2007 Annual Survey of Owners Available On-line
The annual joint venture between CMAA and FMI conducts a survey of owners of capital and private projects, and the 2007 Annual Survey of Owners (the Eighth Annual Survey) is now available on-line through the CMAA website.
TheFMI/CMAA Owners Survey, which has become an industry defining and forecasting instrument, “is focused on how owners are accelerating the transformation of the construction process through the use of technologies to enable program management, collaboration, and effective communication strategies.” (page 6)
The report highlights 7 distinct drivers of the construction industry:
- Aging Infrastructure
- Aging Workforce industry-wide
- Struggle to Attrach Generation Y, and retain Generation X’ers and baby boomers
- Accelerated Schedules, globalization, and increased complexity in construction
- the Ability to Learn Alternate Delivery and Financing Systems
- Pressure to Meet Global Competition
- Investment in Purposeful Training
As in every Annual Owners Survey, the 2007 edition delivers a litany of information for the construction industry. Other highlights from the survey are asummaries of CM processes, enabling technologies, and the Use and Practice of Building Information Modeling (BIM). And a quote that sums up the survey best…
From W, Edwards Deming, “It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.”
Return to our blog to read more acrticles on these and other subjects related to the Construction Management Profession and the construction industry in general.
Construction Management Fact Sheet
The ConstructionManagement Association of America provides this fact sheet to define and explain the specialized profession of Construction Managment (CM).
You can also read this post for a further explaination of the CM profession.
Knoxville’s RiverWalk Like Chattanooga’s River Landing
They say that ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.’ Based on that, the South Knoxville waterfront is going to be quite flattering to Chattanooga’s river front developments.
Josh Flory writes on Saturday’s (August 9, 2008) Knoxvillebiz.com about the similarities between the river front development planned for Knoxville and what has proven to be a success in Chattanooga.
A high-profile development team on Friday unveiled plans for a condo/restaurant project along the south shore, to be between the Gay Street Bridge and the James C. Ford Memorial Bridge, formerly the South Knoxville Bridge. Dubbed RiverWalk Landing, the venture would include approximately 60 condominiums as well as restaurant space, and would be developed by Cardinal Enterprises and Chattanooga-based KPH Development.
You can find out more about the South Knoxville Water Front developments at the city’s website.
Tips On Managing Change Orders
In the latest issue of CM Advisor (not yet available on-line), Lisa C. Sachs writes an informative artcile about managing the Change Order process for your projects.
Sachs spells out the three opportunities you have to “embrace the inevitable and minimize the pain.”
The first and best opportunity is in the pre-construction phase before the budget is fixed.
Perhaps, you or your firm was not involved in the pre-construction phase. Sachs states, “You can include language in the front end documents to at least mitigate the battles that will ensue.”
Finally, if the design and bid phases have passed you by without the proper Change Order management strategy in place, you can always make clarifications prior to the construction beginning.
Here is a brief summary of ways to manage the Change Order process and the phase of the project in which is would be best suited:
Design Phase
- Plan an adequate contingency
- Ensure that there are adequate soft costs
Pre-Bid Phase
- Include upfront language in the contracts balancing risk and costs
Construction Phase
- Request all information in preparation for Change Orders and agree on up-front costs
- Resolve schedule issues as they occur
The article goes into specific details that can reduce the amount of conflict and loss when Change Orders arise. Sachs explains how to implement them as part of an overall Change Order Management strategy, and the article is well worth a full read.
photo credit: Multiple fragments of tissue
Loudon County = Good Business for Retailers
The potential for increased retail business in Loudon County is growing and the Loudon County Economic Development Agency wants to make sure that retailers and developers know about their attractive demographic information. Patrick Phillips, president of the Loudon County Economic Development Agency, said in the Knoxville News Sentinel, on June 18th, that Loudon County presents “a tremendous opportunity for retailers” due to its…
strong population growth, rising personal income and real estate values, and has property available convenient to Interstates 75 and 40 and roads that are easily accessible from Knox, Blount, Roane, Anderson and Monroe counties. “Loudon County has enjoyed outstanding growth in population, jobs and income due to the area’s natural beauty, plus its industrial and education base. With all of this business and residential development, we are encouraged that the retail sector will catch up,” Phillips said.
A more detailed analysis of these postive economic factors are outlined in a press release issued by the Loudon County Economic Development Agency on June 17, 2008.
This is welcomed news for The Tetra Companies and REDBUD Construction Services (providing Project Management Services to the developer) and Tetra’s Town Creek Center. According to The Tetra Companies’ Blog, Town Creek Center is mixed-use development including:
- 77 Acre Open Air Mall
- 240 Market Rate Apartments
- 126 Active Senior Apartments
- 53 Acres Office/Medical Center
- 15 Specialty/Restaurant Sites
- 17.5 Acre Neighborhood Center
- 6 Neighborhood Pad Sites The site has premier visibility to I-75 and Highway 321:”The Gateway to the Smokies. Both roadways have high traffic counts: I-75 averages 53,166 per day and Highway 321 averages 27,488.
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