Contractor Coordination Becomes a Competitive Focus for Construction Management Firms

Schedulers will continue to focus on the issue of contractor coordination as a critical success factor for construction management organizations. Construction schedules are becoming more complex, with less room for repeated delays, and a greater emphasis is being placed on the issue of coordination from mobilization through closeout. Owners are scrutinizing the construction management organization’s ability to deal with the issue as a key element of overall project delivery.

Most large construction projects include multiple contractors performing their work in sequence or concurrently. Work by one contractor can impact the timing or sequencing of another’s efforts, both within and beyond the trade of the receiving contractor. Construction management organizations need to be attuned to such issues and take them into account before they cause scheduling or coordination problems on a larger scale.

Construction managers are placing increased emphasis on scheduling and coordination meetings as a way of keeping all participants informed on matters impacting their work and facilitating project scheduling while ensuring flexibility on the part of all to address matters arising after their work has been performed. Contractors are managing issues at the worksite through increased reliance on communication during the job site meeting to keep discussions focused on the issues and schedule while recognizing the needs of each party.

Worksites are increasingly reliant on effective logistics management to ensure the timely flow of materials and services to match the needs of various worksite activities during different stages of construction. Construction management firms are providing this type of support to facilitate the uninterrupted progress of all worksite activities while avoiding unnecessary delays resulting from poor coordination.

Job site owners are becoming more aware of the importance of managing communication effectively as a way of addressing the issues impacting their projects. The ability to organize and facilitate communication among the project’s participants, particularly on a regular basis, is critical to ensuring that changes to the project do not lead to misunderstandings or disputes later. This includes ensuring that scheduling matters are discussed thoroughly during the jobsite meeting, since such items of importance to everyone involved may be difficult to discuss later.

The competitive landscape for construction management is becoming more focused on the issue of contractor coordination as a major differentiator between competitors. As owners become more aware of the importance of effective coordination, construction management organizations are realizing that they have to manage day-to-day affairs involving project scheduling and communication effectively to be able to deliver on large-scale projects where the work scope is becoming more complex and difficult to manage.