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Estimator’s Edge

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2018 December

Afterthoughts, Part 1

I toyed with the notion of entitling this piece, “Beware the General Contractor-Added Items in a Post-Proposal Situation,” but that would have gone to a second title line in a bold, 14-point font. Besides...

2018 November

An Underlying Issue

You’ll pardon me, but I seem to have forgotten something important. Of all the topics I’ve covered in this column over the past 10 years, I believe I have overlooked an aspect of commercial construction...

2018 October

Not in Our Stars

With a little luck… we can make this whole damn thing work out.—Paul McCartney The title for this month’s column is taken out of context, and Shakespeare would be turning in his grave...

2018 September

Productivity: A Moving Target

She moves in mysterious way…—U2 A couple of issues back, I cited a number of contingencies—“demons,” I called them—that regularly plague even the most incisive bidmeisters. And while job-specific contingencies (concealed costs) can...

2018 August

Color My World

In several past columns, I’ve suggested that broadening scope is a good strategy for capturing more volume on the backlog without increasing the number of projects. After all, there are numerous construction services that are...

2018 July

Demon Contingencies: A Bidmeister’s Bane

The devil always seems to be in the details, one way or another. I know it’s cliché, but it’s also the ironclad truth. And as sure as horseflies will bite a sleepy nag, some obscure...

2018 June

It’s All Good (Part 2)

I can’t complain, but sometimes I still do…—from “Life’s Been Good” by Joe Walsh Driven by a gnawing sense of guilt that many of my past articles may have inadvertently cast our profession...

2018 May

It’s All Good (Part 1)

I can’t complain, but sometimes I still do…—from “Life’s Been Good” by Joe Walsh Every once in a while, I find myself casting a backward glance at the topics I’ve covered for this...

2018 April

Déjà vu

Don’t you worry, don’t you whine ’cause if you get it wrong, you’ll get it right next time.—from “Get It Right Next Time” by Gerry Rafferty You download the bid docs with mixed...