Chris Cummings

Managing Director, Cost, Cumming, New York

“I think there will definitely be change in our industry. More people will work from home, that’s for sure. And I think it will become common for pandemic action plans to be included in contracts going forward.”

Have your daily tasks and/or role changed as a result of the impacts of COVID-19?

Slightly. I’m still fulfilling the same obligations, but the way I do it has changed. We are working remotely and all meetings are virtual. Our project monitoring team members are still conducting site visits, just not in person — we’re having the owners do solo walkthroughs with checklists and sending images or using FaceTime so we can see what’s being done.  Our team is currently testing Hololens, which is a mixed-reality headset that lets you combine real world spaces with virtual interactive overlays.

Have you experienced any supply chain issues? If so, how are you dealing with those?

We’ve known this may be coming, so we’ve been trying to get our materials to the jobsites as soon as possible, and we’ve been doing that for weeks now. Some developers paid extra to expedite orders from China and Italy.

How is morale on the project?

Morale seems to be good. Everyone is pulling together and trying to make the most of a difficult situation. Owners and general contractors aren’t forcing people to go to work. They’re leaving it up to their employees, which definitely helps morale.

Any insight into how to maintain team member morale during a time like this?

Our managers are speaking to their groups daily on video calls. Frequent and attentive communication is key. Some of our offices, including our team here, are doing virtual happy hours as a way to connect and unwind a bit, even if we can’t do it in person.

Have project risk factors changed in type or magnitude? If so, how are those factors being mitigated?

This probably isn’t what you mean, but obviously transmittal of the virus itself is the biggest risk, so our projects are splitting work weeks into shifts: one group will go in for three days, then rotate out and another group will come in for three days. Speaking of the more standard kind of project risk, there is a lot of contract review going on to see how contractual language is going to be interpreted. It looks like a lot of dispute resolution services will be needed.

Do you see the industry’s approach to construction changing over the long term in response to some of the lessons we’ve learned during this crisis?

I think there will definitely be change in our industry and many others. I think companies may start looking at their real estate footprint and how they can adapt to work more remotely during normal business environments. And I think it will become common for pandemic action plans to be included in contracts going forward.

We could all use some positive words of encouragement during this difficult time. Do you have anything you’d like to share?

The vast majority of people are doing the right and coming together to cooperate, collaborate, and provide support. It’s such a tough situation, but it has revealed that we’re all in this together.

2020-04-01T12:20:24-07:00
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