How Technology Can Help You Prepare for Government Work

Contractors will need to demonstrate effective use of capital to win work. Smart resource management, proactive decision-making and using data to prove past performance will be key advantages, and technology can help.

Contractors will need to demonstrate effective use of capital to win work. Smart resource management, proactive decision-making and using data to prove past performance will be key advantages, and technology can help.
Contractors will need to demonstrate effective use of capital to win work. Smart resource management, proactive decision-making and using data to prove past performance will be key advantages, and technology can help.
©Treecha – stock.adobe.com

Signed into law in November of 2021, the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) is a sweeping piece of legislation meant to improve and repair major U.S. utilities. Touting a $1.2 trillion price tag, the bill represents a wealth of potential work for construction crews everywhere. However, government work is much different than commercial construction.

Because contracts are taxpayer-funded, bidding vendors are subject to more scrutiny than in the private sector. Following the guidelines in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), agencies determine the vendor that offers the best value by considering factors such as quality of work, technical expertise and past performance, along with price. Government contracts can also stipulate additional surveillance and auditing to ensure the quality of work.

Contractors will need to demonstrate effective use of capital to win work. Smart resource management, proactive decision-making and using data to prove past performance will be key advantages, and technology can help. Solutions like construction management software can equip contractors with digital tools to show they have the means necessary to complete the job on time and in compliance.

Smart Resource Management Demonstrates Value and Efficiency

While the influx of work is sure to give the construction industry a boost, contractors still must contend with the ongoing labor crisis and equipment shortages. In fact, the increase in demand is likely to make equipment scarcer and the labor market more competitive. Contractors will need to be strategic about using the resources they have to keep workers busy and jobs on schedule.

Construction management software can help by bringing assets to a centralized location, providing contractors with a comprehensive view of available workers and equipment. Not only does this save time with scheduling, but it also prevents the overbooking and underutilization that can occur with a piecemeal system of whiteboards and spreadsheets.

Additional features, like digital crew management, keep workers in the field by tracking expiration dates of licenses and certifications and alerting management of upcoming renewals in advance. It can also be used for equipment maintenance records to notify when upcoming maintenance is due, reducing the chances of equipment breakdown.

Real-Time Visibility Allows for Real-Time Decision Making

It’s no secret that construction jobs are constantly in flux. Everything from inclement weather to last-minute design changes can drastically alter timeframes and budgets. Too often, contractors don’t receive important information on time, reducing their ability to react quickly.

Technology that enables workers to capture and send data in real-time, such as worker-facing apps, equipment sensors and wearable technology, can vastly improve job visibility and quick decision-making. For example, instead of learning about an equipment malfunction at the end of a shift and losing hours of scheduled work, contractors can receive alerts from the field instantaneously and immediately rework schedules to stay on schedule. Data collection over time can reveal trends in workflows, allowing contractors to plan better for long-term outcomes and even improve risk management.

Having the tools to visualize and analyze data is equally important to its collection. Construction management platforms and business intelligence software can translate field data into flexible dashboards that allow contractors to review data in easy-to-read formats. The data can then be sent ahead for any regulatory compliance clauses with the touch of a button.

Data Can Demonstrate Success and Add Transparency

Despite a growing construction technology market, construction itself remains one of the least digitized industries. This means that companies using construction technologies will have a significant advantage over the competition.

Contractors will have a greater chance of winning bids if they can back up their experience with data. Remember, agencies are searching for the best value, not just the lowest price. Those who can present stats that demonstrate a high degree of expertise, safety, resource and time management will stand out among other bids.

In addition, using such technologies gives contractors an extra layer of transparency and accountability. Data provides a comprehensive picture of the job. Agencies can look through expense reports and timecards and see how contractors arrived at their numbers. If a major change needs to be made to a design, contractors can provide evidence of why a change was needed and prove that they made the decision based on fact.

Adding Tech to Your Business

Technology can add many benefits to your business but selecting the best solution(s) and implementing it effectively is also critical. 

When researching what technology to implement, you must identify the problems you are trying to solve before deciding on a vendor. It is easy to become distracted by flashy features, but they won’t be of much use if they don’t provide solutions for the issues at hand.

Selecting technology that addresses multiple pain points is also a good idea. Using too many solutions can create a disconnected workflow, cause data to become siloed and create frustration among ground crews. Technology is not the center of the universe for boots on the ground workers; completing projects is.

Most importantly, companies should implement new technologies and give workers time to adjust to their use before pursuing government work, especially if it is a new area for the company. Even the most tech-savvy workers will experience slowdowns as they learn to navigate new interfaces and troubleshoot common problems. Adding these issues on top of the pressure of completing government work is asking for trouble.

It is always important to showcase your company’s best qualities when bidding for work, but the additional expectations that come with government work raise the stakes. Companies looking to compete need to demonstrate proficiency not only in their work but also in the management of resources, employees, and time. Technology that can harness the data to demonstrate these qualities while providing opportunities to improve them is a win-win solution.  

Latest