National Subcontractors' Leadership Academy

Program Description

This 100-hour extensive program, specifically designed for owners and senior management of subcontracting enterprises in the construction industry, covers preconstruction, budgeting, the design phase, construction processes, commissioning and close-out. Markedly expand your ability to initiate and close out projects, plan the work, and create and manage schedules as you gain a thorough understanding of staffing, communication, quality management, and risk analysis.

Participants will earn up to 10 CEUs and will be eligible to gain an inside track by testing for up to six graduate course credits towards a Masters degree in Construction Management from the Del E. Webb School of Construction. The course consists of two, three-days in residence sessions (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) and 50 hours of small group projects and case studies, conducted virtually through email and phone conversations. A Prerequisite to enroll in this program is 15 years of construction experience with five years in a responsible position in the management of a subcontracting organization, three letters of recommendation from industry peers, and an admissions interview.

Following are the course descriptions:

 

Introduction to Subcontractor Leadership University

This session includes a brief history of construction and provides an understanding of developments over time that resulted in the subcontracting industry today, how it functions, who the participants and beneficiaries are and fundamentals such as the technical, professional and philosophical standards that distinguish the modern-day subcontracting practitioner. This session will also introduce the subjects to be covered in the program and provide general program information, guidelines and expectations.

Managing the Subcontracting Enterprise

Explore the basic subcontracting business principles and practices, as well as the business side of the business of construction with a concentration on office and management functions (as opposed to field related issues). Examine the common elements of construction business failure with a discussion leading to what to-do and what not-to-do in managing and guiding a start-up or ongoing construction enterprise, including principles and practices covering general and subcontracting organizations with a concentration on the recognition and management of business risks.

Construction Economics

Review the economics of subcontracting and construction, including how construction impacts the national and global economies and how it impacts other industries. Discuss investment models and financing sources and arrangements, and the use and management of surety bonding and insurance. Examine the use and management of banking recourses and outside professionals, such as accountants and attorneys.

Business Law, Contracts, Regulations, Licensing, Code

This session will cover general business law as well as contract principals and regulations peculiar to the construction process and subcontracting business. Gain an understanding of the Uniform Commercial Code, licensing, lien laws and land use, and other regulations affecting subcontractors from the subcontractor’s, supplier’s, general contractor’s, construction manager’s and other construction professionals’ and developer’s perspectives. Review and define basic contract law and principals, providing a fundamental understanding of the legal processes a subcontractor may be exposed to and the legal principles that will govern.

Construction Accounting

Explore generally accepted accounting principles (GAPP rules) with concentration on accounting processes and procedures specific to subcontracting and the construction industry, such as cost control, work in process schedules and percentage of completion calculations. Discover the uniqueness of construction accounting as well as why standard accounting practices must be rigorously applied and supplemented with specialized accounting processes and procedures in order to accurately present the financial condition of an enterprise that generally has a large proportion of its worth tied up in on-going projects that are extremely difficult to analyze from an accounting perspective. Discuss the nature of construction costs, the true cost of equipment ownership, depreciation, profitability analysis and cash flow.

Cost Control Systems and Processes

Realistic cost control is critical to accurate construction accounting and the systems and processes unique to subcontracting and the construction industry will be presented and studied in detail. Gain a thorough understanding of percentage of completion methods and calculations and learn to read and understand financial statements. Explore the importance of accurate costs to complete and methods of checking and gauging the accuracy of the information presented to management. Learn how to manage in-house accounting accountants and departments and how to interact with outside accountants and auditors.

Advanced Estimating Systems

Gain a beneficial understanding of the latest developments in automated and electronic take-off and estimating systems to improve accuracy and efficiency and reduce costs. Take advantage of the opportunity for a hands-on learning experience to grasp some of the concepts and learn enough about the systems to evaluate them and make appropriate decisions about the applicability to a subcontracting organization.

The Real Cost of Equipment

This session emphasizes the real cost of equipment ownership with a concentration on operations, maintenance and management of expensive assets including a thorough understanding of the differences, advantages and disadvantages of lease versus purchase of equipment under varying circumstances. Review equipment management from manufacture, selection, procurement and proper utilization. Examine the roles of equipment dealers, fleet managers, maintenance managers, operators and mechanics. Gain an understanding of equipment specifications and the matching of appropriate equipment to the job. Explore life-cycle value concepts and lease versus purchase options.

Strategic Management Methods and Processes

The construction industry has become more complex and sophisticated over time, to the point that doing a good job and planning a year out is not nearly enough to assure success. Learn the value of and how to plan several years ahead and manage strategically to assure long-term success. Gain an understanding of the methods and processes of strategic management and how to apply them in your organization to advance and enhance productivity and profitability.

Green Buildings, Sustainability

The impact of construction on the environment is both a practical and marketing concern. Explore this subject in detail, along with the latest developments in environmentally friendly buildings referred to as “green buildings”. Learn that energy and water conservation is becoming part of the construction design process and that contractors are being encouraged to find ways to conserve during construction and prevent the building process from adversely affecting its surroundings. Discuss methods for minimizing waste during construction and using sustainable processes and/or materials.

Advanced Leadership Skills

This is a capstone of the program and several classes will be devoted to this critical skill. Leading edge research conducted at the Del E. Webb School of Construction confirms that leadership can be taught and learned. This session will examine advanced leadership principles and practices discovered during this research, including how to enhance your personal leadership skills. Review the differences between leadership and management and examine leadership traits of “great leaders.” Learn how leadership and personality influence each other and how character and integrity impact followers.

Optimal Subcontractor Organizational Structure

The structure of an organization impacts its effectiveness, efficiency, productivity and profitability. Learn how to evaluate your organizational structure, determine its appropriateness, adjust it for improvement and measure results. Review the role of the subcontractor and top management as facilitator, communicator and negotiator, including an outline of responsibilities and methods for improvement. Examine the role that creditability, sensitivity and leadership style plays in organizational efficiency and effectiveness, along with conflict resolution, persuasion and negotiation skills.

Team Building

Understand the process of forming and managing effective teams, and the necessary skills to maintain them. Review the appropriate selection of team members, roles and responsibilities. Examine effective coaching and motivation techniques, a critical element in team effectiveness, and practice tools and techniques.

Recognizing and Managing Risk

Learn to identify risks inherent in a project and understand qualitative and quantitative risk analysis. Review risk planning, monitoring and control along with methods of risk response. Examine information gathering and categories as part of risk identification and review roles, responsibilities, probabilities and impact matrix.

Project Management Software

Gain an exposure to various electronic systems utilized in the management of projects, and review the capabilities of popular software. Discuss the use and misuse of these systems and learn to demonstrate the advantages/disadvantages of software you are familiar with or use.

BIM

Explore the latest developments in building modeling – as some have said it will change everything. Understand how BIM presents a clear and competitive advantage by providing a seamless, model-driven project delivery process that reduces design time, improves construction documentation, and has the potential to revolutionize our industry. Become a dominant player in the market by learning the entire process, concepts, and application.

Negotiation Skills

Appropriate and successful negotiation is a learned skill. Gain insight into negotiation strategies and tactics, and explore the techniques and methods of debate, give and take, and win-win interactions.

Marketing

Learn how to position your organization to be selected to perform the work by effectively defining your services, differentiating your organization from the competition, and presenting your qualifications. Explore how to project the appropriate image, customize your approach to the customer's needs, and research what the clients really want. Gain an understanding of the modern sales process, test your skills, and leave with a totally new appreciation about how to attract and maintain customers.

Lean Scheduling

The scheduling demands on construction projects have become so intense with total durations being continually shortened that entirely new methods and attitudes towards the scheduling process have to be developed. Learn the very latest in this field, currently referred to as "lean scheduling," and discover how to immediately apply what you learn.

Collaboration

New delivery methods are ushering in a new attitude among the stakeholders in the construction process from owners and designers to contractors and facility managers. Collaboration allows each party to obtain optimum benefit and creates an environment in which each participant is enabled to make maximum possible positive contribution. Learn how a completely new attitude and improved communications assures better and more predictable outcomes, reduces change orders, claims and litigation and lowers post construction costs. Discover how to get people to act in concert and apply their collective knowledge towards a common goal.