Construction contractors and managers assume various levels of responsibility and are known by a wide range of job titles that are often used interchangeably for example, constructor, construction superintendent, general superintendent, production manager, project manager, general construction manager, executive construction manager, general contractor, contractor, and subcontractor. Construction contractors and managers may be owners or salaried employees of a construction contracting firm or individuals under contract with the owner, developer, contractor, or management firm overseeing the construction project.
This Handbook statement uses the term construction manager broadly to encompass all supervisory-level salaried and self-employed construction managers who oversee construction supervisors and workers. Supervisory level managers report to mid-level and top-level construction managers, who are included in the Handbook statement on general managers and top executives.
Within the construction industry, the term construction manager is used more narrowly to denote the firm or individual involved in a special form of control to perform a construction management function. A construction manager frequently acts as the owner's or developer's consultant regarding the scheduling and coordination of all design and construction processes over the life of the project.
On small construction projects such as remodeling a home, construction managers are usually self-employed construction contractors who directly oversee their employees. However, large construction projects like an industrial complex are too complicated for one person to supervise. These projects are divided into many segments: Site preparation, including land clearing and earth moving; sewage systems; landscaping and road construction; building construction, including excavation and laying foundations, erection of framework, floors, walls, and roofs; or building services, including carpentry, electrical, plumbing, air- conditioning, and heating. Construction managers may be in charge of one or more of these activities, and may have several subordinates, such as crew supervisors, reporting to them.
Construction contractors and managers plan, budget, and direct the construction project. The planning, often in collaboration with design professionals, requires sophisticated scheduling techniques with flow charts, bar charts, and other graphic presentations. They often use computers to evaluate various construction methods and to determine the most cost-effective plan. They determine the appropriate construction methods and schedule all required construction site activities into logical, specific steps, leading to an intermediate or final objective. They budget the time required to complete each step in an effort to meet established deadlines for a particular task. Construction managers determine the labor requirements and supervise or monitor the hiring and dismissal of workers.
On the job, construction contractors and managers direct construction supervisors and monitor the progress of construction activities including the delivery and use of materials, supplies, tools, machinery, equipment, and vehicles. They are responsible for all necessary permits and licenses and, depending upon the contractual arrangements, direct or monitor compliance with building and safety codes and other regulations.
They regularly review engineering and architectural drawings and specifications and confer with design professionals to monitor progress and ensure compliance with plans and specifications. They meet with cost estimators in order to keep track of construction costs and to avoid cost overruns. Based upon direct observation and reports by subordinate supervisors, these managers may prepare daily reports of progress and requirements for labor, material, and machinery and equipment at the construction site. Construction managers meet regularly with owners, other contractors and managers, and design professionals to monitor and coordinate all phases of the construction project.
Construction contractors review engineering and architectural drawings and specifications with clients.
Construction contractors and managers work out of a main office from which the overall construction project is monitored or out of a field office at the construction site. Management decisions regarding daily construction activities are usually made at the job site. Managers may have to travel when the construction site is in another State or when the manager is responsible for activities at two or more sites. Overseas projects usually entail temporary residence in another country.
Construction contractors and managers are on call to deal with accidents, delays, or bad weather at the site. The standard 40-hour week is rare. Indeed, construction may proceed round-the-clock for days, even weeks to meet special project deadlines.
Although the work generally is not considered dangerous, construction contractors and managers must be careful while touring construction sites, especially when machinery, equipment, and vehicles are being operated. Because of the rapid pace of construction activities, they must always be prepared to quickly answer questions, establish priorities, and assign duties. This requires the contractor and or manager to observe job conditions and to be alert to potential problems and to ways to make the work go faster, easier, and safer. Due to the inherent dangers involved in construction, the manager in the field must be alert to and actively manage the safety aspects of jobsite operations.
Construction contractors and managers held about 180,000 jobs in 1992. About 85 percent were employed in the construction industry, primarily by special trade contractors for example, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning, and electrical and general building contractors. Many worked as self-employed independent contractors in the specialty trades. Others were employed by local governments, educational institutions, real estate developers, and engineering, architectural, surveying, and construction management services firms.
A growing number of entrants into this occupation have a strong academic background. Completion of a bachelor's degree program in construction science with emphasis on construction management can greatly enhance one's opportunities. In 1992, about 130 colleges and universities offered 4-year degree programs in construction science. These programs include courses in project control and development, site planning, building design, construction methods, construction materials, value analysis, cost estimating, scheduling, contract administration, building codes and standards, inspection procedures, and electives in engineering and architectural sciences, mathematics, statistics, and computer science. Recent graduates from these 4-year degree programs usually are hired as assistants to project managers, field engineers, schedulers, or cost estimators. A growing number of graduates in related fields engineering, architecture, and cost estimating also enter construction management, often after having had substantial experience on construction projects.
About 30 colleges and universities also offer a master's degree program in construction science, and one, the University of Florida, offers a doctoral degree program in this field. Master's degree recipients, especially those with experience, typically become construction managers in very large construction companies. Doctoral degree recipients generally become college teachers.
Many contractors and managers have substantial experience as construction craft workers for example, carpenters, masons, plumbers, or electricians and proven supervisory ability. Many managers have worked as construction supervisors or as independent contractors overseeing workers in one or more construction trades for example, structural steel, roofing, or excavation. Many have also attended training and educational programs sponsored by industry associations, usually in collaboration with postsecondary institutions. In 1992, over 200 2-year colleges offered construction management or construction technology programs.
Persons interested in becoming a construction contractor or manager should be adaptable and be able to work effectively in a fast-paced environment. They should be decisive and able to quickly select among alternative courses of action. The ability to coordinate several major activities at once, while being able to analyze and resolve specific problems is imperative, as is the ability to understand engineering, architectural, and other construction drawings. They must be able to establish a good working relationship with many different people entrepreneurs, other managers, construction professionals, supervisors, and craft workers.
Advancement depends upon the size of the construction company. In large companies, they may become mid-level and eventually top-level managers. Highly experienced individuals may become consultants; some serve as expert witnesses in court or as arbitrators in disputes. Those with the required capital may establish their own firms and offer construction management services. Others may establish their own general contract construction firms that oversee construction projects from start to finish including project planning, design, and construction.
Employment of construction contractors and managers is expected to increase much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2005 as the number and complexity of construction projects continues to grow. In addition to this rising demand, many openings should result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force. Prospects are expected to be particularly favorable especially in rapidly growing construction management services firms for experienced construction managers with a bachelor's (or higher) degree in construction science with emphasis on construction management.
Increased spending on the Nation's infrastructure highways, bridges, dams, schools, subways, airports, water and sewage systems, and electric power generation and transmission facilities will be the primary stimulus to the demand for construction contractors and managers. Additional jobs will be created by growth in less rapidly expanding construction activities as well. The need to build more residential housing, commercial and office buildings, and factories, as well as maintenance and repair of all kinds of existing structures will stimulate further demand for these workers.
In addition to growth in the level of construction activity, the increasing complexity of construction projects will lead to more jobs being created. Advances in building materials and construction methods and the growing number of multipurpose buildings, electronically operated smart buildings, and energy-efficient structures will require the expertise of more construction managers. In addition, the proliferation of laws setting standards for buildings and construction materials, worker safety, energy efficiency, and environmental pollution has further complicated the manager's job and should increase demand for these workers.
Employment of construction contractors and managers is sensitive to the short-term nature of many construction projects and cyclical fluctuations in construction activity. During periods of diminished construction activity when many construction workers are laid off many construction contractors and managers remain employed in their own or other firms planning, scheduling, or estimating costs of future construction projects. When these downturns occur, some self-employed contractors may merge operations or dissolve their business and seek salaried employment with other contractors.
Earnings of salaried construction managers and incomes of self-employed contractors vary depending upon the size and nature of the construction project, its geographic location, and economic conditions. Based on limited information, average starting salaries of construction managers in 1992 were about $32,000; annual earnings of most experienced managers ranged from $35,000 to $110,000. Many salaried construction managers receive fringe such as bonuses, liberal motor vehicle and per diem allowances, paid vacations, and life and health insurance. The income of self-employed contractors varies even more widely than that of salaried managers. The failure rate of small, newly formed construction firms is higher than that of other newly established small businesses.
Construction contractors and managers participate in the conceptual development of a construction project and organize, schedule, and oversee its implementation. Occupations with similar functions include architects, civil engineers, construction supervisors, cost engineers, cost estimators, developers, electrical engineers, industrial engineers, landscape architects, and mechanical engineers.
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Reprinted with Permission of U. S. Department of Labor