News & Updates

Building security is not just about having the latest electronic gear, software and security guards. Building security is also no longer just for building types with highly specific occupancy considerations. Increasingly, buildings of all types and purposes should benefit from careful security planning during the architectural design process. More and more, architects need to acquaint themselves with the range of security factors that affect design.

There have been some interesting recent court decisions handed down that will certainly have lasting impact for contractors and subcontractors. The vast majority of construction contracts contain provisions allocating responsibility for impacts and delays. Nearly three years beyond the pandemic’s start, cases have begun to trickle out on contractors’ COVID-19 claims. What specific impacts did contractors claim? What contract clauses or theories did they rely upon? Were they successful in proving entitlement to additional compensation and time extensions?

In the construction industry; time, cost and quality have long been defined as the basic elements to measuring success. Those are still key factors but the increasing uncertainties related to labor, inflation, and material shortages have reinforced the urgency to look deeper.

Suppliers play a central role in the success of your construction business and your ability to grow profits. It is therefore important to manage your suppliers carefully, and to maximize the value of these relationships.

Construction demand is still strong! With that demand and the ongoing labor challenges, including a smaller labor pool and an aging workforce, construction companies struggle to increase their workforce with well qualified candidates. Consider; the number of construction workers ages 25-54, fell 8% over the past decade. On top of that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the industry’s average age of retirement is 61, and more than 1 in 5 construction workers are currently older than 55. More than 40% of construction workforce growth over the past decade consists of low-skilled construction laborers, who represent just 19% of the workforce.

The barrier to enter a construction career is low, in most cases you can begin a job in construction without a college degree. Most of the careers listed further below can be entered with no previous experience or with completion of trade school. Trade school enrollment is nearly double today versus 20 years ago. Unlike colleges, trade schools normally require that students complete a specific number of practical hours or otherwise demonstrate their skills before graduation. On average, a trade school education costs a total of $33,000. For context, that is roughly equivalent to the price of a single year’s tuition at a four-year college.

With demands of labor and materials skyrocketing, subcontractors are becoming more and more stretched, which can lead to significant challenges related to contracts with the general contractor and the ability to take care of the workforce. The client and main contractor create a contract, and frequently, subcontractors price both labor and material. Within this hierarchy, there are many various functions that happen, from payment, project handover, damages, disputes, and more.

The supply chain industry has been doing business in the dark for decades, and to tap into these growth opportunities in such challenging and evolving times, construction businesses are finally focusing on software and encouraging greater use of digital technologies. Although the industry is constantly riddled with complexity, regulations, and slow response with change, the tide is finally turning. Openness to collaboration is becoming increasingly widespread. Specifically, blockchain technology is what’s coming to the forefront.

Subcontractors are feeling the pain.

According to Billd, A staggering 57% of sub-contractors saw a decrease in profitability in 2021 and 59% of subcontractors are concerned about overall increased cost for the remainder of 2022 and into 2023.

We have seen them so often that we pass by without a second thought; those spiked round devices hanging just below the ceiling. Sprinkler Heads. They may sit there for many years, doing nothing but adding to the maintenance costs of the building. They provide no benefit until that one day, when their proper function will save lives and investment.

Sprinkler systems are complex, expensive, and don’t add any appeal to your building’s architecture but when they are needed they become the most important component of a structure.

National Homeownership Week began in 1995, In 2002, President George W. Bush expanded the period of observance from a week to the entire month of June. National Homeownership Month reinforces the belief that owning a home is one of the steps towards achieving the American dream.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an aggregative term for describing when a machine mimics human cognitive functions, like problem-solving, pattern recognition, and learning. Machine learning is a field of artificial intelligence that uses statistical techniques to give computer systems the ability to “learn” from data, without being explicitly programmed. Read more to discover how it affects the construction industry.

This coming Monday is Memorial Day, a time to honor and consider those that have given their life in defense of our country or to make the world a better place. There have been many!

We know that construction workers engage in activities every day that may expose them to serious physical hazards. Away from the jobsite, construction industry participants also deal with extremely serious health issues, including drug abuse, and the highest suicide rate for any industry.

For proper construction risk management, you need to know the types of risks inherent in construction projects. These can be financial, contractual, operations, and environmental. They can be caused by both internal and external sources. Here are some of the most common risks faced in today’s construction market.

This Sunday is Mother’s day! Here at digBuild, we wanted to celebrate our mothers and the impact they have made on our personal and professional lives. Here are some stories our team wanted to share.

A career in a construction trade offers benefits like steady employment and competitive compensation. Construction trade jobs also typically involve frequent physical activity, which can help employees stay healthy. You do not need a college degree to enter a construction trade, which can make these jobs more accessible to candidates who have not attended a college or university.

Two of the biggest challenges facing the construction industry are mental health and substance abuse. Are they connected? Another age-old challenge that the construction industry has always faced is jobsite safety related to injuries and accidents. Cannabis plays into all of these concerns in a significant way.

When it comes to suppliers, it is important to know the different supplier options available and the benefits each may bring to your construction business.
When evaluating the best type of source for your construction needs, start by considering some critical factors.

We have all seen it! We all cringed..The Slap! Most people didn’t see it live, viewership was down, so most of us heard about it the next morning when it dominated the news.

As we come to the end of Women’s History Month and the overall subject of women’s role in society at DigiBuild has been on my mind, this incident took on a different context than maybe it would have otherwise. I found myself thinking of what Jada’s thoughts were at the moment, but more importantly what they were after the fact. Was she pleased with her husband defending her? Was she upset with how he handled it? Does she have feelings about whether he needs to stick up for her at all?

There are many high paying, secure opportunities to build a career in construction. The best construction careers involve some level of construction Management.

One major factor that sets construction careers apart is that the barrier to entry is low, in most cases you can begin a job in construction without a college degree. There are a range of construction management jobs that can be entered with no previous experience or with completion of trade school.

Material waste is one of the most difficult factors to control in construction projects of all sizes. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that total waste from construction-related projects was double that of municipal waste from households and businesses. For sustainable construction, the biggest issue is waste handling, since the construction industry requires more natural sources and energy.

One aspect of football that has always made me a fan is that, more than most sports, it is a team sport. I believe the pace of play-action makes football standout as a team sport.

Construction is definitely a team sport. Imagine Tom Brady trying to play it alone. Imagine your project manager trying to finish a building alone.

Even the most carefully made plans may need changes once workers break ground on site. A change order is one of several important documents that record adjustments throughout a construction project. If all goes well, they keep contractors accountable to complete their work and it keeps clients accountable to pay for that work.

Construction teams are finally embracing technology and are finding it harder than ever to work without it. Although the industry is constantly riddled with complexity, regulations, and slow response with change, the tide is finally turning. Openness to collaboration is becoming increasingly widespread. Specifically, blockchain technology is what’s coming to the forefront.

According to estimates from the U.S. Census, by 2019, the millennial generation overtook Baby Boomers as the most populous generation. Numbering over 72 million people, it represented a larger group than Generation X at some 65 million, and had just squeaked past Baby Boomers, who numbered just over 71 million people. On the flip side, when it comes to home ownership, millennials trail the older generations.

The pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of the global supply chain — that ethereal pathway of goods and supplies for construction, manufacturing, transportation and an entire host of other wants and needs for consumers. At the end of the chain there is a company or a consumer who is hoping for a finished product. In many cases, that disruption and the scarcity that follows has caused the prices of many things to increase.

In March 2021 it was projected that construction companies will need to hire 430,000 more workers than they employed in 2020, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The data also revealed that every $1 billion in extra construction spending generates an average of at least 5,700 construction jobs.

Where will the new workers come from?

At its core, STEM is all about solving problems and training the next generation of problem solvers. Many feel that our current education is focused too heavily on rote learning and memorization and is failing to teach students how to think for themselves or even solve some of the simplest problems that they might run into. With the way most fields are changing, especially the construction field, we can’t always rely on tried-and-true solutions to problems that arise. Those solutions don’t always work anymore.

Construction brings together large teams to deliver the built environments, and although the industry is constantly riddled with complexity, regulations, and slow response with change, the tide is finally turning.

These large teams are beginning to embrace technology and are finding it harder than ever to work without it. Their openness to collaboration is becoming increasingly widespread. Specifically, blockchain technology is what’s coming to the forefront.

Overall, the construction industry has recovered well from the pandemic by most measures. Employment is near pre-pandemic levels and total construction spending is well above the early months of 2020. Construction starts are steady and demand for architectural work remains strong.

A very recent article in the Chicago times got me thinking about the increased loss and risks associated with fires in buildings, especially those under construction.

The article, called “How the Great Fire changed Chicago Architecture” covers the fire that decimated the city in 1871 and the rebirth and reinvention of the Windy City over the 25 years following the fire.

There are many current and future opportunities in the construction industry.  I have previously covered careers that require trade school or  little to no formal education.  I thought I would dive into some of the opportunities that require a more advanced education and training.Architecture, Engineering, and Urban planning all offer chances to work in construction

Construction workers engage in activities every day that may expose them to serious hazards.

Away from the jobsite, construction industry participants also deal with extremely serious health issues, including drug abuse, and the highest suicide rate for any industry.

VCC Construction is working with DigiBuild to implement blockchain workflows into their next generation of projects, allowing for unprecedented levels of automation, reduced risk, and data insights for their partners and projects. VCC is utilizing 2 products within the DigiBuild Suite; DigiProcure to find, order, and track building material automatically and DigiPay to streamline the collection of payment documentation and disbursements.

We’re thrilled to announce that DigiBuild is now backed by Y Combinator (YC Summer 2021)!
Y Combinator is the top startup investor and incubator in the world.
It is a real honor to see our blockchain construction software that boosts productivity and builds trust on construction projects being recognized by the same investors who discovered Airbnb, Stripe, PlanGrid, and EquipmentShare and other unicorns at an early stage.
Receiving investments from the top investors like Tim Draper and Y Combinator is an honor and we couldn’t be more grateful.
Now, back to our mission of revolutionizing the global construction industry using blockchain.

If the company procures the equipment on a rental basis, the responsibility of providing the equipment to new work sites is carried by the provider and the company using it does not bear those direct overhead costs.
Renting construction equipment not only saves the cost of buying new equipment but reduces expenses such as labor cost, maintenance cost, and operational costs.

In March 2021 it was projected that construction companies will need to hire 430,000 more workers than they employed in 2020, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The data also revealed that every $1 billion in extra construction spending generates an

When it comes to building a new structure or renovating an existing commercial space, there are advantages that lead companies to choose to build new. However, it is worth a hard look at renovating, whether you own the structure now or you are thinking of purchasing one.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an aggregative term for describing when a machine mimics human cognitive functions, like problem-solving, pattern recognition, and learning. Machine learning is a field of artificial intelligence that uses statistical techniques to give computer systems the ability to “learn” from data, without being explicitly programmed.

As you are certainly aware, on June 24, there was a disastrous collapse of the 12 story Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside, Florida. It may be some time before we know all the factors related to what caused a modern building to fail but it is almost certain that the local weather and environment played a part, even if it was over an extended period of time.

One major factor is certainly seawater.

Did you know that today is National Tape Measure Day?  A few weeks ago, I didn’t know there was such a day.  When I first came across the mention, I was thinking big deal! However, when you think about it, you might consider that tape measures are really one of the very first technological advances

Automation is defined as technology concerned with the application of mechanical, electronic and computer-based systems to operate and control production and operation,  Terms like, robotics, CAD/CAM, FMS, Machine Vision are commonplace.  Automation is a dynamic technology that represents a continuous evolutionary process that began many decades ago and technological development that will proceed into the

In March 2021 it was projected that construction companies will need to hire 430,000 more workers than they employed in 2020, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The data also revealed that every $1 billion in extra construction spending generates an

A “Change order” is just the industry term for an amendment to a construction contract that changes the contractor’s scope of work. Most change orders modify the work outlined by contract documents and typically will increase the contract price or adjust the amount of time the contractor has to complete the work, or both. Change Orders play a major role in disputes, whether being the actual cause or being used as leverage.

Material waste is one of the most difficult factors to control in construction projects of all sizes. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that total waste from construction-related projects was double that of municipal waste from households and businesses. For sustainable construction, the biggest issue is waste handling, since the construction industry requires more natural

In my experience running my own construction contracting business as well as talking with friends and other business owners in our industry, one constant concern is employee health and safety.

Each year, during his week, there are a couple of nationally recognized drives related to worker safety that are worth taking some time to consider.