As construction scheduling professionals, we’ve all worked on smaller construction projects which have fallen behind schedule almost immediately after NTP.
This seems to be a common problem for smaller construction projects.
It seems that owners are expecting contract durations based on best case production scenarios. Who can blame them? They know that similar projects have been completed within these durations.
If this is so, why do many contractors fall behind schedule almost immediately after NTP?
Perhaps it is because they are not prepared to immediately develop and submit administrative submittals such as safety plans & quality control plans. Maybe they don’t get their material submittals in from their suppliers and subcontractors and submit these for review quickly enough? Do owners really need two to three weeks to review submittals?
Many projects have much greater submittal requirements than the successful bidder is able to manage the first few weeks after NTP. I wonder if the “lean years” we are recovering from have left us shorthanded in the project administrative area and delays in these submissions are a result.
Whatever the cause, many projects develop an acceptable baseline schedule and then find they are behind schedule after the first update. Then they start the reduction of durations and resequencing of work to recover. All this really does is put more pressure on an already aggressive construction schedule.
As I help contractors revise their schedules to “get back on schedule,” I often wonder if our industry should consider allowing more time for the submittal process. After all, this is the time to make sure the contractor’s understanding of the deliverable is correct and rushing through this process doesn’t seem helpful.
Are there any “rule of thumb” durations we could use for the submittal and procurement process for specific project types?
Are there any best practices we could agree on for starting the submittal and procurement process sooner?
I believe we can do a better job of managing the “out of the gate” administrative and material submittal process. The delays we see in this area drive the rest of the project into recovery mode.
I’d love to hear what you think!
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Paul Epperson CCM, PMP, PSP, PMI-SP