ROCKVILLE, Md. - The Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) has released a major update of its construction management publication,Change Orders, Productivity, Overtime - A Primer for the Construction Industry. Last updated in 2005, MCAA said this publication has become a standard in the construction industry and is widely used by mechanical contractors and other specialty contractors, attorneys in construction practices, and consultants.

In announcing the major update at its 122nd Annual Convention, MCAA President Robert T. Armistead, P.E., said, “I am delighted that contractors and other frequent users of this important publication will have the benefits of a major update. The new citations and cases, as well as the clear practical advice for contractors, will be extraordinarily helpful in finding appropriate ways to handle changing conditions on a jobsite.”

The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) has endorsed the publication, and to date the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) has endorsed the publication’s labor inefficiency factors while continuing to review the entire publication. MCAA said it will make the publication available to SMACNA and NECA members at the MCAA member rate.

In this 2011 update, MCAA completely rewrote segments of the book to address three critical subjects:

• “How to Identify and Manage Change Orders” addresses the current trends in change order pricing. Contractors will learn about direct and indirect cost elements that should be considered when pricing a change order.

• “How to Organize and Submit a Claim” provides guidelines for the process of preparing a claim for recovery of unanticipated costs for elements of damages including schedule impacts and labor inefficiencies.

• “How to Estimate the Impacts of Overtime on Labor Productivity” provides a comparison of several of the industry’s most widely accepted overtime inefficiency studies with examples of how those studies can be applied to forward and retrospectively price overtime inefficiency change orders or claims.

These new segments have been written by industry experts who offer advice on these subjects to contractors, owners, and design professionals on a regular basis, and who, when required, testify as experts on the subject about which each author has written.

These experts include Paul Ficca, CPA, CFE, CMA, senior managing director, FTI Consulting; Paul Stynchcomb, PSP, CFCC, senior managing director, FTI Consulting; Jarad Kriz, CCM, LEED® AP (BD+C), PSP, senior managing director, FTI Consulting; Dr. Mike Pappas, P.E., Ph.D., principal, Pappas Consulting; and Charles Choyce, PSP, PMP, CFCC, managing director, FTI Consulting.

The publication was also peer reviewed by a panel of MCAA contractors and other experts. They include Robert Beck, John W. Danforth Co.; Michael Cables, Kinetics; James Durant, Trautman & Shreve; Richard Freeman, Stromberg Metal Works; Matthew Hahr, John J. Kirlin; Michael Loulakis, Capital Project Strategies; Michael Mack, John J. Kirlin; Adam Snavely, The Poole & Kent Corp.; and William Goodrum, John J. Kirlin.

In addition, existing content, including MCAA’s labor inefficiency “Factors,” was significantly updated. The association said this information will help contractors prepare schedule time impact analyses, track and monitor field labor productivity and have the best information on a host of other highly relevant project management topics.

The price ofChange Orders, Productivity, Overtime - A Primer for the Construction Industryis $150 for members of MCAA, SMACNA, and NECA. The price for non-members is $495. Both hardcopy and electronic versions can be ordered online from the MCAA Bookstore at www.mcaa.org/store.

Publication date:03/28/2011