The Contractor’s Compass

An Examination of Sun Tzu’s Art of War Relative to the Built Environment By Gregg Schoppman, FMI Corp. Sun Tzu’s, The Art of War, has been translated and dissected thousands of times by scholars, strategists, and generals. Some of the greatest minds have referenced this short, but robust document is a powerful foundation for any type of strategy.

by Dan Doyon, Maxim Consulting Group Technology and AI in Construction Over the past few years, the construction industry, which is typically considered a labor-intensive and traditional sector, has undergone a tremendous transition. Several areas of the construction process have been transformed as a result of the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, which are principally responsible for this transformation.

By Claire Wilson, Siteline Today, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are everywhere, impacting various industries and transforming how we live and work. While the construction industry has been slower to adopt AI than other sectors, it’s still making progress toward leveraging the benefits of this transformative technology. But to unlock AI’s full potential, our industry must overcome some significant hurdles.

Highlights from the latest construction forecasts show that U.S. economic recovery slowly continues, shadowed by inflation and labor challenges, and geopolitical risk By: Tara Lukasik, Glass Editor’s Note: The following is based on forecast presentations from the 2024 Annual Outlook Forecast Conference from Dodge Construction Network, and The Construction Economy Outlook semiannual webcast by ConstructConnect.

Bri Souder, Marsh McLennan Agency It’s finally arrived. The final day of your project is here, and now you can celebrate and look forward to other projects on your list. Of course, the construction industry is not always that simple. While you and your team have completed the project, that doesn’t mean the risk associated with your work is gone. Sometimes, losses happen after a project finishes. If these incidents relate to your work, your business could face astronomical claims costs.

By: Brian C. Padove and John E. Sebastian, Watt Tieder Hoffar & Fitzgerald, LLP The construction industry has an unfortunate notorious reputation of being resistant to adopting new technological changes while other industries (finance, healthcare, etc.) rapidly embrace digital transformations. While dealing with this reputation, the construction industry, likewise, has been dealing with a decades-long, generally industry wide, productivity decline.

Dates & FIgs US Census Bureau – Total Construction Construction spending during November 2023 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,050.1 billion, 0.4 percent (±1.0 percent)* above the revised October estimate of $2,042.5 billion. The November figure is 11.3 percent (±1.5 percent) above the November 2022 estimate of $1,842.2 billion.

The American Subcontractors Association (ASA) and the National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP) announced today an enhanced strategic alliance to strengthen mutual efforts supporting equitable risk environments for the benefit of construction projects and parties.

By Jennifer Swinney, ASA San Antonio In 2023 OSHA sent out a nationwide search for Workplace Safety Advocates. Out of the numerous applications they received, they selected San Antonio native, Ted Dunnam to serve. The purpose of the role is to help develop a series of videos to explain how businesses implement the core values of a workplace safety and health program.

Dear Readers: It’s January – and we’re off and running! I sincerely hope that everyone had an enjoyable holiday season, and got to catch up – even just a little bit – on some sleep. People left and right are getting sick with a whole mixed bag of illnesses. Please do what you need to do to stay healthy. So here are my highlights for the month: ASA members – I hope you voted for your officers and board of directors. If not, check your emails from January 15 and do it today.