Concrete may initially sound like a boring blog subject, but if you’ve ever experienced a problem with it on one of your projects, you know concrete can become a costly and time-consuming nightmare.

Most construction contract Owners have been faced with a perceived lack of performance by their contractor, and subsequently been faced with the choice of whether to withhold monthly payment. If the owner is a state or federal government entity, prompt payment laws almost certainly apply. Private contracts are generally exempt from such laws, but not always: states like Vermont have prompt payment laws covering all construction contracts. Check your jurisdiction to confirm.

Today’s technology has made communication on construction projects infinitely more convenient than ever before. We have become accustomed to real time information; we receive information about issues and incidents almost instantly, even on our construction projects. 

Owners are increasingly considering alternative project delivery methods such as engineer-procure-construct (EPC), design-build, and construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC). While the advantages and disadvantages of the EPC method were discussed in a previous post, my personal experience lies more with CM/GC contracts. There are a variety of advantages and disadvantages to CM/GC, but in my experience it is extremely important for owners to realize that it is not in your best interest for the CM/GC to self-perform a high percentage of the work.