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Industry Overview
The construction industry is diverse and huge. It ranges from the
plumber or electrician who works alone on residential and small
commercial projects to engineering and construction companies that
design and build giant, complex projects.
Spending on construction in the United States was $480 billion
in 2001 and this spending has escalated since. This amounted to
4.8 percent of the United States’ Gross Domestic Product.
Construction Categories
U.S. contractors usually specialize based on type and size of project
and their role in the project. The industry therefore can be categorized
into the following segments: Building Construction by general contractors
or operative builders; Heavy Construction other than building by
general contractors or specialized establishments; and Construction
Activity by Special Trade contractors.
- General Contractors – General contractors
normally bid on contracts submitted by prospective homeowners,
corporations, or governmental procurement processes. General Contractors
manage the complete project and often outsource most of the jobs
through subcontracts with specialty firms.
- Operative Builders – Operative Builders
are similar to General Contractors except for one major process.
They do not bid on projects. They normally conduct construction
projects on their terms, conditions, and according to their own
specifications then resale the property for a profit after the
project is complete.
- Heavy Construction – Firms in this category
construct highways, bridges, power plants, airports, and the like
that are generally bid through state or federal procurement processes,
or formal commercial request for bid processes.
- Specialty Trade Contractors – Specialty
trade contractors in the building sector consist of plumbers,
electricians, and painters. Specialty trade contractors in the
Heavy Construction sector engage in the grading or paving of asphalt
or concrete on highway’s or airport runways; sign installation;
trenching; cable laying; and land clearing or leveling.
Construction Industry Outlook
The outlook for the construction industry in general looks positive
at this point in time due to low interest rates for housing, and
due to the age and the rate of deterioration on the major off ramps,
road beds, and overpass bridges that shape the U.S. interstate highway
system and metropolitan transit infrastructures.
Working
In the Contruction Industory
Construction company owners need to possess strong fundamental knowledge
of engineering, design and management principles, including knowledge
of business procedures, economics, and human behavior. Owners may
expect to engage in design of temporary structures, coordination
of project design, systems design, cost estimating, planning and
scheduling, company and project management, materials procurement,
equipment selection, and cost control.
The process of construction involves the organization,
administration, and coordination of labor resource requirements,
temporary and permanent materials, equipment, supplies and utilities,
money, technology and methods. These must be integrated in the most
efficient manner possible to complete construction projects on schedule,
within the budget, and according to the standards of quality and
performance specified by the project owner or designer. To achieve
this, a construction company owner should have:
- confidence
- initiative
- demonstrated leadership ability
- be able to:
- apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering.
- design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze, interpret
data.
- to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems.
- design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs.
- communicate orally, graphically and in writing.
- have an understanding of:
- the overall construction process.
- the estimating process.
- the planning and scheduling process.
- contracts and laws.
- business and management.
- of ethical reasoning.
- contemporary issues in the industry.
- business and construction engineering terminology.
- communicate orally, graphically and in writing.
- an awareness of modern techniques, skills and technologies
for construction.
Construction Industry Statistics
http://www.bizstats.com/scorpmfc1.htm
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