ASA Construction Forecast July 2010

Many forecasters expect to see an upturn in the overall construction economy in 2011. I hope they're wrong and the turnaround will start even sooner, but it's positive news to hear that the construction economic recovery is finally in sight. Just as ASA has been a critical resource to subcontractors since before the U.S. recession began in December 2007, the association will continue to be a critical education resource as the recovery takes shape. Don't miss out on opportunities by letting your ASA membership lapse!

Many subcontractors began streamlining their companies in recent years. ASA offered business tips in ASAtoday special reports such as "Get Lean and Mean To Survive the Economic Downturn". Some companies were quick to make changes, such as re-locating and re-organizing offices and completely re-writing their policies on change orders and claims. Others were not. No matter when you started making changes in your business, you may have surprised yourself by how much your company was able to change.

The lesson that your company can re-shape itself, survive and succeed was and is important. Subcontractors that don't want to miss the leading edge of the upturn should start preparing now — maintaining and making new business contacts,, figuring out how to adapt bidding and negotiating strategies to changing markets, continuing to reduce overhead costs, and training staff to effectively manage projects by adhering to the letter and spirit of written agreements and procedures.

ASA and the Foundation of ASA have produced a vast reservoir of knowledge on topics that will help you continue to re-shape your company, ranging from how to use online social networking, to how to find public projects, to how to ensure that your claims procedures are effective. Start taking advantage of these resources now on the ASA Web site. You'll find podcasts linked to the home page, webinar recordings available under the "Browse Products" section of the site, and articles available under the "News and Periodicals" section. Many other resources, such as white papers on contract topics and charts on state laws impacting subcontractors, are available exclusively to ASA members under "Login/Access Member Resources". Also, don't forget to check out your local chapter events, and special national education events like the free July 22 webinar, "Managing Your Construction Projects with ConsensusDOCS Administrative Forms", produced by ConsensusDOCS. (Space for the latter event is limited.)

Your company may still be hurting because of the recession, but don't forget: You may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but you can get a new dog. With the right tools at your disposal, you can have faith that you'll be able to re-shape your business in every way needed to be part of the coming recovery.


If you have comments or questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail at tmclaughlin@asa-hq.com.

Very truly yours,

Timmy McLaughlin
ASA President, 2010-11