Commercial general contractors can offer benefits in areas like design, procurement, supervision, liaising with local authorities, construction management, etc.

1. What, When, and Why of
Commercial General Contractors
Near Me?
A commercial construction project is not everyone’s cup of tea and entails a host of
challenges, which individual business owners may find difficult to negotiate or address.
The types of commercial construction may include building offices, shopping centers,
retail shops, banks, hotels and restaurants, and others. The construction management of
commercial properties is a comprehensive process involving scores of players or
stakeholders, and a single entity or individual overseeing them.
The hiring of a commercial general contractors to oversee the commercial constructing
of any commercial construction project is important to navigate the process, address
any unforeseen issues, communicate with the project owner(s), and meet the project
deadlines. The unforeseen bottlenecks or obstacles can derail any such project unless
the commercial construction companies have the expertise and experience to see it
through.
It is possible that an individual business owner may hire scores of subcontractors and
specialists to work on a project. However, the absence of a controlling or overseeing
authority (read Houston commercial contractors) can make it difficult to address
challenges such as work stoppages, design flaws, and supply side bottlenecks, among
others. So, to ensure the timely completion of a commercial contraction project within
budget, business owners or investors look to hiring experienced commercial general
contractors. Let us understand the functions of a commercial general contracting. You
may even read our resource detailing the activities that come under commercial
contracting.

2. What are the functions of a commercial general
contractor?
Commercial builders aka contractors oversee the development of a commercial
construction project right from placing the foundation to handing over the keys to the
business owner(s). They are engaged in a host of activities such as keeping track of the
cost, scheduling the workforce, and coordinating between key stakeholders including
local officials, among others. In fact, the commercial general contractor can be thought

3. of as the glue that holds the entire project together. You may read details of the role of
general contractors in commercial construction.
Workmanship:
A commercial general contractor has the expertise and experience in all aspects and
areas of a construction project. In addition to providing labor, materials, and equipment
for the project, he or she also offers services in areas such as design, estimation,
procurement, financial management, scheduling, and construction management.
Houston commercial contractors coordinate with professionals belonging to multiple
trade disciplines and working at the job site to work towards a common goal. They are
accountable to the project owner as far as completing the project within time and
budget is concerned. They are also responsible for maintaining quality control with
respect to performance specifications throughout the construction process.
Maintaining quality control standards begins with clearly defining the scope of work,
requiring trade compliance with the performance specifications and documenting the
desired workmanship standards expected. Depending on the size of the project, there
can be multiple levels of compliance inspections other than the commercial general
contractor.
Design:
Even though most commercial builders are not involved directly in design work, they
may work with designers or architects. They are involved in offering value engineering
solutions for complex designs and finalizing products’ specifications to make the
construction more cost effective. A second valued role that the commercial contractors
play in the design phase is evaluating constructability. Certain untraditional designs
can lead to potential construction issues if not identified early in the design process.
And once the specifications and drawings are complete, the commercial contractors
develop material takeoffs using the construction plans to create schedules of values for
the estimated cost. Thereafter comes procuring the materials in quantities that are
mentioned in the specifications after verifying the subcontractors' bids.
Scheduling pre-construction:
This is arguably one of the key services offered by commercial contractors and entails
the planning of labor, logistics, equipment, and materials. Pre-construction scheduling
is used to determine the time needed to complete the project. This is important to know

4. the jobsite overhead costs including other project costs such as onsite management, and
the security of equipment and materials, among others. Also, pre-construction services
may involve reviewing the blueprints, preliminary budget, and salient building codes,
and analyzing them to identify any potential bottlenecks or sticking points. A seasoned
commercial general contractor will evaluate and plan alternative scheduling paths in
anticipating of possible problems. So, by eliminating these at the early stages, the
project can be finished within time and budget.
Hassle-free completion of the project:
By hiring a commercial general contractor either for new construction or commercial
remodeling, the project or business owner does not need to worry about coordinating
with various players at the jobsite and making them work according to a schedule. The
commercial contractors will be ultimately responsible for getting the job done within
the constraints of time and cost, and should there be an escalation, the same shall be
discussed with the project owner to arrive at a solution.
Financial management:
Financial management is a crucial service to measure the health of the construction
project and involves managing the cash flow. It involves establishing the itemized line-
item cost for all tasks and is taken as a benchmark to drive cost control throughout the
construction process. By keeping a tight control on cash flow, the prime commercial
construction company ensures the project progresses without facing any interruptions
in the flow of labor and supplies.
Materials:
For any commercial remodeling or new construction project, the value of materials and
equipment to be used needs to be estimated and procured to the jobsite. The materials
should meet or fulfill all design requirements and building codes. Commercial
contracting is all about the skill of knowing what, how much, and when the
subcontractors would need the materials, and how to replenish the same when finished.
Managing subcontractors:
Any commercial construction project (small, medium, or large) needs the participation
of multiple players such as MEP, masons, carpenters, and others. The commercial
general contractor will manage many aspects of the subcontractor’s project relationship.
The commercial general contractor manages the administrative requirements that

5. involve contracts, insurance, payment processing and lien releases. In addition, they
manage the onsite construction activities, such as the quality control, scheduling and
safety.
The job can be quite exhausting and the wasteful expenses and leakages can rear their
ugly head unless the commercial general contractor overseeing the project keeps a track
of everything including the quality of construction undertaken by the subcontractors. If
not coordinated properly, the subcontractors working on multiple projects can drop the
particular project from their priority list causing delays. The delays can have a domino
effect on the project and lead to costly setbacks.
Liaise with local authorities:
Building a commercial property means complying with the local building codes and
arranging the compliance inspections of the property at various stages of construction.
The commercial construction contractor needs to liaise with the local authorities and
schedule a date for inspection of the property. It is only after the property is duly
inspected and certified for meeting all building standards that the property can be
ultimately handed over to the project owner.
Logistics:
Procuring building materials and equipment from suppliers has become technical with
next-gen tracking being utilized. It is no longer about calling the local area supplier to
place an order and wait for the supply of materials at the job site. Planning the delivery
involves understanding where the material or equipment will be stored on site until
needed. It also has to do with how that material will be transferred to the actual
building and stored until needed. In dense urban construction site locations even
construction trade parking can become a major problem for the local commercial
properties nearby.
Safety:
Safety on commercial construction sites is a big deal to the overall performance and
liability of commercial contracting for both the commercial general contractor and
subcontractors as well. Accidents, injuries and deaths are closely monitored on
construction sites by OSHA. There are critical statistics measured that effect both
insurance risk rates and the short- and long-term job site operational procedures of
high-risk activities. A spike in these numbers can lead to financial liability risk for all
concerned.

6. Supervision:
This is supposedly the backbone of construction management, for the commercial
contractor provides on-site directions to the stakeholders to achieve the desired results.
In the absence of proper supervision, the entire project can turn chaotic leading to
disarray and cost escalations. And for large and complex commercial projects where
people of multiple skills and trades are involved, commercial contractors can drive the
project to its logical conclusion.
The above-mentioned functions or the areas of operations of contractors hired for
commercial remodeling or commercial contracting to ensure bottlenecks or missteps
are avoided, use of resources optimized, and the construction process facilitated with
seamless coordination between various players. Further, you may view our video to
know about the job of a contractor in a commercial project.
Conclusion
To turn the vision of commercial construction into reality right from the drawing board
to final completion, the services of Houston commercial contractors can be hired. They
help the project from facing cost overruns and missed deadlines. They are the go-to
people for investors and business owners to either construct a commercial property
from the ground up or remodel it according to specifications. You may read a blog to
know how contractors dealing with commercial remodeling or contracting can be of
help.
Content Source - https://www.marwoodconstruction.com/what-when-and-why-of-
commercial-general-contractors-near-me/
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