An Interview with a General Contractor on Where Developers Are Losing Their Money

Every project is unique, but the earlier you involve a general contractor, the better. Once funds have been invested and supplies are en route, any delay in choosing a general contractor—or making the wrong choice—can prove costly. A general contractor can act both as an insurance policy and as a crisis manager for the entire project.

Sergio Trovatti, Deputy General Director for Strategic Development at DEKRA CONSTRUCTION, shares insights on how to protect your project, budget, and timeline.

In projects involving deep foundation pits, clients often engage contractors directly for partial mobilization—specifically for excavation pit enclosure and earth removal—to save time and reduce costs. The completion of the pit enclosure is a critical milestone for bringing on the general contractor. This is because continuous operations typically begin at this stage and ideally should not be interrupted. For example, concrete work must start immediately as excavation nears completion to prevent freezing or waterlogging of the exposed soil, which forms the building’s foundation base.

Fatal mistakes

The most critical engineering errors include:

• A slow design process that leads to working “from scratch.” As a result, it becomes impossible to review the work in time, assess the quality of design decisions, and identify flaws.
• Incorrect calculation of reinforced concrete structures, which results in the need to reinforce previously completed elements.
• Selection of technical solutions that prove unsuitable for the project and subsequently require rework. This causes delays and, consequently, increases construction time and costs.

Misinterpretation of initial data and faulty calculations of the reinforced concrete frame can lead to errors in selecting the technical design solution for foundations. This may entail partial rework and additional costly measures. Fortunately, such cases are extremely rare; in my experience, I have encountered this only once, back in the mid-1990s.

However, we have twice been called in to rescue construction projects already underway. When contractors abandon the site, numerous works remain unfinished at various stages—some of which must be entirely redone. The situation is further complicated by the absence of as-built documentation, which then must be reconstructed from scratch.

At the start, it is crucial to establish communication with the initial contractors and suppliers as quickly as possible. Any delay during the early stages impacts the overall project timeline and costs, leading to unforeseen overhead expenses and potential penalties.

Facade as a High-Risk Area

The facade is a complex set of works that must consider not only the visible aspects—such as appearance, profiles, and glazing units.

Other critical factors must be addressed: fire resistance of components and overall fire safety of the system, materials’ response to extreme temperatures, waterproofing, and thermal insulation. Incorrect decisions in any of these areas can lead to rework, up to complete dismantling of the entire facade system.

To mitigate these high risks, the facade solution must be approved before beginning the detailed design of the reinforced concrete structure and related engineering systems, all of which must incorporate the parameters of the facade elements.

Conclusion

For the successful completion of any construction project, it is essential to select a general contractor at the right stage. This strategy simultaneously achieves two key objectives: cost savings and securing the expertise and experience of the main contractor.