MARKETING ADVICE What should you do when others aren't playing fair? By Mark Buckshon Canadian Design and Construction Report staff writer A recent posting in Michael Stone's Construction Business Owners LinkedIn group touches a sensitive nerve. A New Jersey-based contractor named Mitt (only first names are published here because the forum from which I am quoting is not public) describes his frustration of working with owners who have selected architects that deliberately under-budget projects so they can win the architectural bid; and then, when then things move forward, the "low cost" ends up being forced on the con- tractors (often who foolishly accept the work, perhaps in desperation.) Now you’re asking, How do they get away with this? Here is how....They are well aware that when projects go out to bid the numbers typically come in all over the place....This known fact, al- lows for them to under budget projects...... Why do the bids typically come in all over the place?...Inept bidders bidding the project, short- cutting of the estimating process by guesstimat- ing or just plain lack of knowledge on bidding all or parts of the project...Remember there are usu- ally many many different components and trades involved in the pricing of a project. 10 – Spring 2014 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report The result: A mess, all around. The "selected" contrac- tor either bites a huge loss, or in trying to get a more re- alistic return (perhaps by catching errors and change-orders in the sloppy architectural drawings, a likely situation when the architect plays this game) the architect lays the blame back on the contractor -- and the owner believes the architect (after all, the architect is on the owner's side in keeping costs under control.) One contractor (Mitt) immediately responded with these observations: What you say is true, Kevin, and you are obviously frustrated by this practice. Isn't this a similar prob- lem as contractors consistently low bid jobs just to get them? They have been around for ages, and most likely will continue to be. Rather than try to end it, why not focus our energy on aligning ourselves with the ethical and honest architects out there? To say all architects practice like you