3 Ways to Win the Right Jobs and Stand Out from the Competition

Finding the right projects for your construction company is critical when the market forces fluctuate out of your control. Partnering with owners and developers that are willing to collaborate in the unknown is crucial. But you are not the only one vying for these projects! Which means you need a strategic advantage.

Introduction

To say that the economy has been like an unpredictable new rollercoaster ride would be the understatement of the pandemic. Economists predicted construction market perfect storms that had companies preparing for the worst, and supply chain issues have turned preconstruction teams into commodities market experts.

The pressure of these converging forces and the unknown status of future projects in the cloud of a global pandemic can seem daunting. Winston Churchill once said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste,” which is where the silver lining lies amidst the unknowns.

When the economy and world provide uncertainty, owners and developers look to contractors to deliver more collaboration and communication to create confidence in their projects’ success.

The Challenge Ahead

Today, more and more general contractors and more leading general contractors are focusing their business development efforts on projects using collaborative delivery methods. With more than 80% of the US construction market using Design-Build, Construction-Manager at Risk, or CM/GC delivery methodologies, the competition is high.

Collaborative delivery methods can seem daunting for those trying to change, but the reality is you don’t have to be a six sigma blackbelt to begin to improve your processes and amplify your advantages.

The reality is that most contractors, not only a select few, put in the work to break their bids down into complex work breakdown structures and divide their team to refine specific trades. Transforming these bid packages into competitive proposals that drive value is a critical first step.  

3 Ways to Stand out from the Competition and Win More Jobs

1 | Finding Your Strategic Advantage

Preconstruction is the most critical phase of construction for building trust and setting up your teams for success. During proposals, teams are working to demonstrate their commitment to collaboration, to give owners confidence at the outset that they will work transparently with the owner’s best interests in mind to guide the project from design to handover.

Teams are focused on mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP), others are focused on enclosures, while another group focuses on site work and structural trades. These are known as cluster groups, a core value of target value design, a lean method for focusing the project team on driving value.

Target value design (TVD) is your strategic advantage if you can learn to communicate your message and collaborate with owners to create confidence throughout the project lifecycle.

2 | Focus on Creating Real Value 

Companies have been hyperfocused on digitizing workflows in the field to optimize efficiencies and communicate project status. These are necessary tools, but they are at the wrong end of the project lifecycle to create real value.

The McLeamy curve tells us that the earlier a design change happens, the more significant impact it will have at the least cost. In stark contrast with the execution phase of a project, preconstruction drives 80% of project value while only consuming 20% of the project costs.

Driving focused discussion around project financials and maximizing value management is at the core of the Join platform. Collaborative preconstruction platforms – like Join – dramatically improve the experience for your clients by unlocking their project’s potential. 

3 | Simplify Decision-Making

Communicating complex design alternatives can leave owners feeling uncertain about their decisions. The Join platform combines visualization, detailed cost information, supporting documentation, and transparency, enabling owners to confidently decide on changes and general contractors to drive value back to their clients and projects.

Integrating and deploying the tools in Join will unlock your team’s productivity and elevate the work they are already doing. Your team is a valuable resource, and Join unlocks more data than you could extract from your estimating spreadsheets and value management logs. Stand out from the crowd with Join.

How to Win More Work

We have issued a two-part series of articles to help you differentiate your firm from the outset.  In Part 1, the focus is on the Owner and how Join can help you differentiate your services. Part 2 helps you analyze your internal processes and leverage the features of Join to present critical project highlights and emphasizing your commitment to collaboration. 

It’s crucial that your team and the owner are aligned on each project’s goals to ensure that you’re delivering value. When your owner recognizes true value, that will lead to successful projects and opportunities for repeat business from your clients.