A NEW MARKET FOR SURVEYORS During this time of financial stress in the residential housing markets and its effect on the surveying business, we’ve been looking for other markets in which surveyors can use their measuring and analytical skills. Our research shows that while residential building appears to be in trouble, the commercial building markets are moving ahead. Here’s the niche market that we’ve found for surveyors: Construction and project planning, scheduling, administration and management. If you don’t know much about this field, let me give you a simple example. A SIMPLE EXAMPLE When getting dressed it works better to put on your socks before putting on your shoes. If the operation is performed in reverse then it is required to take off the shoes and start over. This simple operation requires a plan, schedule, administration and management in order to complete it properly. Extending this basic theory, many items are required to build a construction project: subcontractors, equipment, supplies, permits, inspections and the like. The above example is an allegory for the problem that faces construction companies when building a project. When the several items making up the project are not properly planned and scheduled then extra work is required to make the construction work properly. We call the failure of proper planning and scheduling “Waste.” The Free Online Dictionary defines “waste” as, “To use, consume, spend, or expend thoughtlessly or carelessly. To fail to take advantage of or use for profit; lose: waste an opportunity.” Traditionally, contractors and builders build in the “waste” as a part of their proposed price for building a project. This "waste" can be observed with employees standing around with nothing to do and work being re-performed because it was performed out of sequence. With most projects “waste” is always considered as a part of the cost of a project. Accordingly, if an owner, contractor or project manager charges the same price for a project and reduces “waste,” more profit can be made. This reduction in “waste” can be called “increasing the efficiency” of a project. Further, by increasing the efficiency of the project costs can be controlled and projects completed early or on time and bonuses achieved. Increasing the efficiency of a project is called “Project Planning, Scheduling, Administration and Management.” The Council has arranged for eligible members to become agents for the Construction Management Company. Here’s how it works. Eligible Council members find projects in their area and work as agents and representatives for the Construction Management Company to bring those projects under contract for “Project Planning, Scheduling, Administration and Management.” Once under contract the following procedure is observed: The setup phase of the project takes place during which the Council member and the Construction Management Company representative meet with the client and set up an initial plan, budget and schedule. The Council member receives his normal hourly or negotiated fee for helping with the setup phase. The Council member becomes the eyes and ears for he Construction Management Company in the field and conducts weekly inspections and meetings with the client, subcontractors and materialmen, reporting those results to the Construction Management Company. Accordingly, the Construction Management Company modifies the initial plan, budget and schedule. This revised information becomes a part of the Council member’s next weeks meeting. The Council member receives his normal hourly or negotiated fee for conducting these inspections, meetings and reports. The Construction Management Company prepares reports for the client about project status and flow of funds. These reports allow the client to provide for an adequate cash flow for the project and plan for the project completion date. In addition to the normal fees received by the Council member, a fee of 10% (ten & 00/100 percent) of the fees paid to the Construction Management Company (less those amounts paid to the Council member) are paid to the Council member as a bonus at the completion of the project. COUNCIL MEMBER QUALIFICATION In order to qualify to become an agent for the Construction Management Company an application must be completed and submitted together with a non-refundable $50.00 application fee. Once this application is accepted by the Construction Management Company the applicant is required to attend a one-day courses held on a Saturday at a hotel site in central Florida. At these seminars the surveyor applicant is provided with an overview about how to plan, administrate and manage a project using Microsoft Project; how to inspect a project and make reports; and how to sell and collect for these projects. A certification of competency is given at the completion of all four seminar sessions and the applicant is licensed by he Construction Management Company as one of its agents. The fee for this seminar is $300.00. In the event that you have any questions or comments, please feel free to give me a call at (912) 381-5302 (my cell phone) or email me at ted.madson@surveyors.org. I look forward to working with you to expand your markets through this venture. Sincerely, Ted Madson, Director The Council