Build America Podcast

Prestressed concrete

Caring about your employees is human and it’s good for business. Combine the two to create solid and long-lasting relationships plus a healthy business. Send your employees to the doctor. Regularly. http://sjcivil.net/news/please-cough-the-one-thing-to-do-this-week/

Concrete Slump

Setting of bid prices on a unit price bid can have significant effects on the financial performance of a project. Set your unit prices in your proposals to have positive impact. Be strategic. http://sjcivil.net/estimating/setting-the-bid-unit-price-2-main-reasons-for-unbalancing/

Formwork

Letters in the construction industry, during the course of a project, usually are reserved for contentious issues or to satisfy notification requirements. Here are six of the most important and common ingredients in these letters. http://sjcivil.net/claims/top-6-ingredients-of-a-letter/

Continuity Equation

Any noise beyond liquid simply flowing in a pipe is likely not a good thing. Two potentially dangerous noises in pipes/pumping systems are water hammer and cavitation. http://sjcivil.net/engineering/pipe-goes-bang/

Beam-column

Construction contracts are almost always measured in some sort of day: a working day or a calendar day. In analysis and project communication, kill the doubt for the reader and always define the type of day in every use of the word “day”. http://sjcivil.net/news/insult-your-client-with-simplicity-day-labeling/

10 Civil Construction abbreviations

A common mistake in estimating is the cost of an overtime manhour.  Overtime is generally not one and one-half times the straight time rate.  It’s usually closer to 1.30. http://sjcivil.net/news/closer-to-1-30-not-1-50/

Pre-Stressed vs Post-Tensioned

Construction often times does not go per plan. These unexpected variances in the plan can make or break a job. How you treat these “fires” can define your effectiveness as a manager. In construction there’s dozens, if not hundreds or thousands of things, that can go wrong... http://sjcivil.net/management/fire-run-to-it-not-from-it/

Doctrine of Promissory Estoppel

Contract interpretation can be difficult for a construction professional. Contracts are comprised of thousands of words and hundreds of paragraphs. Consider “contract mapping” to help quickly guide you through a contract. http://sjcivil.net/contracts/contract-mapping-a-valuable-tool-in-your-toolbox/

Trenchbox

As a general contractor you can rely on your subcontractor’s bid on bid day as a binding agreement.  But not in all states. Listen on to learn about protection granted by the Doctrine of Promissory Estoppel... http://sjcivil.net/law/you-better-honor-your-bid-on-bid-day-mr-subcontractor/

Parapet

There are differences in an hour: a manhour, a crew hour, a 50-minute hour. And an hour’s not a day, so there is another calculation for a manday. Here is a quick explanation of these estimating terms... http://sjcivil.net/news/an-hours-not-an-hour-and-its-certainly-not-a-day/

Order of Precedence

Construction changes are generally handled in a similar way in most contracts. As a contractor you can develop good habits and controls to ensure you capture time and cost impacts. http://sjcivil.net/news/anatomy-of-a-change/

PK nail

Just three random important things for contractors that didn’t make up an article all on their own: the legality of audio recording, running one man short, the golden rule of bid forms. http://sjcivil.net/news/shhh-youre-being-recorded-and-two-other-tips/

EROPS / ROPS