Although design rates have been rising year after year, market rates have also been increasing, and we\u2019ve been playing catch-up for the past few years. As a result, there\u2019s a time lag, and ultimately, the two don\u2019t match up.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, when government agencies conduct surveys of market prices, they simultaneously carry out surveys of actual market conditions, and this is problematic.<\/p>\n
Simply put, a \u201cmarket survey\u201d refers to the actual purchase price paid by major companies and others when they make bulk purchases. In other words, the price is already lower than the market rate at the time of design, and if a bid is awarded at the minimum threshold and a quote is obtained based on that, it can lead to a situation where an actual budget cannot be established.<\/p>\n
(Although this issue is one of the factors hindering the adoption of a two-day weekend in the civil engineering industry, it is slightly off-topic for this discussion, so I\u2019d like to address it another time.)<\/p>\n
Second,The fact that designers tend to tinker with the step size<\/span><\/b>That's right. As I've often seen in other articles by the \"God of Construction,\" there are cases where, driven by budget constraints, people use unrealistic machine settings or manipulate quantities using their own calculations rather than standard labor rates.<\/p>\n To begin with, the standard labor rates are set at surprisingly favorable levels, and the reality is that in actual construction sites\u2014where various factors involving third parties and others come into play\u2014it\u2019s difficult to meet these rates without pushing the limits.<\/p>\n When considering safety and profits, this can lead to poor decision-making, which is one of the reasons why accidents involving hazardous work do not decrease.<\/p>\n The third reason why the prime contractor's bid price is low is that,The construction schedule is not appropriate, and as a result, the engineering expenses do not add up.<\/span><\/b>.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no need to go into detail about the scheduled construction period, but since all we\u2019re hearing are complaints about how unrealistic it is, it certainly can\u2019t be called reasonable.<\/p>\n Although engineers are included in the labor rates as coordinators, the construction costs submitted by each subcontractor eat into that portion, so we have no choice but to cover the shortfall from site management fees, general administrative expenses, and other sources.<\/p>\n If you're not sure, try multiplying your monthly salary by the project duration and adding in head office expenses and other miscellaneous costs. If the project takes longer, it's bound to get pretty tough.<\/p>\n In other words, while revising the scheduled construction period, it will be essential to review both direct labor costs and overhead expenses.<\/p>\n If public works projects are priced too low, profit margins simply won't increase.<\/p>\n People who aren't familiar with the construction industry might hear or see figures in the hundreds of millions or tens of millions and think, \"Is it really that profitable?\" But in reality, those hundreds of millions or tens of millions are used to purchase materials and other supplies in advance.<\/p>\n If profit margins don't improve, we won't be able to win contracts for future projects, and small and micro construction companies that are working hard and doing their best won't be able to survive.<\/p>\n Consequently, unscrupulous and unqualified operators seeking to enter the market may take advantage of this situation to engage in rampant dumping; as a result of the resulting market contraction, there is even the possibility of collusion arising from cutthroat competition, or, conversely, collusion as a countermeasure.<\/p>\n However, no matter what the situation may be, since we\u2019re engaging in even fiercer price competition on projects that are already low-cost, the strain is naturally being felt everywhere. Given that these engineers also serve as liaisons with subcontractors and materials manufacturers while managing the actual budget, it\u2019s not hard to imagine the challenges they face.<\/p>\n While there\u2019s no such thing as an easy job, when viewed in relative terms\u2014given the construction industry\u2019s demands in terms of knowledge, physical stamina, and mental resilience\u2014work-style reforms are likely needed at each company.<\/p>\n However, I\u2019d like you to wait and see how things play out on the ground a little longer before making a decision.<\/p>\n Honestly, with so many documents that make you wonder, \u201cIs this really necessary?\u201d\u2014is it a bit unreasonable to expect us not to work overtime even though our workload hasn\u2019t changed?<\/p>\n For example, unless consulting fees are paid, tasks such as surveying, design, and the preparation of revised drawings\u2014particularly when changes are required due to discrepancies between the site conditions and the design\u2014are all essentially the client\u2019s responsibility.<\/p>\n That said, there are obviously benefits to having the contractor handle it, so as far as that point is concerned, I\u2019m not too concerned about it.<\/p>\n So what I\u2019m trying to say is that, given the current situation\u2014where we\u2019re already working the standard workload plus a bit extra\u2014I\u2019m worried that we might end up in a situation where the company bans overtime, we have to explore solutions like assigning two engineers to a project because the work won\u2019t get done, and ultimately, the budget gets squeezed and salaries don\u2019t go up.<\/p>\n No matter how much pride or a sense of fulfillment there may be, young people won\u2019t want to work in civil engineering under these circumstances.<\/p>\n Now that we have such a well-developed infrastructure, isn\u2019t this the time to consider its importance not just in terms of \u201cideals,\u201d but based on \u201creality\u201d?<\/p>\n Of course, I understand that there are people in both the public and private sectors who are working very hard.<\/p>\n Still, when I look at the work-style reform initiatives and measures to attract young talent, I can\u2019t help but get the impression that the attitude is, \u201cGovernment agencies don\u2019t want to change, so you folks on the front lines just have to figure it out yourselves.\u201d I really hope I\u2019m just misinterpreting things.<\/p>\n *How are things going at your workplace? I\u2019d appreciate it if you could leave a comment.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/norimen.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/7052f1cde8ae763a1c608d5f432e88d1_m-600x399.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIt is essential to review direct labor costs and overhead expenses<\/h2>\n
Because public works contracts are low-priced, bid-rigging and dumping occur repeatedly.<\/h2>\n
Work-style reform is necessary, but to make matters worse\u2026<\/h2>\n
Government agencies should look at \u201creality,\u201d not \u201cideals\u201d!<\/h2>\n