General View of Contracting In The Construction Industry

Introduction To Construction Industry Contracting

1. What is a contractor and what is their purpose in a project
2. What roles can a contractor fill
3. The benefits of contractors
4. Our experience as contractors in the engineering industry.

What Is A Contractor And What Is Their Purpose In A Project

In general, for this blog, a contractor is a person or business that is “contracted” a portion of work on a construction project. In our case we contract structural & architectural BIM services to large engineering firms to model, coordinate and disseminate construction drawings & models from the start of the design phase right up to the completion phase.

In our case we work mostly remotely, (But can be based in our clients’ offices) and work using our own systems or remote desktop into our clients’ systems.

A contractor could be contracted to work for a period of time (while the contracting firm looks to hire staff) or they could work hourly for the duration of the project, filling in when needed.

What Roles Can A Contractor Fill

There are no limitations to the roles a contractor can take. A contractor fills the void a company is missing. At MJB we specialise in architectural and structural 3D modelling using Autodesk Revit and AutoCAD. We have experts in reinforced concrete detailing who use CAD’s RC software to draw and schedule reinforced concrete bars and architectural technologists that work closely with the architect to bring the project’s vision to the digital world.

A contractor could, however, fill any role, from Architects to Engineers to Technicians.

The Benefits Of Contractors

There are many benefits to hiring contractors. On large jobs such as construction of a production facility for a large multinational client, firms sometimes do not have enough staff to cover these jobs. Instead of hiring new staff to fill a temporary void, these firms can contract out the work when required and not have staff idle while work has dried up. This can save a firm a substantial amount of money in the long term.

Generally, the experience level of a contractor is higher than average. Hiring someone or multiple people with similar experience levels at a yearly salary would incur a substantial cost to the hiring firm.

There can also be lower general costs. In MJB’s case, we own Autodesk’s entire construction suite and don’t require the contracting firm to provide licenses for the software we use on a day-to-day basis, which helps lower their overall running costs of the business.

Our Experience As Contractors In The Engineering Industry

At MJB, we have over 40 years of combined experience in the construction industry. Over the years we have contracted with numerous large & small engineering firms, providing a service to fill a void. We come onto the project in the early design stages and work closely with architects, structural engineers, and MEP specialists to deliver 3D coordinated models to achieve a successful project.

Projects we have worked on include airports, hospitals, power plants, housing, commercial warehouses, and rail. We work in almost all sectors and happily bring our knowledge to all projects.

In the final months of 2024, we were approached by an engineering firm we had worked closely with in the past. They asked if we could provide our services for Multinational Food Corporation, which wanted to modify an existing portal frame warehouse to a production facility manufacturing their previously European-made products for the UK market. The corporation wanted to start work as soon as possible to ensure they could start producing at the facility.

Our goal for the project was 2-fold. Use existing historical information from when the warehouse was originally constructed & the use of a newly commissioned 3D survey to create an as-built structural and MEP models, and secondly, to model and clash detect the proposed structure to facilitate the use of the new facility.

We spent weeks agonisingly going over existing drawings from the historical 1970’s construction drawings to create an existing as-built 3D model of the existing structure, then used the same information combined with a 100GB 3D point cloud to model the existing extensive fire sprinkler system and Air Handling Unit Pipework. Throughout the whole process, we stayed in touch with all involved through weekly meetings, emails, and calls to ensure deadlines and targets were hit.

We have since started the process of working with the structural engineers to create the proposed aspect of the 3D structural model. This project is still ongoing, and we will be thrilled to share the results on our projects page.

As contractors, we have helped fill a void for the engineering firm by providing services they didn’t currently have available to them while allowing them to save funds by not having to hire staff to fill this void.

In our process of working, we tend to integrate ourselves into the contracting companies’ environment. Staff come to us as if we are just part of the team, and we share in their victories and failures. This relationship helps to earn trust with our clients and shows them we are just there to help and work as a single team. It is through this relationship and our experience in this industry that has helped us earn repeat clients and has allowed us to work on some incredible projects.

If you or your business are looking to contract work, give us a call, and we would be happy to talk through the process and project with you.