Did roofers show up to install the casework for your large commercial project? If you have worked in large commercial construction, you have either suffered the consequences of bad installation or heard the stories of it happening. Did the PLAM on the wall cabinets not match the PLAM on the base cabinets? Often times this happens when materials are ordered with a large time span between procurement. Did your millworker not inform you that they were delayed because of a material shortage until the day of installation?
These are just some of the ways your large commercial construction project can come off the tracks. We are all acutely aware that we are at the tail end of a pandemic that has rocked commercial construction. We are dealing with supply shortages, employee shortages, and unheard-of escalations. Coupled with owners that may not understand how this affects schedule or cost and you have a recipe for disaster. How are your millworkers dealing with this? What happens to your project when your millworker is ill-equipped to maneuver in these difficult times of commercial construction? Will your project be delayed? Will occupancy dates get pushed?
At ASST, we know that materials are in short supply. We know that there is a serious shortage in labor. We know that times are tough all around. What are we doing about it? We have always been willing to provide VE options when bidding a project. We can also offer material options when we know that a material may be difficult to procure. We are ordering further out than we ever had before and we are storing materials that we know are being delayed. We are using multiple shipping companies to ensure that if one cannot provide a mobilization for our project, we have a backup that can. These are just some of the ways we are handling the current issues in commercial construction. At ASST, one of our core values has always been innovation. We continuously generate new ideas and methods to ensure success.
Would you and your team like to do a virtual shop tour of one of our facilities? It only takes about 25 minutes and we demonstrate how we successfully plan and complete large millwork projects on time and in budget. Email us at info@asst.com to setup a virtual shop tour.
Did you know that it costs between $400 and $700 per square foot to build a hospital depending on the geographic location (Becker’s Hospital Review)? For example, in Los Vegas the cost to build a hospital is between $285 and $455 per square foot. While in New York City the cost is between $475 and $700 per square foot. When a health network spends this kind of money they want to make sure that it will be done on time and in budget. An operating room costs the health system around $2,200 per hour for direct and indirect cost (American Journal of Managed Care). Hospitals charge between $3200 per hour and $10,000 per hour per operating room (Journal of Clinical Anesthesia, Stanford). The sooner the health system can take occupancy the sooner they can start recouping that investment.
One of the most important decisions that General Contractors and Owners can make is the selection of subcontractors. What happens when the subcontractor does not have the capacity to complete the project in the schedule required? Usually the General Contractor will have to hustle to find another subcontractor to supplement the work that cannot be completed by the awarded sub. This is painful and a deduct change order ensues or worse the performance bond is engaged and a replacement subcontractor has to be contracted. After this the GC usually will have to explain why schedule is not going to be met to the owner.
Some of the questions that have to be answered for any successful General Contractor and owner are as follows: Does this subcontractor have experience with this type of work? Does this subcontractor have the capacity to handle this type of work? Does this subcontractor operate safely? Does this subcontractor provide the quality of work to meet and exceed the expectations of the owner? Is this subcontractor financially sound? If the answers to ALL of these questions are not a resounding YES then your project is at risk.
At ASST, we have been successfully providing millwork, casework and solid surfaces on large health care projects for 23 years. We have the capacity for large projects, the processes to keep schedule, we do it safely, we are financially sound and we have the Project Managers that know how to be successful. We look forward to Going Beyond for your exciting project! Contact us today at 717-630-1251/ 
