SR Construction: COVID-19 and Florida Construction

The Florida construction industry is fortunate in comparison to other U.S. markets as most municipalities permitted existing construction projects to continue amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Working through the H1N1 event that paralleled Covid-19, SR Construction is able to utilize prior experience and stringent protocols making the worksite transition easier but not without challenges.

 

Observing CDC and OSHA precautions included daily logs of all vendor health checks, hand sanitizer stations, enforcement of social distancing, and face coverings to list just a few. Although costly and time consuming, these measures have served to promote safety and protect our employees and vendors which is always priority number one.

 

As an industry, we are seeing an immediate COVID-19 impact in relation to supply chain shortages including materials, tools, equipment and skilled trade labor workers, invariably resulting in scheduling delays.

 

This supply chain challenge does offer positive opportunities to source materials and labor locally in Florida. Most projects are best served via domestic materials and resources to avoid delays regardless of the health crisis. Afterall, when Disney World undertakes new projects in Florida, they locally source most materials and assemblies.

 

Construction industry projects that were ultimately delayed while in progress, due to COVID-19, present their own unique challenges during a restart. Regaining project momentum is much easier said than done. Re-starting a project involves, though not limited to: re-mobilization, re-engagement of all vendors (some of which have lost employees and access to needed raw materials), resulting in the contractor replacing certain critical vendors under pre-negotiated terms from the original client, contractor agreement.

 

Additionally, deliverables (supply chain), critical path scheduling adjustments, and permit considerations must also be evaluated. These are just a few of the project specific challenges that must be addressed while preparing to resume operations.

 

Be aware that municipalities have a fixed duration of (180) days from the permit approval date, or have an allotted duration from the inception of a specific scope. Having to start the permit process over, particularly in the post-Covid19 environment, will slow project efforts significantly. Let’s not forget about another round of required permit fees for any expired permit.

 

Permitting is an important area of concern often overlooked. Florida municipality building departments are enacting new procedures and processes, ultimately creating backlogs in building plan reviews, approvals, and inspections. Another municipality restriction is re-classification of projects deemed ‘essential’ and represents a major factor moving forward.

 

Positive opportunities within the construction industry stemming from COVID-19 adjustments and Florida’s robust market, include the upward trending population predictions and potential building design revisions relating to occupant loads.

 

The population influx from both corporate relocations and general population (prior to COVID-19) already positioned Florida as the #1 destination in America. Many developers are being contacted and planning for this increase. For instance, if you or your business were located in New York and on the fence about relocating, COVID-19 was the push.

 

Following what is being dubbed as the ‘new normal’, considerations are being discussed to further enact state-imposed changes to commercial mechanical systems. Specifically, expanding the use of negative pressure environmental controls normally only found in ICU or laboratory settings. Negative pressure systems allow facilities to mechanically isolate a particular wing or infected patient room from the rest of a shared, or open plenum mechanical system. These systems may become a desired feature in nursing homes, long-term care facilities, and recovery units of hospitals.

 

We may also see changes in the way office space occupant load per square foot is calculated during a new build, or remodel of existing space, also known as a tenant improvement. Designing a better way to protect workers in an office setting will be paramount moving forward as not everyone will be able to work from home.

 

Florida is not out of the COVID-19 woods yet, but as the phased re-opening process is now under way, safety will remain number one on the priority list. Now is the opportune time to secure your general contractor, architect, and engineering team to begin the pre-construction process, which now more than ever is critical to the short and long-term success of your project.