Most top U.S. contractors rarely deliver projects on time: new study

About 63% of leading U.S. contractors are delivering projects out of schedule, according to a survey of over 300 C-suite executives and owners in the construction industry by XYZ Reality.

The study implies that the industry is struggling with significant backlogs due, in part, to avoidable defects, scan, and rework. The construction sector is also hampered by supply chain disruptions (cited by 52% of respondents), rising construction costs (43%), and meeting new sustainability requirements (36%).

Other reasons cited for falling short of schedule benchmarks include poor communication (45%), inexperienced workers (39%), and insufficient supervision (34%). This data suggests that a significant amount of human error is to blame, XYZ notes.

Design changes, or the misinterpretation of them, were also cited by about a quarter of respondents. To control costs and cope with industry challenges, contractors are increasingly looking to technology solutions such as augmented reality.

Sarah Creighton and Holly Cindell of McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. of Newport Beach are among a group of pioneering women from Southern California construction, architecture and engineering companies to begin WiOPS—a new professional organization geared specifically toward women in construction operations.

| Feb 21, 2013

BD+C's 2011 White Paper: Zero and Net-Zero Energy Buildings + Homes

We submit our eighth White Paper on Sustainability in the hope that it will inspire architects, engineers, contractors, building owners, developers, building product manufacturers, environmentalists, policymakers, government officials, corporate executives, officeholders, and the public to foster the development of net-zero energy buildings and homes.