Glen Toepfer will sponsor a free webinar on avoiding COVID-19-related project delays, on March 27 at 1 p.m. EDT.

Project delays in containment system construction have started, and the reality is we do not yet know how much or how long our projects will be affected by COVID-19. As an industry, proper planning can help keep everyone moving forward while minimizing the risk of future delays. It is likely that as we come out of the pandemic, everything will break loose at once with everyone demanding their projects be completed ASAP. If this happens, it is sure to strain the resources available to the industry–something that could compromise the timeline and quality of your project as resources are prioritized. There are steps you can take right now to help minimize the potential for financial and schedule impacts to your projects.

Years of field experience with project and/or industry wide delays have yielded significant lessons learned that could be applied to the current situation. In this webinar, Toepfer will cover the foreseeable problems we are likely to face if the delays continue and/or increase and the steps you can take now to mitigate the impact these issues will have on your project.

Here is some of what we currently know:

• Construction projects are facing unknown delays.
• Contractors are facing potentially crippling loss of revenue.
• Site owners need these jobs done.
• When projects resume, they are likely going to be facing tight timelines, potential material and labor shortages, weather delays, and many other factors that can increase cost of and time to completion.

The following is a high-level overview of a few of the solutions to be discussed in the webinar that can be done now:

• Material management: As more projects are pushed back, material orders may also be pushed, then when projects resume, we run the risk of manufacturer’s capacity being overloaded and creating project delays. For time-sensitive projects, material availability will be crucial, and we will discuss management protocols that can be addressed during the delays.
• Address cut and paste specifications: We talk about this all the time but poor specs cost site owners and contractors too much time and money. Having project documents peer reviewed for constructability, accuracy and conflicting requirements will help. We will look at key areas that should be addressed pre-project to reduce construction delays.
• Weather protocols: Weather delays all too often cost more time and money than needed. Proper field protocols can significantly help to minimize project delays and costs.

There’s plenty of additional content to be discussed, so please join this free webinar. Take advantage of any current delays and put them to work for you, shoring up potential pitfalls now so they don’t derail your project later.

This is an unprecedented time that is certainly difficult for everyone; let’s find a way to work together to minimize the impact for all of us.

To access the webinar, visit http://uncontained.co/2020/03/20/covid-19-containment-system-construction-foreseeable-problems-preventive-measures.