ConstructionAdvisorToday

Should Contractors Advocate for Approval of Subcontractor Submittals?

The shop drawing submittal process raises some interesting issues regarding subcontractor relations. Submittals must be approved by the project owner’s representative. Most submittals are generated by trade contractors -- subcontractors to the prime contractor. The subs have no contractual relationship with the owner. Only the prime is supposed to deal with the owner.

Understanding the Risks and Obligations Involved in the Preparation and Review of Shop Drawings

Training on CD Presented by: Hugh Anderson and Jim Brown

To help you stay in control, and out of trouble, two construction experts — attorney Hugh Anderson and engineer Jim Brown — have teamed up to help you steer your operations clear of any controversy. This 90-minute recording will provide you with important information concerning the contractual requirements regarding the submission and review of shop drawings including the obligations and rights of the parties, and will help you avoid the potentially devastating claims that can often arise over shop drawings. 

This course explores . . .

Homebuilders Group Applauds Key Change to RRP Rule

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has applauded a key change to the Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced earlier this month (Construction Advisor Today, July 21, 2011, "EPA's New Renovation, Repair & Painting Rule Draws Mixed Reviews"). 

DBIA Unveils 'BIM and Design-Build Project Delivery' Document

The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) has released what is believed to be the first published guide that outlines how building information modeling (BIM) tools specifically facilitate the design-build project delivery process using virtual design and construction (VDC).

Should Subcontractors Always Be Bound to Their Pre-Bid Quotations?

A bidder on a prime contract necessarily relies on price quotations from prospective trade subcontractors. Can that bidder, if awarded the prime contract, hold those would-be subs to their prices? The financial consequences of repudiated prices can be severe. Yet no binding contract was formed prior to bid submittal.

EPA’s New Renovation, Repair & Painting Rule Draws Mixed Reviews

Changes to the Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced earlier this month have drawn mixed reviews. Among the organizations weighing in on the controversial moves are the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) and the National Association of Home Buildings (NAHB) with representatives from both organizations providing Green Building Insider extensive reactions via exclusive interviews.  NCHH's take on EPA's actions are included in this week's edition of Construction Advisor Today while NAHB's response will be featured next week.

BuildingSMART Alliance Official Provides Update for CPC/BIM on NBIMS-US Version 2 Development

Deke Smith, executive director for the National Institute of Building Sciences’ (NIBS) buildingSMART alliance (bSa), has provided Construction Project Controls and BIM Report an update on the development of the National Building Information Modeling Standard-United States (NBIMS-US) Version 2.

Do Workmanship Warranties Amount to Strict Liability for Contractors?

Construction contracts usually include an express warranty of workmanship and materials. The contractor promises to replace or repair, at no cost to the project owner, any defect which appears within one year of completion. While this seems straightforward, it actually leads to a common argument. Was the problem of which the owner complains actually caused by defective workmanship?

A recent decision in a federal appellate court addressed this issue. Vinyl floor tiles in a hospital surgical suite lifted and separated. Repeated repairs by the contractor were ineffective. The frustrated owner eventually brought in another company to replace the tiles and sued the contractor for breach of warranty.

USGBC Releases LEED Demand Response Pilot Credit

The U.S. Green Building Council has released a comprehensive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Demand Response Pilot Credit. The updated credit establishes new guidelines that will increase a facility’s LEED ratings with the award of additional points when the facility participates in an automated demand response (AutoDR) program.

Commercial facility owners and operators face several challenges when considering implementation of demand response events in their facilities, according to BuildingIQ, an energy management software company. “These include managing the complexity of these events manually, maintaining acceptable occupant comfort levels, and the cost of more automated, custom-engineered solutions. As a result, the adoption of demand response in commercial facilities has been relatively low compared with some other sectors.”

DOE Releases Cost Estimating Guide

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released a document providing uniform guidance and best practices that describe the methods and procedures recommended for use at DOE in preparing cost estimates for construction projects and other work.

DOE’s new “Cost Estimating Guide” (DOE G 413.3-21) references, and includes as an attachment, AACE RP 18R-97, “Cost Estimate Classification System -- As Applied in Engineering, Procurement, and Construction for the Process Industries,” as the model for the estimate classifications being used within DOE. The guide incorporates certain recommendations made by AACE International (Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering) President-elect Michael Nosbisch, who was invited to present them to the April meeting of the Energy Facility Contractors Working Group Cost Estimating Subgroup at DOE’s Y-12 Facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn.