This newsletter series will give you insights and techniques to help you build a better business no matter how large or small yours is. I always say that success comes from working on your business as opposed to in your business. I want to share with you the systems and philosophies that have been successful for me over the years.

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An electrical project manager has the responsibility to direct the company’s assets and personnel to complete work in a timely fashion and for a profit based on the estimate used for the bid. Project management can be the job of a foreman or superintendent within a smaller company or in a larger company it may be an employee’s sole function. In either case when you are responsible for project management it's important to know what your responsibilities are so that you can maximize profit and minimize stress for everyone. Not all of the following tasks will apply to every job, but the following is an overview of the responsibilities of an Electrical Project Manager.

• Verify awarded scope of work in relation to your company’s proposal. If you were not the estimator for the awarded project, obtain copies of the project proposal and bid documents and the drawings upon which they were based. These documents should include supplier’s quotes for lighting and switch-gear packages, as well as any sub-contracted quotes for specialty systems such as data, fire alarm or nurse call systems, etc. which must be used to make sure you stay within the budget and specifications for the job.
• Review the contract before signing to ensure fair and equitable practices and verify that the dollar amount of the contract matches your company’s proposed scope of work base bid with adders. Mistakes are common in construction contracts and there are times when attention to the details during the contract review can save you both stress and money later on.
• Prepare and file mechanic’s lien on the project. It's also important to make sure your suppliers file a "materialman lien" so that your general account isn’t used to purchase large amounts of material for a job.
• Prepare and send the general contractor or owner submittals for all material. Approval by the owner, engineer, or architect is critical to prevent conflict after materials are installed. Switchgear and lighting packages are the most common submittals, but larger projects may also require pipe, wire, devices, and other equipment to be submitted for approval as well. Preparing submittal packages includes contacting suppliers and verifying quotes and requesting delivery dates and cut sheets for the products that will be installed.
  
• Prepare the permit documents and applications for submission to the AHJ and include load calculations, panel schedules, and drawings such as a one-line of the distribution system, egress lighting layout, where necessary.
• Obtain a schedule from general contractor and determine manpower needs and project labor schedules so you can have the right amount of manpower on site when you need it and complete milestone tasks on schedule.
  
• Once submittals have been approved by the architect or owner and have their stamp and/or signature, issue purchase orders, delivery instructions, and request delivery dates to the suppliers. Coordinate the purchase and delivery dates to minimize overhead costs but still satisfy deadlines. Try to get the material billing from your supplier to be covered by your progress billing to the general contractor but don’t let it get ahead of the project schedule. Also prepare project information requested by supplier that will assist them in their job accounting and lien processing.
  
• Communicate to your project foreman or field personnel all pertinent information that they will need to proceed with the job regularly. Include a copy of the bid scope of work, updated construction documents such as project specifications and drawings, and the project schedule in the package. Discuss the potential problems that you foresee and suggest possible solutions in advance so they are prepared and can still complete on time and under budget. Be sure to communicate with them the details and scheduled delivery dates of all materials along with the installation schedules for specialty systems so they will know the demands of the job. Make sure they review the submittals, especially the material cut-sheets, so that they can plan installation procedures and have time to do a proper layout.
  
• Prepare and log any formal “RFIs” (Requests For Information) that you or your foreman may have for the architect or general contractor about the project.
  
• Prepare formal “delay of job” letters that notify the general contractor of delays to the schedule by others that will prevent your timely completion of the project or impact costs.
• Prepare any change order cost estimates that may be requested by the general contractor or architect. Usually, if these requests come from the architect, they will be in the form of an “ASI” (Architect’s Supplemental Instruction). Log these changes along with the rejection or approval dates and revise your recorded contract amount accordingly for billing purposes. Maintain copies of all authorized, signed, and documented change orders.
• Communicate approved change order details to your field personnel and discuss any scheduling challenges.
• Request reports from your project foreman that aid in tracking progress and costs.
• Prepare progress billings against the contract amount. These need to include original contract amount and changes to show justification for any revisions to the contract amount.
• Prepare the conditional and the final unconditional lien releases both for your mechanics lien and for the materialman lien.
• Prepare and deliver final closeout documents such as operating and maintenance manuals, as-built drawings, and warranty letters.
• Reconcile the project once it's complete and prepare final cost analysis of the project for review.
  

The above content is extracted from Mike Holt's Business Management Skills Program.

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