Will You Save Money By Hiring A Superintendent?

It might be a good idea to place steel building construction site management in the hands of a construction superintendent. An on-site superintendent will give you more freedom to scrutinize financials and handle design issues. When you get tied up in the small parts of your building projects like HR duties, interviewing workers and dealing with union representatives, it’s time to hire a superintendent for your work site. If your job takes longer than 60 days or if you have more than 10 subcontractors or employees working on the site, you might need to hire a superintendent.

Managing an entire crew of workers is a multitasking nightmare when you don’t have a superintendent on staff. Some jobs that seem easy to handle on your own in the beginning end up taking more time than you expected, causing delays. Tedious tasks such as approving time cards, interviewing and selecting workers and training employees are handed off to the superintendent who will manage them more efficiently, leaving you to focus on big-picture concepts.

The superintendent will also be responsible for managing all the subcontractors and employees on the site. This person will manage supervisor foremen to make sure they are monitoring their own crews effectively. A superintendent will plan work schedules. For instance, it will be this person’s job to make sure items are fabricated and delivered before a crane operator arrives to lift and help install them.

Are you knowledgeable of every part of the process for each project on site? Chances are you haven’t had the opportunity to explore other fields as extensively as an experienced superintendent. This person is more effective at managing the plumbers, construction workers, electricians and landscape artists because they have experience working with skilled professional in these trades, and may have worked in more than one of these trades themselves. If they have little knowledge of a subject or trade, a good superintendent will engage with the people working in these trades, asking for input about the general process.

By hiring a superintendent, you have to manage one person, instead of several crews of people. Keep your project’s superintendent accountable by asking questions. Is the project on budget and on time? Does the superintendent walk the site to chat with each team leader to make sure the job is getting done correctly? Is your superintendent monitoring the safety of the men and women underneath him/her? A good superintendent will keep track of daily decisions made, questions and answers for you to review each week. If this person is worth their salt, they will also work quickly and efficiently to correct any mistakes they make themselves or their team makes.

The number one priority on a job site is safety, which means a lot of preparation, training and constant vigilance. Safety in the workplace is another of the superintendent’s duties. It’s this person’s duty to effectively train each employee on job site safety as well as monitor the use of safety rules during construction. If a safety violation occurs, your superintendent will make sure that the situation is handled properly and report to you immediately so that you stay informed, soliciting your help when needed.

Whether you’re building a commercial steel building or residential steel building, hiring a superintendent can ease the process to completion and keep you on budget.

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