Improve Team Performance and Reduce Rework to Keep Projects on Track

Name: DPR Construction
Price range: $

Partnering with self-performing general contractors can improve quality and reliability, saving time and money.

This article is included in the Great Things: Issue 11 edition of the DPR Newsletter.

“The more [of our SPW contractor’s] hats and vests I saw in the facility, the better I felt about things getting done properly and getting done on time.”

Jeff Masten, COO, Theragent Inc.

Self-perform work (SPW), when a general contractor (GC) employs a team who implements scopes with their own workforce rather than contracting with an outside trade partner, can be a game changer. That’s because SPW leads to more predictable outcomes.

Why does predictability matter? It means more control and, by extension, the ability to predict and plan for key elements in a project: schedule, cost and quality. It means access to—and the flexibility to implement—more creative solutions.

Rather than relying on various specialty contractors to execute critical scopes, GCs who provide SPW services offer their customers a single, integrated management and execution team who are used to working together. This integrated workforce approach makes coordination second nature and improves reliability onsite. With a consistent, collaborative team in place, rework, safety incidents and issues with out-of-sequence work are reduced.

A happier and more engaged workforce has been proven to increase productivity by 22%. Companies with higher engagement scores report 48% fewer quality incidents, resulting in an overall better project.

worker walks away on a jobsite carrying a ladder

“Maintaining a pulse on project performance by participating in the day-to-day construction in the field allows our contractor to push and pull work that wouldn’t be obvious otherwise.”

Customer Testimonial

Schedule Enhancements

Self-performing contractors avoid schedule delays via their in-house workforce and the ability to provide feedback early in the preconstruction stage. Engaging skilled craft workers employed by your general contractor means more control over labor availability, optimizing schedule and providing opportunities for acceleration. Especially when it comes to critical path scopes like concrete and drywall, self-perform contractors have the ability to drive schedule and eliminate manpower issues in ways most non-self-performing general contractors cannot.

“Because of labor shortages, it can sometimes be difficult to supplement labor if a trade is overextended,” said DPR Construction’s Kyle Welch, who served as a superintendent at the David L. Conlan Center at Atrium Health Carolinas Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlotte, NC. “Being able to reach out and call someone from Texas, California, or up the street to see who is available and know it won't sacrifice quality is just huge for us. Everyone is trained consistently, so there are no questions about quality or what type of craftsperson you're going to get. If you have to go out into the market, you're probably going to have to spend more time getting someone up to speed.”

Cost Savings

Self-performing general contractors can engage in-house subject matter experts early in a project, working with owners and design teams to inform design and provide the best value possible for each project. This can prevent later value engineering and scope changes required to meet budget.

Self-performing general contractors with national scale can leverage their purchasing power to drive better material access and mitigate price escalation. While non-self-performing contractors also reap the benefits of scale, those with in-house skilled trades are likely to better anticipate, procure and access scope-specific materials and equipment earlier in the project planning process. And when organizations own some of their own equipment, which many self-performing general contractors do, they are protected from lack of availability or escalating rental costs.

Higher Quality

Self-performing general contractors typically employ a wide range of full-time craftspeople, from seasoned veterans to well-trained apprentices whose aim is to build each project on time, meeting all client expectations in the process. In-house employees are committed to their organization’s success and exhibit a level of integrity and skill that matches their employer.

With their commitment to delivering the best project using an integrated team for service, execution and project delivery, self-performing general contractors are a valuable, one-stop shop for construction projects.

The Intangible Value

While schedule, cost and quality are critical to project success, the peace of mind that comes with having a partner who shares your commitment to excellence and makes project execution easier cannot be understated.

When asked about working with their self-performing general contractor, one owner recently commented, “After evaluating the cost for each scope of work, we determined that we are receiving fair value for SPW. However, the more important value statement is what we cannot quantify. Maintaining a pulse on project performance by participating in the day-to-day construction in the field allows our contractor to push and pull work that wouldn’t be obvious otherwise.”

Another owner, Jeff Masten, chief operating officer at Theragent Inc., added, “The more [of our self-perform contractor’s] hats and vests I saw in the facility, the better I felt about things getting done properly and getting done on time. Concrete and steel work, drywall work—that’s what makes the building beautiful. Setting up the modular walls and the clean rooms, and how to build around the steel structure, to me those are the meat of construction. So, the more that a design-build team can offer the actual construction piece of it, too, minimizing the risk and making sure it still gets done right with high quality, the better off the client is going to feel about it.”