White Papers

Monetary and Nonmonetary Compensation Plans

The primary purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the monetary and nonmonetary practices used by industry-leading companies. The study has the following specific objectives:

• Illustrate the power of well-defined monetary compensation plans. 
• Identify the types of incentives most useful for kinds of employee groups.
• Connect the incentive programs to performance management.
• Describe the various most popular nonmonetary compensation programs that can impact employee loyalty, retention, and satisfaction.

This document is free to members in the SMACNA Store.

Proven Practices for Conducting Successful Virtual Meetings

This publication covers the importance of foremen meetings to the success of a project. Meetings not only encourage collaboration by bringing stakeholders together, they help hold all parties accountable for on-time project completion. COVID-19 concerns and related safety protocols have mandated the need for increased virtual meetings, bringing the use of new technologies and communications and tracking tools to the forefront of project management. 

With regular meetings critical in construction, firms will continue to look for ways to limit on-site meetings while ensuring access to information, engaging participants and tracking accountability through virtual meetings and other technologies.

This document is free to members in the SMACNA Store.

Contractors Role in Preconstruction Planning

In the construction industry, project success depends on planning in schedule, cost, design, and other deliverables. That planning includes the organization of the resources (people, equipment, and tooling) and costs (materials and labor) to perform at the right time (scheduling).

The goal of preconstruction planning is to standardize the planning process, leading to predictability in resources, costs, and scheduling for each project.  This manual focuses  on the general processes a contractor must perform to implement preconstruction planning and how to manage a designer and the design aspects of the process. Also covered is the use of technology in preconstruction.

This document is free to members in the SMACNA Store.

Construction Contracts: Alternative Delivery Methods

This paper provides a brief overview of alternative delivery methods for construction contracts and can serve as a primer for contractors interested in providing services to their clients outside of the traditional design-bid-build model.

At the beginning of most projects, clients have a strong bargaining position and can dictate the terms of the contracts. Understanding how these different contract models operate right from the outset will allow contractors to decide whether it makes sense to pursue a project, develop the “best” price in a competitive manner, and manage the risk associated with these alternative methods.

This document is free to members in the SMACNA Store.

Establishing Overhead and Burden in a Sheet Metal Business

Sheet metal/HVAC contractors are unique in the construction industry in that they engineer, manufacture and install products made from raw materials. The scope of services provided by sheet metal contracts creates confusion and sometimes conflict with owners and general contractors who may not be familiar with the cost structure of a sheet metal/ HVAC contractor.

The purpose of this document is to detail the various types of expenses incurred by a sheet metal/HVAC contractor in support of a proper determination of overhead and burden rates.

This document is free to members in the SMACNA Store.