A commercial construction project requires the experience and skills of a commercial general contractor near me. This is due to these types and sizes of projects having a host of challenges, which individual business owners may find far more difficult to negotiate.
The types of commercial construction projects may include building offices, shopping centers, retail shops, banks, hotels and restaurants, and others.
The construction management of commercial properties is a comprehensive process involving scores of players or stakeholders, and a single entity or individual overseeing them known as the commercial general contractor or prime contractor.
The hiring of commercial general contractors to oversee the commercial construction of any relevant construction project is important to navigate the process, address any unforeseen issues, communicate with the project owner(s), and meet the project deadlines.
The unforeseen bottlenecks or obstacles can derail any such project unless the commercial construction companies have the expertise and experience to see it through.
It is possible that an individual property owner may hire scores of subcontractors and specialists to work on a construction project for their benefit.
However, the absence of proper construction operation controls and a single point of authority in a general contractor can lead to undesirable results.
There are many adverse incidents that can occur during a project such as work stoppages, design flaws, and supply-side bottlenecks, among others.
So, to ensure the timely completion of a commercial construction project within budget, property owners and investors look to hiring experienced commercial general contractors.
Let us understand the functions of commercial general contracting. We will explore the roles and the activities that come with searching for commercial general contractors near me.
Learn the commercial general contractors activities and responsibilities to execute a project
What are the functions of a commercial general contractor?
Commercial builders aka contractors oversee the development of a commercial construction project right from preconstruction planning to the delivery of the property to the owner.
They are engaged in a host of project management administration activities such as keeping track of the cost, scheduling the workforce, and coordinating between key stakeholders including local officials, among others.
For the onsite construction management, they represent the control of all quality control testing, the logistical trafficking of labor, materials, and equipment, as well contracting and procurement responsibilities.
In fact, the selected commercial general contractors near me can be thought of as the glue that holds the entire project together. You may read details of the role of general contractors in commercial construction.
Workmanship:
A commercial general contractor has the expertise and experience in all aspects and areas of a construction project.
In addition to providing labor, materials, and equipment for the project, he or she also offers services in areas such as design, estimation, procurement, financial management, scheduling, and construction management.
Houston commercial contractors coordinate with professionals belonging to multiple trade disciplines and working at the job site to work towards a common goal.
They are accountable to the project owner as far as completing the project within time and budget is concerned.
They are also responsible for maintaining quality control with respect to performance specifications throughout the construction process.
Maintaining quality control standards begins with clearly defining the scope of work, requiring trade compliance with the performance specifications, and documenting the desired workmanship standards expected.
Depending on the size of the project, there can be multiple levels of compliance inspections other than the commercial general contractor near me.
Design:
Even though most commercial builders are not involved directly in design work, they may work with designers or architects.
They are involved in offering value engineering solutions for complex designs and finalizing products’ specifications to make the construction more cost effective.
A second valuable role that commercial contractors play in the design phase is evaluating constructability.
Certain untraditional designs can lead to potential construction issues if not identified early in the design process.
And once the specifications and drawings are complete, the building contractors develop material takeoffs using the construction plans to create schedules of values for the estimated cost.
Thereafter comes procuring the materials in quantities that are mentioned in the specifications after comparing and verifying the subcontractors’ bids.
Scheduling pre-construction:
This is arguably one of the key services offered by building contractors and entails the planning of labor, logistics, equipment, and materials.
Pre-construction scheduling is used to create various scheduling paths to execute each required task and determine the time needed to complete the entire project.
Scheduling plays a significant factor in developing successful execution plans that map out time duration and conflicting events to avoid.
This also is important to know to determine the estimated general conditions which are jobsite overhead costs (JSO).
JSO includes construction operation costs that occur even work activity is at a standstill. These project costs are items such as onsite management, rental equipment, and job site security, among others.
Also, pre-construction services may involve reviewing the construction documents, developing the preliminary budget, and salient building codes, and developing and analyzing the preliminary schedule to identify any potential bottlenecks or sticking points.
A seasoned commercial general contractor will evaluate and plan alternative scheduling paths in anticipating of possible problems.
So, by identifying and eliminating these issues at the early stages, the project has a greater likelihood of a successful outcome and meeting the project goals.
Hassle-free completion of the project:
By hiring a commercial general contractor either for new construction or remodeling, the project or property owner does not need to worry about coordinating with various players at the job site and making them work according to a schedule.
The general contractors will be ultimately responsible for getting the project done within the constraints of time and cost, and should there be an escalation, the same shall be discussed with the project owner to arrive at a solution.
It is important to mention that there is a greater opportunity for a project’s success if the architect, engineers, and general contractor function in a collaborative manner instead of a combative manner.
Financial management:
Financial management is a crucial service to measure the health of the construction project and involves managing the cash flow and profitability.
It involves establishing the itemized line-item cost for all tasks and is taken as a benchmark to drive cost control throughout the construction process.
By keeping tight control of cash flow, the prime construction company ensures the project progresses without facing any interruptions in the flow of labor and supplies.
Materials:
For any remodeling or new construction project, the value of materials and equipment to be used needs to be estimated and procured at the job site.
The materials should meet or comply with all design specification requirements and building codes.
Building contracting is all about the skill of knowing what, how much, and when the subcontractors would need the materials, and how to replenish the same when finished.
It is essential that long lead item materials be identified early in the planning stage to allow for substitution, when possible, to avoid project delays.
These can occur as a result of logistical shipping; manufacturing delivery delays or unpredictable foreign tariffs being imposed.
Managing subcontractors:
Any commercial construction project (small, medium, or large) needs the participation of multiple trades such as mechanical, electrical, masons, carpenters, and others.
Seeking the right commercial general contractors near me that are capable of construction managing the subcontractor’s project activities is essential to the progress of the project.
The general contractor manages the administrative requirements that involve subcontractor contracts, insurance, payment processing, and lien releases.
In addition, they manage the onsite construction activities, such as quality control, scheduling, and safety.
The job can be quite exhausting and the wasteful expenses and leakages can rear their ugly head unless the general contractor overseeing the project keeps a track of everything including the quality of construction undertaken by the subcontractors.
If not coordinated properly, the subcontractors working on multiple projects can drop the particular project from their priority list causing delays. The delays can have a domino effect on the project and lead to costly setbacks.
Liaise with local authorities:
Building a non residential property means complying with the local building codes and arranging the compliance inspections of the property at various stages of construction.
The general contractor needs to liaise with the local authorities and schedule a date for the inspection of the property.
It is only after the property is duly inspected and certified for meeting all building standards that the property can be ultimately handed over to the project owner.
Logistics:
Procuring building materials and equipment from suppliers has become technical with next-gen tracking being utilized.
It is no longer about calling the local area supplier to place an order and wait for the supply of materials at the job site.
Planning the advanced delivery involves understanding where the materials or equipment are coming from and where will they be stored on-site until needed.
It also has to do with how that material will be transferred to the actual building and stored until needed.
In dense urban construction site locations, even construction trade parking can become a major problem for the local properties nearby.
Safety:
Safety on commercial construction sites is a big deal to the overall performance and liability of general contracting for both the general contractor and subcontractors as well.
Accidents, injuries, and deaths are closely monitored on construction sites by OSHA.
There are critical statistics measured that affect both insurance risk rates and the short- and long-term job site operational procedures of high-risk activities.
A spike in these numbers can lead to financial liability risk for all concerned.
Supervision:
This is supposedly the backbone of construction management, for the contractor provides on-site directions to the stakeholders to achieve the desired results.
In the absence of proper supervision, the entire project can turn chaotic leading to disarray and cost escalations.
And for large and complex projects where people of multiple skills and trades are involved, building contractors can drive the project to its logical conclusion.
The above-mentioned functions or the areas of operations of contractors hired for remodeling or new build contracting to ensure bottlenecks or missteps are avoided, the use of resources optimized, and the construction process facilitated with seamless coordination between various players.
Further, you may view our video to know about the job of a contractor in a contracting project.
Conclusion
To turn the vision of commercial construction into reality right from the drawing board to final completion, the services of Houston commercial contractors can be hired.
They help the project from facing cost overruns and missed deadlines.
They are the go-to people for investors and business owners to either construct a commercial property from the ground up or remodel it according to specifications.
You may read a blog to know how contractors dealing with commercial remodeling or contracting can be of help.
