Project Procurement

What Do You Mean Equipment Deliveries Are Holding Up My Project? In my early days of project management, I learned that if you want to get a project done on time, you have to get the equipment / material to the contractor. Now, I'm sure most have you have been involved in a project that has gone off track because the equipment was late, holding up the contractor which resulted in your missing schedules. Some causes of equipment delay are; lack of planning for purchase of long lead items the procurement cycle expediting drawing approvals lack of vendor response. In... Read More»

Hidden Contracts

They Want How Much? We were in the process of buying the electrical equipment for a new plant when the electrical engineer came in with the bad news. They had been told by the electric utility the project would have to buy the transformer from the utility company. We could understand hooking up the transformer, but to actually have to buy the transformer was crazy, which we told him in no uncertain terms! The transformer we needed cost $750,000 from our preferred supplier, while the utility wanted $1,250,000 for basically the same thing. They put a few bells and whistles... Read More»

Vendor Data Requirements (continued)

In the last article I started a discussion on Vendor Data Requirements and their importance to your project. This is the vendor data you require with their proposal and later in the project should they be the successful bidder. In review, this document is typically used when purchasing equipment and outlines to the vendor exactly what information you expect him to include with his quote. In this article I will cover additional information that you should be asking for and why you need the information. Following are some additional data items typically required from a vendor ; 6. Transport As... Read More»

Information Required To Get The Job Done

Vendor Data Requirements In the last article, I talked about the Standard Component List and it’s importance to your project in helping make sure you get what you want and what you need. Another important document, that goes along with the Standard Component List, is the Vendor Data Requirements. This document is typically used when purchasing equipment and outlines to the vendor exactly what information you expect him to include with his quote. This document comes in a couple of formats, one as a printed document describing in detail what information you are looking for and the other as an... Read More»

Lessons in Setting a Project Schedule

Deadlines! They can be like quicksand. The harder we fight to meet deadlines, the more of them we seem to miss. The anxiety practically whispers in your ear, "you're about to miss another deadline." If your current project life is an anxious one where you feel like you're trying to swim out of quicksand, I can relate. I remind myself of what that felt like often so I don't forget the importance of a project schedule. When I've found myself in project quicksand it's usually because I didn't create a detailed, well thought out, and accurate schedule or because my... Read More»

Emerging FAC makes new Project Managers a Hot Acquisition

The market shifts from minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day, and year to year. Changing markets supply new opportunity for project managers. During the recent blizzard that blanketed Washington, DC and surrounding areas, my friend Bill who runs a landscaping company retrofitted his company truck with a plow. In one day, Bill created an entirely new line of business for himself. I thought it was ingenious that he watched what was happening around him and made himself adaptable to the situation. I think of Bill as a leader and a project manager. Shifting markets beg us to... Read More»