Waiting your turn will cost you money. Not so much in the grocery line, but on a construction job site holdups can turn profits into losses at a moment’s notice. And delays are sure to follow bad workflow sequencing decisions. Which trade goes first? Who comes next? When will the wall and ceiling contractor receive access? These ought to be straightforward questions to answer, but not everyone plays nice in the sandbox, so to speak. The trades often go out of turn, and trying to interlace and compress the remaining tasks inevitably leads to conflict. Can anything be done? We asked five seasoned contractor members of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry to talk about the state of job sequencing in construction and to share some of their workable solutions.
10-Second Sound Bite: Mike Taylor
Mike Taylor of Liddle Bros. Contractors believes the industry is losing its project management skill set. “Project managers and superintendents are not being trained to sequence jobs,” he says.
Go to the GC Early
Mike Taylor, executive vice president of Liddle Bros. Contractors, Inc. in Tennessee, says the construction industry’s general contractors have too many inexperienced superintendents and project managers running their jobs.
“They don’t have a good understanding of sequencing, and therefore the trades work on top of each other,” Taylor says. “It’s prohibiting production and profitability, and in some cases the work quality is being compromised.”
Taylor gives the example of a drainable EIF system. To install it properly, penetrations have to be treated prior to any windows and entryway doors being added. When the sequencing gets out of whack and a subcontractor installs windows before the EIFS contractor can care for the openings, the system warranty could be voided. Removing the windows and starting over may be the only option in such cases, Taylor says. Who pays for the re-do?
“That’s a finger-pointing issue,” Taylor says. “The general contractor should be the one who eats it because he’s responsible for the sequencing. He’ll point fingers at different trades for one going before another, but ultimately the responsibility is on the GC.”
It’s better not to be in that position at all, which is why some subcontractors team up to manage the sequencing process.
“These days subcontractors practically run the jobs. They talk among themselves so they don’t get in one another’s way,” Taylor says. “It’s happening across the board in construction, because the problems associated with bad sequencing are getting worse.”
Are certain trades more prone to running ahead? Not really, Taylor says. “You have window guys, roofing people, exterior cladding folks, everyone is running into one another out there,” Taylor says. “I don’t think you can point a finger at any one trade. It’s across the board.”
Problem: Suppose you have stucco or EIFS going on the exterior from the second floor on up, but you’re waiting for the brick mason to complete his work to the second floor. Some general contractors, Taylor says, will snap a layout line, give the wall contractor an area to work to and ask the mason to come to that line. They’ll ask the two contractors to meet in the middle. “That’s not proper sequencing,” Taylor says. “You cannot install the system like that.”
Solution: Go to the GC early. Try to handle the sequencing from the beginning of the job. “Call a meeting upfront. Ask, ‘Who goes first? When do they come in? When do we come in?’” Taylor says. “If the brick guy is supposed to go first, what if his brick is delayed? What if the window guy’s windows are delayed? Delays cause holes in sequencing programs and in the pull planning sessions (the detailed sequencing of events tied to established milestones).” Hence, the various trades need to approach the GC in unison rather than accepting direction to start tasks out of order.
Reality: GCs are under tremendous pressure to finish projects on the dates they’ve promised their customers. Often, the promises made are unrealistic, Taylor says.
“A GC might say, ‘We can do it in 12 months,’ while others may say 18. If the pricing is virtually the same, the GC who says he can do it in 12 months will get the nod,” Taylor says. “When they put together such unrealistic commitments, they’re creating their own monster.”
Unfortunately, this scenario is playing out regularly on job sites. “It’s only going to get worse,” Taylor says.
10-Second Sound Bite: Scott Casabona
Scott Casabona of Sloan & Company tries to anticipate how a job will go. “We know who the good and the bad subcontractors are,” he says.
Add a Cost Factor to Your Bid
Scott Casabona, president of Sloan & Company, Inc. in New Jersey, says construction work sequencing is becoming more of an issue on his firm’s projects. Shortfalls in staffing are occurring among all types of firms, and many contractors are taking on more work than they can handle.
“The general contractors are understaffed and don’t have the time or expertise to coordinate everything,” Casabona says. “Subcontractors are also taking on too many jobs. They’re tight on oversight and not too worried about coordinating with others.”
A common problem involves early ductwork installations, Casabona says. If an HVAC contractor installs ductwork against a partition wall before fire caulk can be added to the top track, the wall contractor is stuck with no easy fix.
“You’re going to have issues with the building inspector,” Casabona says. “The only real solution is to take the ductwork down so you can have access.”
The HVAC contractor may have to eat the cost of that rework. But, if he was told by the general contractor to get the work done out of sequence, he may get paid to take it down. Either way, the project is delayed, and the wall contractor is left with a truncated timeline.
“You can try and plead with the general contractor, ‘We’ve got to have a coordination meeting. We haven’t properly sequenced this work,’” Casabona says. “Some will listen. Others don’t care. They say, ‘Read the contract. You’re responsible for coordination.’”
Coordination costs subcontractors time and money unless the firm embraces lean construction principles and good pull planning practices. “We don’t see a lot of [general] contractors embracing it,” Casabona says. “The ones who do embrace it early on, get buy-in from all the subs and get successful results.”
Problem: The general contractor has selected a bid from a subcontractor known for creating sequencing headaches. But you know that having the right players on a project is important.
Solution: Do your homework early. Find out which players have been awarded a project. If you have concerns about them, adjust your bid price before you submit it. Casabona says his firm won’t pass up opportunities, but Sloan & Company will try to augment its bid price if a job involves a known problematic sub.
“We’ll ask a general contractor if they’ve already awarded the other trades and to which subcontractors,” Casabona says. “If we’re in the negotiation phase, we’ll try to factor that into our price.”
Reality: You can’t mitigate all sequencing problems, but good communication throughout a project can help improve outcomes. And some subcontractors are receptive to partnering on projects.
“You can identify the key players on a project,” Casabona says, “and if they’re the type who want to coordinate, you know you’re going to avoid many headaches.”
10-Second Sound Bite: Jerry Smith
Jerry Smith of Baker Drywall Austin says GCs frequently tap wall contractors for help with project delays. “We’ve been asked to work overtime to accommodate their schedules,” he says.
Hire a Consultant
Jerry Smith, president of Baker Drywall Austin, Ltd. in Texas, says that due to the current talent shortage, his firm must be judicious in monitoring its work volumes and labor supplies. The problem is, not all subcontractors work that way.
“We see other trades falling behind and creating issues by not meeting their schedules,” Smith says. “It becomes a chain reaction, and the GC starts screaming at us to increase our manpower.”
Though Baker Drywall tries to hold firmly to its contract delivery dates, what can the firm do if a GC allows other subs to start their work early or out of turn? GCs rarely change the end dates for projects, Smith says, and that puts the drywall contractor in a bind. He’s expected to get the project time frame back on track by working faster, staying later or both.
Problem: Three years ago, Baker Drywall Austin, Ltd. began a $9 million drywall and acoustical job that involved two phases. At first, Phase One looked like it would run efficiently. However, before priority walls were erected, the HVAC contractor ran its ductwork—at the direction of the general contractor. It wrecked the other subcontractors’ start dates and workflows and led to a seemingly endless stream of change orders and do-overs. Baker Drywall crews clashed with the other trades, especially with the electrical subcontractor.
“We found out later on that the GC was playing us against them,” Smith says.
Why would a GC do that? Smith says the GC’s senior project manager came out of the mechanical trades. “They were like buds,” Smith says. “He gave them carte blanche to run their ductwork before the priority walls went in.”
Solution: Baker Drywall teamed with the electrical contractor in jointly hiring a consultant. “We’re using him as a go-between with our field staffs to make sure we’re all on the same page,” Smith says.
In Phase Two, the consultant helped Baker Drywall and the electrical contractor save money. It has also helped that Phase Two has been run by a different general contractor than Phase One—this time, the priority walls and ductwork installations were properly sequenced. “On Phase One we had up to 100 men because of how the job was run,” Smith says. “Now we’re averaging 60 men, and the two phases are the same size.”
Smith says Baker Drywall and the electrical contractor are allies. “If they have any issues with us covering up their work, we address it immediately,” Smith says. “The consultant charges quite a bit, but it’s saved thousands of dollars in coordination.”
Reality: “The general contractors are typically so understaffed with qualified people,” Smith says. So, he expects to have to hire more consultants in the future. And despite having professional help with running the jobs, Baker Drywall still has to diligently document its work. “We’re quick to send in delayed notices, which is key to protecting ourselves,” Smith says.
When asked to work overtime, for example, Baker Drywall will submit a “loss of production due to overtime” change order. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It depends on the GC,” Smith says.
10-Second Sound Bite: Tim Titsworth
Tim Titsworth of Concord Drywall says subcontractors need to rise above the confusion on projects. “You’re the one helping the GCs get their jobs done,” he says.
Be the GC’s hero
Tim Titsworth, president of Concord Drywall, Inc. in California, says a wall and ceiling contractor has to be reliable, the one contractor among all trades the general contractor can trust.
“That’s what every superintendent wants,” Titsworth says. “He wants to work with a subcontractor he doesn’t have to babysit.”
However, it’s not easy to manage schedules for others. Every trade would like things done their own way and according to their own time frames. Plumbers want to prefabricate their plumbing runs and not have to change the runs put in place. Electricians want to start their work, typically, after they receive responses to their requests for information.
“Electricians are well trained at bidding jobs low, beating up the architect and the blueprints, writing a bunch of RFIs and back-charging the owner for a million hacksaw blades,” Titsworth says. “Every time they do a change order, it’s another 100 packets of hacksaw blades and delays.”
It’s the wall and ceiling contractor’s job to keep the peace, Titsworth says. Why? The wall and ceiling contractor with the framing scope is “the engine driving the train,” Titsworth says. His framers set the pace for the MEP trades. Once the MEP tasks are fulfilled, “you’re the caboose with the drywall and the taping,” he says.
Problem: “What kills you is MEP subs working helter-skelter,” Titsworth says. “They can spread out your work by leaving things incomplete.” On top of that, it’s hard to manage other people’s work sequences. GCs may ask the wall contractor to work on one side of a building, but that may not improve the project timeline at all.
“The mechanical contractor isn’t ready. The electrician isn’t ready either, and the plumber still hasn’t done the bathrooms,” Titsworth says. “The control guy hasn’t run his controls. The data guy still has a bunch of CAT-5 cables to run. Yet, the GC wants to get the paint and T-bar going.”
Solution: “Be the guy with a plan,” Titsworth says. “You be the team player. You be the hero. The superintendent is overwhelmed with everybody crying about why they can’t do their jobs. You’re the one sub coming in and saying, ‘This is what I need so I can finish.’ You have solutions.”
Reality: The pressure is on for the wall contractor to close up walls. He has little choice but to piecemeal some of his drywall and taping and to do so in limited work areas and among the disruption caused by other subs.
“Step in and tell the superintendent to get all your MEP subs to finish their work at one end of the building so you can begin hanging [wallboard] and taping,” Titsworth says.
10-Second Sound Bite: Mike Weber
Mike Weber of Island Acoustics says that documenting all work disruptions is critical to a successful change-order process. “Start by reading your contract,” he says.
Document All Delays
Mike Weber, president of Island Acoustics, LLC , in New York, says that the sequencing of work with other trades is getting more challenging due to a lack of talent and competency among construction field personnel.
“It may come more from the GC side, but I don’t think you can put a finger on it,” Weber says. “It depends on the quality of the drawings. It depends on the quality of the general contractor’s supers and project managers and their ability to coordinate jobs. It depends on the quality of the contractors performing the tasks.”
How many projects will typically get held up? “I’d say 30 percent of the time you have a challenge on your hands,” Weber says. “It’s not insurmountable. But 30 percent of the time you have to stay focused on what’s going on, manage your manpower and try to minimize the comebacks.”
Weber admits that project schedules rarely are adjusted. He chuckles as he explains that of all projects running behind schedule, maybe one in 10 gets an extension. Pretty much in all cases, the wall and ceiling contractor is expected to make up the lost time, he says.
“I’m a carpentry contractor, so we do some light-gauge framing in the beginning of the job. But we’re also putting in ceiling tiles and hanging doors and walls at the end of the job,” Weber says. “We could be there from the onset all the way to the end, but we can’t close those ceilings up until the work above the plenum is done. You can’t close the walls until the plumbing and electrical is in.”
Problem: Today’s projects are choked by an excessive amount of digital documentation coming from the GC. “It’s bulletins and RFIs,” Weber says, “and it depends on the type of project.” Prevailing wage and state projects are the worst, he says. Such government jobs typically involve prime contracts. The GC might handle carpentry, masonry and concrete. Another prime handles plumbing and sprinklers. Another handles electrical. It’s a document management nightmare.
“They’re all out to protect their own interests,” Weber says. If the drawings are inadequate—“and they usually are,” he says—the prime contractors all generate RFIs, leading to holdups and change orders. “It’s just a battery of bureaucracy that can choke a job,” Weber says. “Then you’re in a claim game. If you’re not documenting every aspect of your work, you’re not going to be successful.”
Solution: Understand your contractual obligation and how your firm may be bound to the schedules already put together. “Often, there’s language in the contract that says that in the event you’re being held up by other trades, you need to document the impact of the delay,” Weber says. “If you don’t protect your interests and notify the GC or the owner or the client you’re working for right away, it becomes more challenging to get compensated for delays beyond your control.”
Reality: Job sequencing problems won’t vanish anytime soon. Weber sees it largely as a problem of workforce education. “We have some young kids in the field who are bright and technologically savvy,” Weber says. “But when it comes to understanding the constructability of a project, they lack that knowledge. It’s going to take time for that understanding to work back into the workforce.”
Mark L. Johnson writes for the wall and ceiling industry. He can be reached via linkedin.com/in/markjohnsoncommunications.
