What is a General Contractor’s Secret Weapon?

As a contractor, a major concern is acquiring jobs. That’s how you make a living to support your family and pay bills. To win a job, you must present the most attractive bid to a potential customer. Ensuring you have an acceptable bid can be done by eliminating mistakes such as math or clerical errors and double checking you included all of your required licenses in your bid. What if a technically sound bid just isn’t enough? That’s when you must pull out your secret weapon. The ability to erect a pre-engineered steel building.

The benefits of pre-engineered steel buildings are incredible and should impress your potential customer. Steel’s most impressive quality is its strength. Steel is the strongest building material available and according to the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the increase alone in standard steel strength from 10 years ago to today is greater than the total strength of competing materials. A quality steel building should come with warranties that allow you and your customer to rest assured that this building won’t come tumbling down any time soon.

A pre-engineered steel building will usually have lower project costs. Think about a pole barn for a moment. Every few years, you might have to replace rotting or warped wood, or fix sagging members. That’s an extra cost. Labor costs are significantly decreased because a pre-engineered is easy to erect. The building comes bolt-together, with no welding or field fabrication necessary.

Speed of construction is a huge factor when it comes to the building erection process. That’s another factor which could have a huge impact on whether or not your bid is chosen. A pre-engineered steel building will allow you to complete the erection in days or weeks, compared to months, like other building materials. This is a benefit to you as a contractor and the customer. The customer is one step closer to finishing their building and you can move on to your next job quicker and earn more income!

Another benefit of a pre-engineered steel building for both you and your customer is the ability to make modifications to the original building in the future if desired. These buildings can be expanded easily in the future. This benefit doesn’t lock the customer into long term design commitment for the rest of their life and it also allows you to have the possibility of future work down the road.

Your customer will also be interested in the nearly limitless design potential. Pre-engineered steel building are utilized as residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial applications, and come in every shape and size. These buildings are built to handle the local weather and climate according to building codes. When a customer decides to purchase a pre-engineered steel building, they’re building with a fire resistant material as well. If your customer is interested in saving energy and protecting the environment, a steel building can be designed to incorporate solar panels, HVAC systems and other energy saving systems. When you place an order for a pre-engineered steel building for your customer, they’ll receive the services of a project manager. A project manager will be able to help you or your customer through the design process and will be available if you have any questions or concerns in the erection process. You’re not alone in this process.

You might already erect pre-engineered steel buildings based on the customer benefits. You don’t have to tell them it’s your secret weapon too.

Photo courtesy: Elvert Barnes

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