Things To Do In SW Florida

Although every construction project is different, there are crucial elements and planning that needs to occur throughout any project for it to be successful. You need to plan correctly and accordingly to start a project off on the right foot.

We wanted to share with you some strategies and must-dos to start your construction project:

• Hire quality sub-contractors, designers.
• Making sure everyone on the project has the right tools they need to work and succeed.
• Keep track of your task list.
• Choose the right technology to use.
• Make sure everyone on the project is using the same type of technology and is trained on this technology.
• Set up templates and standards to save time.
• Figure out how all the data in your project will be collected.
• Budget the project.
• Create a flow of communication.
• Consider zoning and permitting.
• Get to know your team.

If you start your project off on the right foot with a solid plan, you will be better prepared to handle any issues that come along the way.

How to Get Your Contractor’s License

A contracting career is rewarding – you learn a lot, you meet a lot of people, you gain a lot of skills, and you receive a good paycheck.

If you’re looking to get a contractor’s license, we can help. We are a Florida contractor licensing company. To practice legally in most states, you need a contractor license. We have helped thousands of contractors across the United States get their contractor license.

We do all the work for you. You just provide us with information about yourself, your skills, your background, your testing, your education, your job experience, etc. We will let you know what information is missing. We will submit a correct, complete application to the Board on your behalf. 95% of our clients get approved the first time with no issue. read more

Each year, the construction industry is becoming more sustainable and eco-friendlier. It was predicted last year the commercial construction industry would increase by 8.8%, which is great news for workers and businesses, but bad news for the environment if all this work wasn’t done in a sustainable manner. Construction work can produce a lot of waste. In fact, the waste from construction is predicted to double in the next seven years.

With new technologies and practices, there are ways to reduce waste and damage to the environment that many companies are adopting.

The construction industry uses 50 percent of all the natural resources. Construction work accounts for 25-40 percent of carbon emissions. As you can see, a lot can be wasted and hurt the Earth.

So, how has more sustainable practices helped the environment and businesses?

• Over 300,000 trees have been saved since more construction companies have gone digital.
• By going green, a company can increase ROI, produces 34% less CO2 emissions, consumes 25% less energy wise, and consumes 11% less water
• Reduction in materials used.

Green building doubles every three years. What are some ways to go “green” and be a more sustainable construction business?

• Building Information Modeling (BIM) can help reduce waste by up to 45%. This program can help contractors make more accurate estimations on designs so there’s fewer errors and more productivity. BIM makes it so there’s less last-minute changes or do-overs that occur.
• 3D printing helps reduce the amount of natural resources used. 3D-printing can help us depend less on non-sustainable resources.
• Construction software/automation is helping contractors digitize all aspects of a business, so they no longer need to print thousands of pages of paper.

Want to Become a Licensed Contractor? read more

Owning a construction business has its costs, especially with materials and labor costs rising each year. It’s important for a contractor to try and lower construction costs as much as possible in order to make a profit. Some costs are out of one’s control, but there are other costs that could be reduced, and there could be other things you didn’t even know you were spending too much money on. It’s always good to reevaluate your costs often to find places where you can save.

There’s always a way to lower costs. Below, we wanted to share with you some ways you can save and lower your construction costs.

• Do more things through automation. Automation can reduce errors and improve efficiency. Automation will help a company reduce overhead costs. It will allow your team to accomplish more tasks and at a faster pace while cutting back on the number of errors that occur. You can automate submittals, budgeting, and more.
• Invest in a document management system. There are many documents needed in the construction world and going digital will reduce administrative costs. Going digital also helps improve efficiency. The document management system can even generate reports to show you where you can cut costs
• Keep up with and get the latest technology. Mobile apps and tools can help you monitor and track time, projects, tools, equipment, and more. Through technology, you can be more efficient and lose less money and profits by keeping better track of things.

Look for ways to optimize and improve on your processes and this will ultimately help you reduce costs over time.

How to Get Your Contractor’s License

Ready to be part of the contracting industry? You’ll need a license. As a Florida contractor licensing company, we can help you get one. We have helped thousands of contractors across the United States get their contractor license. read more

You may be talented, experienced, and skilled, but if you work in the state of Florida as a contractor without a license, you could be fined and arrested on misdemeanor or felony charges. It is illegal to work as a contractor unlicensed in Florida and many other states. In fact, it is a criminal offense to work in Florida as a contractor without the proper license.

In Florida, there are nine ways you can get in trouble (or get caught) for working without a license. You only need to be caught and found guilty of one of the following to be convicted.

1. You falsely say or your company is licensed, when your/it are not.
2. You pretend to be a certificate holder or registrant of a license.
3. You present someone else’s certificate or registrations.
4. You give false or forged evidence to the Contractor Licensing Board of having a license when you don’t.
5. You use and work under a certificate or registration that has been suspended or revoked.
6. You operate a contracting business after 60 days of termination.
7. You perform work that requires a building permit without the getting a building permit.
8. You disregard or violate municipal or county ordinances related to uncertified/unregistered licenses.
9. You advertise yourself or business as an available registered contractor when you are not.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) gives contractors a certificate of competency to contractors who earn it in Florida. A registration in Florida is a registration with the DBPR in accordance with Florida statues.

If found guilty of unlicensed contracting work in Florida, a person is usually charged with a first-degree misdemeanor – penalties of up to one year of probation or prison and a $1,000 fine.

If the unlicensed contractor has been convicted before, he/she could be charged with a third-degree felony. This felony has penalties of up to five years in prison or probation and a $5,000 fine, and court-ordered restitution when the victim claims the work performed was sub-par and caused a loss of some sort due to the contractor being unlicensed. read more

The construction industry has continued to grow in recent years with more work popping up left and right. With more work, there’s more companies bidding to win jobs. Unfortunately, a construction company isn’t going to win every bid they put in, especially when there’s a lot of competition.

There are many reasons why a company can lose a construction bid. It’s important for a company to try and learn why it’s lost a bid so it can grow from its shortcomings and begin to win more bids more often.

We wanted to share with you some reasons why a company may have lost a bid at a construction job:

• The company didn’t understand the scope of work, which means the company didn’t deliver proper tasks or deadlines in the proposal. To remedy this in the future, always ask questions to clarify something about the project that you don’t understand.
• The bid price wasn’t right for the client. You don’t want to overbid, underbid, or misquote. To give the best bid, focus on accurately pricing your services/materials based on the client’s scope of work.
• The company didn’t explain costs. Construction costs continue to rise, so you may need to explain why your bid is what it is. Labor has gone up. Materials have gone up. Break down costs and explain them to the client so they won’t just dismiss your bid.
• The company didn’t show experience. Show your credentials! Your experience is proof you know what you’re doing. Show it off to the potential client. Remember, bid for projects you do have experience for, so you won’t take something on you cannot handle.
• The company had poor or mediocre references. If a potential client contents a reference, you doesn’t speak of you highly, you likely won’t win the bid. Choose quality, great references to give to the client, because clients who are anything less won’t help your cause.
• The company has a poor safety record. For the future, implement better safety protocols and plans to educate employees so less accidents and mishaps occur.
• The company left out important information. The bid must be complete. If documents and other info is missing, you likely won’t be considered.
• The company sent the bid in late. Tardiness will be a red flag for a client. If you’re late with a proposal, you may be late with everything else.

By working on the above points, you will put yourself in a position to win a better bid.

Looking to get a Contractor License?

If you want to be part of an ever-growing and changing field, we can help get you licensed. You need a contractor license to practice legally in most states.

As a Florida contractor licensing company, we have helped thousands of contractors across the United States get their contractor license. To get your contractor license, click our contractor license page to learn more or call 239-777-1028 to get started on your contractor license application. read more