By Subcontractors USA News Provider Unprecedented price increases for a wide range of goods and services used in construction pushed up contractors’ costs by a devastating 26.3 percent from June 2020 to June 2021, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released recently. Association officials cautioned that rising…

By Helen Callier, Contributing Writer Picture this: you sip your favorite cup of coffee, log into a jurisdiction permitting e-portal to check the status of your plan reviews, then you take a double-look at the screen and shake your head wondering why you have received multiple pages of rejection comments from plan reviewers.  What the…

Representation of women in the construction industry has been a topic of discussion over the past several decades with more and more female construction workers opening up about being hired in traditionally male-dominated positions. Female construction workers currently make up around ten percent of all construction jobs, hovering around one million women in the industry…

By Subcontractors USA News Provider Construction employment in May remained below the April level in 40 states and the District of Columbia, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government employment data released today. Association officials said skyrocketing materials prices and excessive delays in receiving key construction supplies were holding…

By Subcontractors USA News Provider The Home Depot Foundation recently announced a new strategic partnership with Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) to provide introductory trades training experience and career education for young women. The Foundation and GSUSA will host the first-ever joint construction workshops for Cadette, Senior and Ambassador level Girl Scouts (8th –…

Helen Callier, Contributing Writer  Time is money, so let me get right to the point on the connection between high lumber prices and building permits.    It is no secret that since early 2020, lumber prices have increased to its highest point in history.  High lumber prices combined with some jurisdictions taking much longer than usual…

By Subcontractors USA News Provider The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in reaction to the announcement made today that the U.S. Department of Transportation will launch a new pilot project to allow states to impose local hire programs on highway construction programs: “We…

By Lawrence Dean, Regional Director, Zonda Intelligence Back in 2005 and 2006, I was a land acquisition manager for the Houston division of one of the finest privately held home builders that is unfortunately no longer with us. That was before my career pivot to, as my eight-year-old son says, “counting all of the houses…

By Subcontractors USA News Provider The Texas Hispanic Construction Association is a non-profit organization that represents the Hispanic community of the state of Texas associated with construction as a fundamental part of the value chain; leading its development, professionalization and progress in a timely manner in all its areas, through technology, education, quality and best…

By Helen Callier, Contributing Writer Have you ever submitted a perfect construction permit set to a jurisdiction and it goes through several departmental reviews, racking up every imaginable rejection comment?  You then scratch your head, begin to fume and next, release a mouthful of complaints to the city plan reviewers, worrying how much delays in…