It’s already the first of July and just like that 2012 is half over. What the next six months have in-store for the construction industry is anyone’s guess. The year started out like gangbusters for DBPEC with four straight months of growth. We were able to secure millions of dollars worth of work for our clients. By the time we reached May many of our clients had the maximum amount of work they needed to stay busy through the summer and as a result our workload slowed. There seems to be plenty of work to bid on but many of our clients are limited by the smaller work force available due in part to so many people leaving the trade as a result of the prolonged recession.
We use the summertime when we’re slower to improve our processes including tweaking our website, databases, customer documents, and online ad campaigns. We are also busy improving the training seminars and study material for our clients who need help improving their estimating skills.
September typically comes in like a lion for electrical estimators with everyone wanting to secure winter work so it is wise to use the slower time to improve your processes and make yourself and your company more efficient for when the fall rolls around.
There is however a feeling of uncertainty among many people with whom I talk because of the looming election in November. It will certainly be a nasty one and no one has forgotten what happened four years ago when the economy fell apart during the last election cycle. Hopefully this fall will not be a repeat!
If the economy does tank in the autumn use the time to improve you’re estimating and project management methodologies. Whatever you do don’t get desperate and bite off a job for a loss, as this will only make things much worse.
Hopefully the beginning of 2013 will usher in a period of calm and stable growth for the construction industry. I suppose the worse case scenario is that the Mayan predictions come true and the world will cease to be. On a brighter note if the world does end we wont have to pay our taxes………. I hope!
