It’s no secret that contractors and engineers don’t always
speak the same language.
“Each party thinks the other doesn’t understand the
design issues or construction issues,” said John J. Peirce, Jr., P.E.,
D.GE, with Peirce Engineering, Inc. Peirce has experience working
on both sides of the fence and sees some of the ways that communication
between contractors and engineers could improve on
a construction project. “Each party thinks the other doesn’t know
enough. And sometimes, they’re right – but not always!”
1. Build trust by asking for help
One of the most important tenets of good communication is trust.
According to Peirce, one way to build trust between contractors
and engineers is elevating a construction or design problem as
it surfaces.
“Engineers don’t like to admit that they need help sometimes,”
said Peirce. “Contractors can often provide that help.” He says
that engineers who lack applicable experience often want to plow
ahead with odd, uneconomical or unbuildable designs.
On the other hand, contractors can also be more forthcoming
when they’re in hot water.
“Too many contractors take on projects for which they have
insufficient or bad experience,” said Peirce. An experienced engineer
can add invaluable knowledge and support.
Unfortunately, says Peirce, the low-bid design and low-bid construction
processes don’t always match the best engineer or contractor,
especially for unusual projects. However, trust the other
party enough to be open about the areas in which you could benefit
from their perspective and any project will benefit.
2. Commit to teamwork
According to Peirce, communication begins to flow when engineers
and contractors work together as a team to solve a problem
that might be unfamiliar to one or the other. Two side effects of
cooperation are improved communication and mutual respect.
“It’s rare to see a contractor or engineer who is capable of doing
the other’s job,” said Peirce. “Therefore, double-teaming a problem
is necessary. You can’t be afraid to ask for help or input from the
other party.”
Tackling any problems or potential problems as a unit, says
Peirce, leads to economical, buildable, safe projects.
3. Share credit
“As I see it, one solution is for both contractors and engineers to
make joint presentations at society meetings or conferences,” said
Peirce. “Too often, presentations are given or magazine articles
written by one party without participation of the other.”
Typically, the other party might just get a brief mention while
the presenter or author misses, omits or downplays important
contributions of the other party, however unintentional (or not).
“Essentially, only half the story is told,” said Peirce.
Collaborating on presentations or articles brings yet another
opportunity to work together and continue building trust.
“Contractors and design engineers should not be ‘enemies,’”
said Peirce. “We both have the same goals – to design and build
successful, safe, economical projects, and to make a reasonable
profit doing so.” t
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How to improve communication
between contractors and engineers
By Jill Harris, Lester Publications, LLC
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