  • How Owners Select Design-Builders
  • Contract Provisions Unique to the Design-Build Process
  • Design-Build in the Public Sector
• 15. Sustainability and Green Buildings
  • The Impact of Construction on the Environment
  • What Do We Mean by Sustainability?
  • Some Design-Build/Sustainable Building Guidelines
  • The Greening of Existing Buildings
• 16. Interoperability and Building Information Modeling (BIM)
  • Looking at the Last Several Decades
  • Contractors Slow to Embrace Technology
  • What Is Building Information Modeling All About?