What should you look for when hiring a general contractor for your commercial building project? Let’s break it down…
1. A Thorough Safety Program
A thorough Safety Plan is critical for the well-being of a general contractor’s employees and subcontractors on any construction project.
This may include having a safety handbook, annual meetings with workers, and a safety management team such as a Safety Director and Safety Coordinator. They will work in conjunction with Project Managers, Project Superintendents, Foreman, and Subcontractors to ensure everyone is following the required protocol onsite.
According to our internal experts General Field Superintendent, Harry Richardson, and Safety Coordinator, Leila Stephan, the construction certifications that March prefers may include:
1) Various safety training, i.e. OSHA 30-hour or more. If you are working in NYC, a Site Safety Manager (SST Card) is required, including an NYC Construction Superintendent License, all of which is providing the candidate with awareness of all requirements to be a safe project manager/ superintendent.
2) Any FDNY Certification as a Site Fire Safety Manager or any other FDNY certification that is issued to individuals to be able to perform certain operations or manage certain pieces of equipment/materials on the job site.
Read more about construction safety and crisis management from our experts.
2. Team Atmosphere with Long-Standing Employees
Great employees tend to stay at companies that have a strong foundation and a healthy workplace environment. When employees have been with a company for a long time, they are more well-acquainted and can better focus on teamwork to efficiently achieve goals. A general contractor with seasoned experts working on your building project results in fewer errors, saving you time and money.
Consider the quality of a construction company’s subcontractors. Are they experienced, insured, and vetted? These teams will be bidding to work on your construction project. March has a stable pool of top-quality subcontractors in the tristate area in addition to a thorough pre-qualification process before allowing anyone new to bid on our projects. These subcontractors are supervised and directed to complete your project to strict quality control standards.
3. Solid Schedule, Well-Managed Budget, and Detailed Documentation
Experienced Construction Management professionals are mindful that conditions may vary, project scopes change, and estimates revised. Inaccurate estimates, poor communication, change orders, and other variables can cause a project to fall off course. Updating the schedule as these variables occur throughout the process is essential.
A best practice for construction scheduling is to follow the “Critical Path Method,” a task-based methodology that calculates project progress with changes and potential delays in mind.
Positive scheduling practices include:
- Maintaining good communication between the Owner/ Owner’s Representatives and project teams to plan in detail.
- Going over any Owner responsibilities and document all non-project work that could affect the completion of the project or cause delays.
- Create a schedule that considers resource-workflow relationships, task duration estimates, risk assessment, and historical data to estimate a project completion time.
- Allocating time for the development of a carefully laid out plan that includes resource use, a highly detailed schedule, quality control, updates, and analysis. We encourage clients to utilize our Preconstruction services for the most thorough possible project planning.
One of the primary jobs of a construction manager/ general contractor is to help plan the budget for your project. March can create a list that will detail the cost of all expenses, i.e. construction materials, equipment rentals, and wages to other small expenses. We consistently monitor the budget throughout project, letting you know of any potential issues or changes ahead of time. March Construction also offers Value Engineering: a creative, organized approach and design process which optimizes the cost and performance of your commercial building project.
Consult with a March Representative to discover the time, costs, and resources needed for your building project.
4. Experience with Local Townships
In commercial building construction, you must ensure that you carefully comply with local zoning laws and permits. Doing this as early as possible is the most important step before beginning construction because these restrictions can present significant obstacles to your project plans. Certain places may have restrictions on height, floors, color, and other more complex code requirements. A construction management company can manage this process for you. It is best to hire a general contractor that works in your local area because they will have established communications with the local officials, facilitating a smoother approval process overall. March has hands-on experience in most local townships throughout New York and New Jersey.
5. Hands-on Involvement from Top Executives and Ownership
March provides better hands-on service and communication than larger construction companies can offer. We have many passionate and hard-working employees who have worked in the industry for decades. Owner Lou March is involved in each project, along with our executive team.
Over the last decade, Lou March Jr. has brought March Construction into a new generation of quality construction management. He places March, its employees, and their families as his top priority. Maintaining this responsibility also means minimizing unnecessary risk in a fast-growth market, selecting quality projects, and only accepting opportunities within our resources. We have a thorough safety program run by Safety Director Frank Brady, which teaches best practices and ensures the wellbeing and compliance of subcontractors and their employees.
March Construction has been building in the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan Area for 30+ years…
We will manage and build your project from start to finish. March offers consulting services, construction management, design/build services, general contracting, project management, site development, and more.
March Construction has consistently completed its projects on time, on budget, while maintaining the highest standards; This push for excellence is why the majority of our business is awarded through referrals, resulting in a consistent group of Triple-A clients.
March is a proud member of US Green Building Council.
Ready to Take the First Step?
Reach out to us today about your commercial building project. We take on projects with a size/budget of $10MM and up.
You can chat with us immediately in the blue chat bubble to the right, send us a message, or call our main office at (973)-904-0213 9am-5pm Mon-Fri to consult with a March representative.
Article by Briana Samman
