Although they may sound similar, the “Buy American Act” and the “Buy America Act” are very different. Since the early 1930s, the federal government has enforced domestic material procurement requirements when it funds the construction of public projects. Knowing the difference can save your project, as the penalties for failing to comply can be severe…. Read More

Yes, I admit it – I am a scheduling geek. My favorite class in college included manual CPM calculations.  My wife had to have an intervention so I did not put our wedding planning calendar in P3. But why?  What is it about these relationship lines and date calculations that I find so fascinating? Perhaps… Read More

re·sil·ience the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity Resilience is an important priority today and will become even more important in the years ahead as climate change continues to intensify. Until recently, the Earth had been very resilient, adjusting and balancing… Read More

Innovation Forum Recap We recently held an Innovation Forum where MBP team members pitched ideas to improve the way we do things. We wanted our team to challenge the status quo and they did not disappoint. They devised solutions to automate data entry, streamline our schedule reviews, integrate handy phone apps to communicate with our clients,… Read More

Every summer about the time the last of the cherry bombs went off and the flag banners had finally been rolled up, my dad, James, would call me out of the treehouse to help with a family ritual. He’d roll Big Red, our old Pontiac Catalina, out of the garage and we’d set to work… Read More

Facility departments are faced with an overwhelming amount of data regarding the condition of their buildings. Typical building automation systems (BAS) produce more data points and generate more automated alarms than a facilities department can realistically view and manage, which often results in information overload. Simply having access to facility data does not easily translate… Read More

If a raindrop falls at a nearby airport but not on the project site, does the contractor get a weather delay extension? This seemingly easy question is not so easy when it comes to most construction contracts. Typical contracts and specifications will go into excruciating detail on the requirements for various systems within a building… Read More

In part 1 of this blog series, we highlighted the difficulties facing the construction market due to chronic labor shortages and in part 2, we linked the labor shortage with a rise in disputes, particularly over claims for lost labor efficiency. In a market where loss of efficiency claims are increasingly common, it’s worth noting… Read More

As construction management professionals and consultants, it’s our business to think about how people and processes fit together to achieve the best results. Many of us got into this industry because we have a passion for building something bigger than us. Better buildings. Better infrastructure. The power to impact cities and communities for years to… Read More

Spring is here, and I am looking forward to Opening Day 2019 and the start of baseball season. As players conduct batting practice, they carefully choose their favorite bat. A lot of thought goes into this selection – the weight, the material, the sound the ball makes coming off of it, how comfortable they are… Read More