The price of materials and services used in nonresidential construction inched up 0.2 percent from June to July, while a government index that measures contractors’ bid prices fell by 1.4 percent, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America released Aug. 11.

The price of materials and services used in nonresidential construction increased 0.5 percent from March to April, while an index that measures contractors’ bid prices declined 0.3 percent, according to an analysis by AGC.

A measure of construction contractors’ bid prices moved sharply higher in October as firms coped with ongoing supply chain challenges and a tight labor market, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released Nov. 15. Association officials said rising construction costs threaten to undermine demand for projects and urged administration officials to remove remaining tariffs on construction materials and to boost investments in construction-focused education and training.

Are you a contractor bidding on a job in a new state or city outside your home jurisdiction? Have you evaluated the state and local tax obligations—and opportunities—based on the project location? If the answer is no, your company’s chance to win the bid and stretch your profit margins could be negatively impacted.

As we pass one year of living in the “new normal” of a global pandemic, the construction industry—and the specialty trade sector in particular—has navigated the unprecedented year and resulting economic impacts with an unmatched level of resiliency. 

No matter your trade, it should come as no surprise that email remains the most effective method of delivering your invitations to bid (ITBs). However, subcontractors can’t respond to proposals if they never receive them in the first place. And subcontractors can miss out on ITBs if they don’t set their inboxes correctly to accept those projects.

For many cost estimators, the days of working with full-size plans and a single digitizer are a thing of the past. 

As someone who started in construction almost 40 years ago, there are a few truths that never change. 

Last week Ritchie Bros. conducted its first-ever online-only auction in Mexico, at its site in Polotitlán. Traditionally the site sees 80+ percent of its bidders participating in person, so this was a big challenge for the company—and it succeeded. 

If you’re like a lot of busy contractors in the walls and ceilings industry, every day can be bid day if you’re working up multiple bids at the same time.