April 21, 2010
Our industry needs some help! The establishment and enforcement of subtleties of codes are becoming more and more vague in many locales. Within a mile, some projects require certain requirements and others do not.
Let me give you an example:
Over the last couple of years our company has provided Metal Composite Material panel systems on five projects within a mile of the intersection of I-95 and Glades Road in Boca Raton, FL.
On two of the projects, we were required to provide a Miami-Dade County Notice of Acceptance system that provided for Large Missile Protection. On three of the projects, we did not have to provide this system. All of the projects had similar occupancy requirements and similar use on the project.
None of the project specifications were explicit about the requirement. So, we were forced to either take a chance and not include the system (and the associated additional cost) and hope we would not be forced into providing the system later, or we could include the system and hope that our competitors would as well.
Now, I bet you are thinking we should just clarify our proposal one way or the other. That sounds logical, but it gets complicated when you are bidding to several General Contractors and it really just pushes the “guessing game” up the ladder. A wrong guess could cost the General Contractor the project. If the General Contractor does guess wrong initially, he will tend to “push” the cost of a wrong guess down to the subcontractor with the phrase, “do you want the project or not”? Of course this will be at the lower number.
All in all, it is a confusing situation that could be remedied by a simple declarative statement in the project specifications. Either the Notice of Acceptance (NOA) is required or NOA is not required.
So, why are architects reluctant to make this declarative statement? I submit to you it is because they do not know when the more expensive system is required and when it is not. Why does this confusion exist with the Architects?
I think the confusion exists because local code authorities make so many exceptions to the stated “rules in the code” that architects cannot determine which way the local code authority will “lean” on a given day.
So, the industry needs help. I have centered my example on a local condition in Florida, but I am sure there are similar problems in other parts of the country as well.
Let me hear your comments on how we may be able to solve this problem for the industry.
That is it for this week. Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.
Thanks,
Ted S. Miller