Project Management

HVAC Systems - Understanding the Basics

SMACNA's HVAC Systems-Understanding the Basics is a comprehensive non-technical manual written to provide an overview of HVAC systems used in residential, commercial, and institutional buildings. The manual addresses HVAC System Basics, Central Heating and Central Cooling Equipment, Hydronic and Air Distribution Systems, Central HVAC Systems, HVAC System Controls and the components that comprise these systems. This manual can be used for self-study, group training, or reference.

Normal Project Duration NECA #5076-04

This document is an update to an original NECA report, which was published in the early 1980's. New data and information were collected and new methods are presented to provide contractors with additional tools to track productivity using the data in this report as a baseline. Excerpts from the original Normal Project Duration report are used throughout this document. Results shown in this document indicate that electrical contractors are performing work using much shorter durations than 20 years ago. Reductions in project durations were achieved by increasing manpower and using new tools and equipment.

Overtime and Productivity in Electrical Const. NECA #5050-04

The difficulties resulting from overtime work might lead many to question the wisdom of using overtime under any circumstances. There do seem to be compelling reasons for adhering closely to the standard work week whenever possible. However, situations do arise in which there is no alternative to working a longer than standard week. In order to assist its membership in managing these situations, NECA has studied the problems associated with overtime work. This publication embodies the significant conclusions produced by the study and where appropriate, offers recommendations for coping with the issues that arise.

Achieving Spatial Coordination Through BIM

This guide is an industry reference for HVAC and MEP contractors who are doing spatial coordination in a BIM environment. This guide addresses how contractors can incorporate leading-edge technologies and workflows into the spatial coordination aspect of their projects. It provides contractors with an outstanding educational resource for their employees who have to make these decisions.

This guide explains:

• How to review, use, and contribute to the many documents that establish the scope of that work.
• How to set up a BIM coordination program in your company.
• How to manage the BIM execution plan.
• BIM technologies for an IT infrastructure.
• Proven best practices for profitably implementing spatial coordination through BIM.
• Evaluating spatial coordination contract language.

The Real Costs of a Sheet Metal Business

The Real Costs of a Sheet Metal Business is designed for journeymen and supervisors to explore the true cost of doing business while remaining cost conscious and competitive. Participants in the class will explore the biding process by analyzing the direct and indirect costs of doing business and the relationship of productivity to bid fulfillment. The program is intended to help employees realize the valuable (and expensive) role of personnel and overhead in the competitive marketplace.

Successful Building Project Coordination

Provides a basic orientation on the key role HVAC contractors play in project coordination. Covering coordination and project delivery as well as coordination methods, the document concludes with an introduction to Building Information Modeling (BIM) as it impacts the construction team plus a short treatment on the problematic topic of data file transfer. The guide explains the critical importance of project coordination on commercial and institutional construction projects.

Guide for Implementation of Total Quality Management

Responding to members' needs and requests, SMACNA developed its first Guide for Implementation of Total Quality Management for S/M & A/C Contractors. This Guide helps members understand the benefits of continuous improvement and the role and responsibilities of CEO's in leading the TQM effort in their companies.

HVAC Bid Specification Reference Manual

Designed to help contractors interested in preparing accurate and competitive bids while guiding owners and designers in the preparation of a complete bid package, the "HVAC Bid Specifications Reference Manual" is organized around the Construction Specifications Institute MasterFormat.TM The book consists of 18 sections and is divided into two parts. Part One covers administrative requirements associated with bidding and contracting for the installation of HVAC Systems for commercial, and Institutional (CII) facilities. Part Two covers the technical requirements associated with specifying materials and equipment for HVAC systems-the basis for HVAC system procurement and installation.

IAQ Guidelines for Occupied Buildings Under Construction

The SMACNA IAQ Guidelines for Occupied Buildings Under Construction, 2nd edition ANSI/SMACNA 008•2008, is intended as an authoritative source for providing project management guidance in maintaining satisfactory indoor air quality (IAQ) of occupied buildings undergoing renovation or construction. The Guideline covers how to manage the source of air pollutants, control measures, quality control and documentation, communication with occupants. It includes example projects, tables, references, resources, and checklists. Methods to identify and remediate lead, asbestos, or other materials that are classified as hazardous materials are not intended to be within the scope of this standard. The new edition includes a more extensive set of informative appendices than the previous edition that provide more references, resources, planning and inspection checklists, model specifications, HVAC equipment early start up guidance, and the DUCT CLEANLINESS FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION — all within a single document for user convenience.
 

The Effect of Temperature on Productivity NECA #5072-04

The National Electrical Contractors Association has conducted a series of laboratory studies to document the effects of temperature and humidity on productivity. The objective of these studies was to measure the effects of extreme combinations of temperature and humidity on labor productivity and to present these findings in a maner that enables electrical contractors to use this data as a guide in factoring bid estimates, planning jobs scheduling work, and negotiating extensions of time.

The Effect of Multi-Story Bldg on Productivity NECA #5071-04

The purpose of this report is two-fold. First, the report is designed to assist electrical contractors in evaluating the special job conditions found in multi-story building construction that cause an increase in the cost to install the electrical systems. Second, the report offers recommended estimating practices that will insure recovery of these added costs. This report is an update to an existing NECA study and survey from the 1970's. While the results of the original report have essentially been left intact, a new section has been added to further explain the impact of project size on labor productivity.

Project Peak Workforce Report NECA #5074-04

The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) published a report, Project Peak Workforce Report, in 1987 that used 120 projects to predict the peak number of workers for jobs based on the documented actual work hours for different types of electrical projects. However, the NECA report has become outdated and no longer represents the current construction scenario. The present publication is an update to the original NECA report, using current project data. The primary purpose of this publication is to assist electrical contractors with estimating the peak number of workers that can be expected on various electrical construction projects, including commercial, industrial, and institutional.

Sheet Metal Made Lean and Clean

This guide is an introduction to owners, managers and workers in sheet metal fabrication and manufacturing shops to the principles and methods of lean production. It defines the application of lean production to sheet metal shop operations and provides the reader with an assortment of tools to begin the process of making their shop operations more efficient.

Alliance Project Management

Developed by the Mechanical-Electrical-Sheet Metal Alliance, the Alliance Project Management Manual covers 44 major steps in the project management process. It also contains over 100 sample project management forms and checklists. The manual may be used as a desk reference for project managers and, as an evaluation tool which contractors can use to review and modify their current project management procedures and make improvements. It is the most comprehensive project management resource available in the industry.

Strategies and Tools for Effective Procurement

Explore the importance that procurement has on the success of a construction project. 

Procurement on a construction project can account anywhere from 15% to 70% of a projects direct costs, yet this area is not often given the same weight as managing the risk of construction labor on a project. An effective procurement plan for any contractor should be focused on delivering the right material, at the right time, to the right location for the right price

This document covers the elements of an effective procurement plan, different methods for contracting materials, and tools to  manage that procurement. 

This document is free to members in the SMACNA Store.

Contractors Role in Preconstruction Planning

In the construction industry, project success depends on planning in schedule, cost, design, and other deliverables. That planning includes the organization of the resources (people, equipment, and tooling) and costs (materials and labor) to perform at the right time (scheduling).

The goal of preconstruction planning is to standardize the planning process, leading to predictability in resources, costs, and scheduling for each project.  This manual focuses  on the general processes a contractor must perform to implement preconstruction planning and how to manage a designer and the design aspects of the process. Also covered is the use of technology in preconstruction.

This document is free to members in the SMACNA Store.

Transforming Your Organization for the Future

Transforming Your Organization for the Future takes a hard look at why lean transformation using a “kitting strategy” is a true, long-term, strategic solution to manpower shortages, pricing pressure, and schedule compression.

This addition to the Contractors Operations Manual contains detailed case studies about contractors who have adopted this technique and experienced long-term, meaningful competitive advantages.

Companies that have adopted this strategy have experienced cost savings, labor productivity, increased manufacturing, reduced install times, less field manpower, material savings, improved safety, improved quality, schedule reduction, customer satisfaction, business growth, and opportunity.

This document is free to members in the SMACNA Store.

Establishing Overhead and Burden in a Sheet Metal Business

Sheet metal/HVAC contractors are unique in the construction industry in that they engineer, manufacture and install products made from raw materials. The scope of services provided by sheet metal contracts creates confusion and sometimes conflict with owners and general contractors who may not be familiar with the cost structure of a sheet metal/ HVAC contractor.

The purpose of this document is to detail the various types of expenses incurred by a sheet metal/HVAC contractor in support of a proper determination of overhead and burden rates.

This document is free to members in the SMACNA Store.

Principles of Job Costing

An effective job costing system helps construction managers and business owners be more successful and profitable. It is also a critical tool for identifying and controlling risk. SMACNA’s updated book “Principles of Job Costing” will provide insight into improving your company’s job costing system.

Properly set up and managed, a job-cost management system will help make a company more profitable with less risk and the ability to grow and manage larger projects.

The updated book includes chapters on system set-up considerations, the estimating system, converting the estimate into an operating budget, progress reporting, change control, work in progress, and cash-flow forecasting. Appendixes include useful samples of general ledger structure, cost code structure, an estimating turnover checklist, and a sample accounts receivables escalation process.

This document is free to members in the SMACNA Store.