Contractors’ Bid Prices Finally Match Runup in Materials Prices, but Continuing Cost Increases Will Maintain Pressure on Profit Margins

Contractors’ Bid Prices Finally Match Runup in Materials Prices, but Continuing Cost Increases Will Maintain Pressure on Profit Margins

Contractors’ bid prices for constructing new nonresidential buildings finally caught up with soaring costs for the materials and services they buy in May, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials cautioned that contractors will have a hard time keeping pace with additional price spikes…

Permit Stuck in Concrete? 5 Tips to Crack the Permitting Code

Permit Stuck in Concrete? 5 Tips to Crack the Permitting Code

Let’s say that you have a big customer that you have been waiting to work with for a long time.  You finally sold this customer and landed your first project.  You meet with your customer to go over their plans, timeline, budget constraints, etc. and you see that all the documents appear to be acceptable…

Construction Employment Exceeds Pre-Pandemic Peak in 32 States in April, but Record High Job Openings Threaten Further Job Gains

Construction Employment Exceeds Pre-Pandemic Peak in 32 States in April, but Record High Job Openings Threaten Further Job Gains

Construction employment exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 32 states in April, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials cautioned however that record-high job opening levels in the construction sector indicate that many firms are having a hard time finding workers to hire, putting future…

New Report Explores Architect, Contractor Relationship

New Report Explores Architect, Contractor Relationship

A study published recently by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), in partnership with the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), sheds new light on the relationship between architects and contractors and the needs of both professions. The fifth edition of The Architect’s Journey to Specification focuses on improving the working relationship between architects and…

5 Key Steps To Keep a Sharp Eye on Your Plans During Permitting

5 Key Steps To Keep a Sharp Eye on Your Plans During Permitting

By Helen Callier, Contributing Writer   It can be challenging for some Contractors to keep their focus on what’s happening with their plans while in Permitting. Getting distracted with day-to-day tasks is one factor. When I was waiting for my favorite tacos to go at a local restaurant, I started watching one of the large screen…

Three Out of Four Metro Areas Add Construction Jobs From March 2021 To March 2022, Even as Labor Shortages Hold Back Further Gains

Three Out of Four Metro Areas Add Construction Jobs From March 2021 To March 2022, Even as Labor Shortages Hold Back Further Gains

Construction employment increased in three-fourths of U.S. metro areas between March 2021 and March 2022, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. Association officials noted that labor shortages likely kept many firms from adding even more workers during the past year. “It is heartening to see…

El Paso, Texas’s Veliz Construction Wins Diverse Business of the Year Award From National Construction Association

El Paso, Texas’s Veliz Construction Wins Diverse Business of the Year Award From National Construction Association

El Paso’s Veliz Construction was named the 2022 Diverse Business of the Year award winner by the Associated General Contractors of America, association officials announced recently.  The association also awarded Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Awards, which are sponsored by WTW, to Austin Commercial, Hensel Phelps, Millstone Weber, LLC, and Central Builders. “These awards recognize firms…

AGC & Procore Meet Initial Goal of Raising $500,000 to Launch a New Scholarship for Minority Students Studying Construction at HBCUs

AGC & Procore Meet Initial Goal of Raising $500,000 to Launch a New Scholarship for Minority Students Studying Construction at HBCUs

The Associated General Contractors of America and Procore Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: PCOR), a leading global provider of construction management software, announced recently they have met their initial fundraising goal of $500,000 for a new scholarship to support minority students studying construction at the nation’s Historically Black Colleges & Universities, or HBCUs for short. Students will…

UMASS Amherst Has One of the Nation’s Most Outstanding Student Construction Chapters of 2021, According to the National Trade Association

UMASS Amherst Has One of the Nation’s Most Outstanding Student Construction Chapters of 2021, According to the National Trade Association

The University of Massachusetts Amherst, as well as Kansas State University and Boise State University were named the nation’s most outstanding student construction chapters of 2021, the Associated General Contractors of America announced today. The student chapters were each honored for one of three categories: Emerging Student Chapter Award, Community Service Award, and Construction Management…

MAC Safety Consultants’ Research Finds Vita Inclinata’s Vita Load Navigator Reduces Construction Fatalities by 75% and Overall Accidents by 63%

MAC Safety Consultants’ Research Finds Vita Inclinata’s Vita Load Navigator Reduces Construction Fatalities by 75% and Overall Accidents by 63%

Vita Inclinata (Vita), developer and producer of helicopter and crane load stabilization and precision hardware, today revealed the results of Mac Safety Consultants’ analysis on how the Vita Load Navigator (VLN) system can decrease construction site accidents and fatalities associated with lifting and spinning loads hoisted by cranes. The dramatic survey results quantified the VLN’s…

Contractors: Why You Must Read the State of the Construction Industry Article

Contractors: Why You Must Read the State of the Construction Industry Article

 By Helen Callier, Contributing Writer   Did you read the industry article about the state of construction in the Subcontractors USA February 2022 issue? If you did not, you can still find this article online on pages 16 and 17 as it relays construction industry stats that can be useful for you to plan, develop, and…

Construction Employment Surpasses Pre-Pandemic Peak in Majority of Metro Areas; Association Calls for Steps To Enlarge Worker Supply

Construction Employment Surpasses Pre-Pandemic Peak in Majority of Metro Areas; Association Calls for Steps To Enlarge Worker Supply

Construction employment increased from February 2020—the month before the coronavirus pandemic—to February 2022 in nearly three-fifths of U.S. metro areas, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. Association officials said it is getting harder to find workers and urged officials to invest more in career training…

Construction Adds 19,000 Jobs in March, While Project Spending Rises for 12th Straight Month in February; Officials Warn of Growing Challenges

Construction Adds 19,000 Jobs in March, While Project Spending Rises for 12th Straight Month in February; Officials Warn of Growing Challenges

Construction employment climbed by 19,000 jobs between February and March, while spending on construction projects rose for the 12th month in a row in February, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association leaders warned that further gains may stall unless the supply of workers and…

Equal Pay: How Women Can Benefit From a Career in Construction

Equal Pay: How Women Can Benefit From a Career in Construction

The disruptions of the pandemic led to not only job losses but also the Great Resignation, with many Americans reevaluating their careers and searching for better opportunities. While some areas are recovering, studies from the Pew Research Center, the National Bureau of Economic Research, and others suggest that more women have lost their jobs overall,…

Congress Again Works To Meet Government Funding Deadline

Congress Again Works To Meet Government Funding Deadline

After passing a short-term three-week extension of government funding in February, Congress is again faced with an impending deadline to fund the government by March 11. This gives lawmakers a week to finalize and pass a full fiscal year (FY) 2022 funding package that would set new spending levels for the year after multiple continuations…

Construction Industry Adds 60,000 Jobs in February as Hourly Wages Post Steepest Rise Since 1982; Competition for Workers Expected To Intensify   

Construction Industry Adds 60,000 Jobs in February as Hourly Wages Post Steepest Rise Since 1982; Competition for Workers Expected To Intensify   

Construction employment climbed by 60,000 jobs between January and February as hourly pay rose at the steepest pace in nearly 40 years, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association leaders urged officials in Washington to boost support for career training and education to enable more…

Construction Spending Rose in January From December and January 2021

Construction Spending Rose in January From December and January 2021

Construction spending increased in January compared to both December and a year ago, with strong gains in private nonresidential and residential construction but mixed results for public spending, according to an analysis of federal spending data the Associated General Contractors of America released today. Association leaders urged Washington officials to speed the award of funds…

4 Pillars to De-Risk Permitting on P3 Projects

4 Pillars to De-Risk Permitting on P3 Projects

By Helen Callier, Contributing Writer   More cities and counties in the U.S. are exploring Public-private partnerships (P3s) as an economically creative way to build infrastructure and buildings which allow them to meet the demands of their growing communities.  Several years ago, public entities were hesitant to leverage P3s, especially when hearing about projects that did…

Materials Prices Soar 20 Percent in 2021 Despite Moderating in December; Most Contractors in Association Survey List Costs as Top Concern in 2022

Materials Prices Soar 20 Percent in 2021 Despite Moderating in December; Most Contractors in Association Survey List Costs as Top Concern in 2022

By Subcontractors USA News Provider Prices of construction materials jumped nearly 20 percent in 2021 despite moderating in December, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials said contractors rate materials costs as a top concern for 2022, according to a survey predicting the industry’s…