Your firm is bidding to offer at-risk construction management services on a project that will include safety management, but most safety staff are tied to another program. What is your recommended approach?

Your firm is bidding to offer at-risk construction management services on a project that will include safety management, but most safety staff are tied to another program. What is your recommended approach?

• A. Submit a bid that assumes all your current staff will be available
• B. Submit a bid based on your current staff, but request to delay the project
• C. Hire more staff and price them based on their abilities
• D. Hire more staff and price them based on your current staff's abilities

Answer: (C)

The main idea is to ensure adequate, capable safety staffing when you’re taking on at-risk construction management. If most safety personnel are tied up with another program, the bid must account for bringing in additional qualified staff to cover the safety management needs, and those new hires should be priced based on their abilities and the value they bring. Hiring more staff and pricing them by their abilities shows you’re committing the right resources to meet safety obligations and project objectives. It reflects actual capability and compensation for skill, making the bid realistic and protective against safety and compliance risks. It also avoids overcommitting your current team or promising what you can’t guarantee. Submitting a bid assuming all current staff will be available ignores real scheduling and workload conflicts, risking safety gaps. Delaying the project isn’t a staffing solution and can be unacceptable to the owner. Pricing based on the current staff’s abilities while hiring more would understate the value and cost of the new, higher-skilled personnel needed to handle safety management effectively.

The main idea is to ensure adequate, capable safety staffing when you’re taking on at-risk construction management. If most safety personnel are tied up with another program, the bid must account for bringing in additional qualified staff to cover the safety management needs, and those new hires should be priced based on their abilities and the value they bring.

Hiring more staff and pricing them by their abilities shows you’re committing the right resources to meet safety obligations and project objectives. It reflects actual capability and compensation for skill, making the bid realistic and protective against safety and compliance risks. It also avoids overcommitting your current team or promising what you can’t guarantee.

Submitting a bid assuming all current staff will be available ignores real scheduling and workload conflicts, risking safety gaps. Delaying the project isn’t a staffing solution and can be unacceptable to the owner. Pricing based on the current staff’s abilities while hiring more would understate the value and cost of the new, higher-skilled personnel needed to handle safety management effectively.