Video: Ask an Expert
What sets a self-performing GC apart from construction managers?
Self-performing GCs offer direct labor control, enhancing efficiency, decision-making, and improved project predictability.
Welcome to “Ask an Expert,” a series exploring some of today’s pressing topics in the construction industry, and how a self-performing general contractor can bring added value to your projects. From labor availability to cost control, and schedule reliability to quality assurance, we highlight some of the complexities and opportunities you might be facing on current and future projects. Our experts share their perspective on how self-performing construction teams can make a difference, so that you have a bit more insight to move forward with confidence.
What sets a self-performing GC apart from construction managers and other GCs?
Chris Bell, self-perform work lead at DPR, explains how a self-performing GC is more than just a middleman; the team is on the ground, making decisions and coordinating with trades to keep things on schedule and at cost.
Video Transcription
This discussion has been edited for clarity.
What sets a self-performing GC apart from construction managers and other GCs?
Chris: Most general contractors or construction managers; it's being the middleman. So whenever there are commitments made, whenever there's coordination made, you still got to get all the trade partners to be in line with that. Speed of decision making, predictability of the commitments -- they go up whenever you're working with somebody that has direct control of the labor. So they're really more of what happens behind the scenes. And as a self-performing GC, we take care of those by having direct control of the labor.
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Posted on April 1, 2025
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