clinic. The time associated with cleaning switchgear, light
fixtures, etc. needs to also be accounted for when developing
a budget.
Additionally, contractors may see a new expectation
about the project’s final cleaning. For example, the traditional
final cleaning may have been simply vacuuming,
floor waxing and restroom cleansing. In the post-COVID
world, owners’ expectations may involve a significantly
higher level of “cleaning commitment.” At first glance,
many contractors would concede that this is a change order
as it deviates from the contract documents. No doubt this is
a change in scope, but it would be foolish to think that there
would be no impact to general conditions (i.e., original final
cleaning – one to two days, new final cleaning – five to
seven days). In summary, this change requires planning and
BASE YOUR
PROJECTS ON
SOLID FOUNDATIONS
BFL CANADA Insurance Services Inc.
Chris Lemme Client Executive – Surety
T: 403-705-5365 M: 403-390-8362
clemme@bflcanada.ca
Jocelyn Prentic Client Executive – Surety
T: 780-229-3781 M: 780-271-3555
jprentice@bflcanada.ca
EQUIPMENT SALES & RENTALS
PH: 403-460-5665 PH: 888-402-2002
info@spectrumequipment.ca
spectrumequipment.ca
END TO END EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS.
SALES, RENTALS, EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE/REPAIR, AND HAULING ARE ALL PART OF
THE SPECTRUM EQUIPMENT EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR YEAR ROUND OPERATIONS.
Spectrum serves the following markets:
Construction
Oil & Gas
Commercial Applications
Snow & Ice Management
The Spectrum Advantage:
Top quality equipment for sale
Rental options to suit diverse needs
Equipment Servicing
Direct-to-site Equipment hauling
240014 Frontier Cres, Rocky View, AB, T1X 0W6
forethought at a time in the project that requires careful and
delicate consideration.
Positive: Technology leverage (Part 1)
Firms have talked about “going paperless” for many years. In
some cases, firms that went paperless seemed to make more
paper. Call this the official “burning the boats at the short.”
Optimizing digital technology for everything from timecards, job
reports, punch lists, submittals, schedules, purchase orders, QA/
QC, etc. is probably just what the construction industry needed.
By going paperless, crews can focus on the work and gain efficiencies
that were often thought out of reach. One of the best
examples is earned value reporting. By using digital tools, crews
can report both time and quantities and get real-time productivity
information, enabling real-time course corrections.
Positive: Technology leverage
(Part 2)
Adoption of virtual tools such as
Zoom, Webex, Teams, GoTo Meeting,
FaceTime, etc. has been accelerated
because of the pandemic. In fact, tying
in via a virtual tool was often a lastditch
effort for some individuals prior to
COVID-19. In the absence of true faceto
face interaction, these tools became
essential, helping maintain schedules
and communications. These tools have
the ability to become as ubiquitous as
a hammer drill or backhoe on job sites,
enabling teams to close the distances
and utilize time more effectively.
Push – job site cleanliness
Tools and equipment aside, there is one
other aspect that needs to be considered.
Overall, workspace hygiene and
cleanliness will take on a new complexion
and could have ramifications
on contractor costs. However, there
is another perspective that should be
considered. Outside of extraordinary
exceptions or requirements, trade contractors
and general contractors alike
have largely struggled with simply
keeping sites clean, so this added focus
may actually improve productivity and
also safety.
The formulaic approach
Most construction organizations have
some elaborate estimating programs
that utilize some baseline crew rate that
provides a multiplier for all quantities
of work. For instance, if a contractor
estimates 100 lf of water piping, there is
some labour multiplier that represents
the appropriate crew blend (i.e., one
crew leader, one equipment operator,
P R O D U C T I V I T Y
38 www.albertaheavy.ca
/spectrumequipment.ca
/www.albertaheavy.ca
link
link
link
/
