How commercial builders run their projects
Commercial construction projects are awarded by contracts that’re won through a competition involving developers and contractors who submit tenders. Well, this is how it tends to work. There are other ways too. Construction project management is run by a construction project manager. This person plans, coordinates, budgets and supervises the construction project. Very often, they will also be the person that needs to answer to literally everything. You name it, it will be on them as such. Commercial builders on the whole all work in their own ways. Commercial builders will also often be specialists at what they do too, also.
As a service, this is a lot different to the residential market. Not least as there will be more money often tied up in these projects. The designing process for commercial buildings involves presenting the project plan in a robust construction package for executing the project. There will then be a load of other bits to be done too. Commercial builders will often work in a different way.
It is good to outsource the estimating aspects of the job
It’s not a mystery that the most time-consuming part of a contractor’s day and the business challenge to growing and managing a construction business is the estimating part. Large companies have estimating departments. But what do you do when you’re a smaller contractor and you don’t’ have the payroll to hire multiple estimators and create a team? You outsource your estimating to a company like ours that specialises in estimating. This is one of the easiest ways to quickly start securing and winning more construction bids.
It is good to have an office set up
If you’re a smaller operation, or maybe it’s just you, you might not need an office. But if you’re planning to grow the business, you’re going to need an office. Your office should be centrally located to where you typically work so you and your project management team can easily get to jobsites. It’s also helpful to be nearby where your clients are in case they want to come by your office to discuss a project or sign a contract. Keep your overhead low. If you’re just starting to grow, don’t go all out and get a fancy office. It’s unnecessary.
Get the minimum of what you need at a cost that is affordable. Plan ahead so if you’re looking to hire 2 or 3 employees in the next 1-2 years, make sure you have the space. In your lease, explore options for growth. Some landlords have larger spaces they can move you to once you start growing. Invest in fast computers and software. You’ll need estimating software, PDF reader and editor, accounting, and construction management software.
Have a good plan for the long-term
Having a vision for your business is important if you’re going to have a goal of growing it. Managing projections and your future can be challenging. This is one of the most important parts for any business. Determine the goal so you can make a realistic plan to meet the goal.
What does help is if you have a niche
Being known as an expert in a specific type of construction will give you the advantage over your competitors that are Jack of all trades. For example, if you are a specialist in restaurant construction, you should focus your efforts in finding restaurant owners that need their restaurants built or remodeled. If you are a specialist in office construction, then you should focus on that sort of work period this will give you the ability to charge premium rates and will give you more credibility than your competitor when it comes time to negotiate.
Overall
This one is a general principle in business. Customer service includes assisting the client with anything they might need, showing up on time, handling disputes very carefully, and using difficult situations as an opportunity to make the client a long-term happy client. Your goal should be a client success rate of 100%. Not every client will be easy to work with, so make sure you are selective even with clients you will work with. This is all key for any and every commercial builder out there in the market.
