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Expert strategies, comprehensive guides, and industry insights for growth-focused commercial subcontractors.

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Subcontractor Cash Flow: What Turner Trade Partners Learned About the Construction Payment Cycle

How To Get Every Dollar You Deserve From Change Order Negotiation

Change orders have always been a hub of disputes and delays for subcontractors. At any given moment, subs can have hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid change orders hanging in the balance. Sharpening your negotiation skills can help address these tricky situations and achieve better outcomes. That’s why Billd gathered a panel of construction [...]

6 min readMay 10, 2023

Construction

Subcontractors Need to Request the Prime Contract on Every Project. Here’s Why.

Plenty of subs sign their contracts without ever seeing the GC’s prime contract. It’s not common practice among subs to ask for it, but here’s the thing: it needs to be. Maegan Spivey, a Contracts Manager in the construction industry, is on a mission to get subcontractors in the habit of requesting it any time [...]

9 min readApr 12, 2023

Construction

Construction Contract Negotiation Part 2: How to Protect Your Right to Make a Claim

In part 1, we went over attorney James Carney's negotiation best practices and high-risk contract areas that can often lead to litigation. In part 2, we'll explore the passive and active waivers that will determine whether or not you can make important claims on a construction project. How to Maintain Your Right to Make a [...]

5 min readApr 5, 2023

Construction

Hiring vs. Contracting Labor: The Pros and Cons of Each

Amid a massive labor shortage, subcontractors are forced to be more strategic about their workforce than ever. They have a choice between hiring their employees (provided they can find good candidates), or subcontracting with a labor company. Striking a good balance between hired and contract workers can help you run your business more efficiently. There [...]

7 min readMar 8, 2023

Construction

5 Ways to Make Retainage Less Painful for Subcontractors

Retainage has been called a necessary evil in the construction industry. It can be a massive setback because of how much it could delay your full project payment. But having a firm grasp of retainage is extremely beneficial to subcontractors. Anything that affects your payment speed is ultimately going to affect your cash flow. That’s [...]

6 min readMar 1, 2023

Construction

7 Contract Clauses That Other Subs Have Negotiated Successfully

A contract clause can be a bit like a shield, guarding against every nasty “what if” that could crop up on a construction project. It’s a weapon against having your rights trampled on as a sub. It’s a lifesaver for situations you once thought were inevitable. And you can get creative with them. Billd recently [...]

2 min readFeb 22, 2023

Construction

Why Construction Projects Are More Risky for Subcontractors than Anyone Else

In 2022, we launched the first of its kind, the Billd Roundtable, a video series that brought together a GC, a subcontractor, and a supplier to discuss the real issues that matter to construction professionals. The three episodes featured Russ Briscoe, VP of Sales of Billd, mediating discussions between Jason Beiter, VP of JE Dunn [...]

9 min readFeb 15, 2023

Construction

Banks as a Financial Option for Subcontractors: Billd’s Take

Softcore mayhem descended on America’s banking system in March 2023, when two big whig banks abruptly closed. Economists like AGC’s Ken Simonson were uneasy, fearing the uncertainty in financial markets could spill into the construction industry. With a lot of folks casting a critical eye on banks, Billd believes that now is a good time [...]

4 min readFeb 1, 2023

Construction

Heavy Timber Construction: A Growing Trend in Commercial Building

Commercial construction often brings to mind visions of sleek buildings made of concrete and steel. However, timber plays an important role in commercial construction. Heavy timber construction is one of the oldest known forms of construction and offers a wealth of benefits, including cost-effectiveness, durability, and sustainability. Below, we explore the basics of heavy timber [...]

4 min readJan 18, 2023

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