We are builders first and foremost:
Whipple Construction has always been a general contractor. We have built our business performing much of our construction work with our own people and working in specialty trades with sub contactors that we know will bring the same level of quality we would expect from ourselves. We know construction. It is this approach that allows us to solve general construction issues in a timely manner and consistent with our long tradition of delivering our clients buildings with our own hands.
We know what our folks are good at what they do and we capitalize on that for each assignment. We have a long history of delivering our brand of construction delivery which is all about individual craft and personal pride. This reliance on our own workforce and trusted sub-contractors allows us to advance our clients schedules, costs and logistics plans with the confidence we can deliver every time.
Construction Services
Self Performance:
Construction delivery is our core business. At Whipple, our construction delivery is enhanced largely by our ability to self-perform major aspects of the work. It is a matter of tradition and pride to us. In this age of specialization when most contractors are moving away from maintaining their own workforce, Whipple embraces self-performance. We often rely on our self-performance capability to tackle the more difficult and challenging tasks. This practice has provided us with our own expert craftspeople who can build from the historic to the modern, from the routine to the intricate. Beyond our own desire to self-perform, these capabilities have even greater implications for the success of your project:
* Our self-performance sets benchmarks for quality, safety and worksite conduct for every trade on the project.
* Our self-performance controls workmanship because of our excellent tradesmen and our very experienced job Superintendents.
* Our self-performance controls schedule. We know our crew’s capabilities and can maximize output relative to the time constraints of the client. By controlling time, we are situated to control the cost for optimal performance.
Construction Management at Risk:
There are times when a client requests a CM approach to the project delivery. We use this methodology when we are in a location or working on a project that requires us to rely more heavily on other contractors and sub-contractors to deliver your project. We will perform the same level of pre-construction services and work toward the development of a the development of a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) through an open-book process.
Project Controls:
Project controls are the basis for the construction mantra that whatever can be measured can be managed. We have years of experience in the creation and implementation of project control systems which include the following aspects of any construction program:
• Scheduling: We use the latest in scheduling software by Microsoft Project. These easily edited and interpreted schedules are updated regularly to reflect ongoing progress. We typically manage on the basis of a short-term, two-week look ahead schedule.
• Superintendents Daily Reports – Includes weather, job conditions and a brief summary of the overall project on a daily basis.
• Subcontractor Daily Force Reports – These reports document personnel strength, materials received and work put in place.
• Digital photography – We maintain a comprehensive photo log as the project progresses. These records have proven most helpful in answering questions that come up and for documenting construction techniques that may prove invaluable for future alterations, even years down the road.
• Safety checklist – Each day Whipple conducts mini-safety audits as well as weekly inspections. These audits are used as a proactive tool to keep all parties on the worksite in line with the safety requirements of the project.
• Logs – Material submittals, requests for information, change proposals and requisitions are all logged and organized so the parties may view the status of these items at a moment’s notice.
• As-Built Drawings – These drawings are updated regularly throughout the life of the project to reflect actual conditions and show precisely how the building is put together. These will be an invaluable asset to you as your needs change in the future.
• Accounting and Cost Forecasting. Record keeping is not an end in itself. Rather, it is the vehicle whereby we analyze our performance versus budgets and the current status of cost and completion. We understand the importance of full and accurate accounting and cost reporting
• Timberline. For financial accounting we use the premier system for our industry available on the market today. We have developed several uniquely formatted reports to allow an easy review of the project costs at a glance. Timberline accounts actual man-hours, rates and true invoice amounts, thereby creating a trustworthy financial representation of the project.
• Cost Reporting. Whipple’s cost reporting has helped owners make informed decisions for nearly a century. Typically, we provide clients with monthly cost updates and projections with the monthly requisition. These updates are an extremely useful tool for the client in managing progress and cash flows and in making decisions.
• Project Turnover: Throughout the execution and management of your project we continue to assess the progress of work on every level. By monitoring the many different enterprises that come together on your project site, we can avert problems and delays. Site logistics are continually monitored and altered to suit changing site conditions. Scope changes requested by the client are quickly and smoothly implemented. If one element of the project is out of phase with the overall schedule, we can easily adjust the pace of that operation to maintain constant progress and achieve the desired time of completion.
• The last thing we measure is something that cannot be quantified, but to us it’s one of the very important aspects of the project—your “satisfaction factor.” We don’t want to complete a project that you find merely adequate. We want to give that deep sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing that the finished project is a thing of beauty, quality and value. At Whipple, we’re not done until you’re satisfied with our work.
Safety: The only way to perform a successful project is to begin with a safety plan for the workers as well as the work site itself. Statistics tell us that construction workers are 30 percent more likely to have an accident than all workers in the private sector. We pride ourselves on our safe work sites and have been recognized for our exemplary record many times. Whipple provides a rigorous safety regime for its employees and we insist upon the same for our subcontractors. All of our foremen and superintendents have been through OSHA 10-hour or OSHA 30-hour safety training courses.
Our favorable workers compensation modification factor for year ending 2004 is .81 as compared to the industry average of 1.0. Our time spent managing safety gives you, the client, lower hourly labor costs and the peace of mind that comes from knowing you have hired a thorough and judicious contractor.
