Opinion

The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders

If you are interested in having your voice heard on Construction Dive's Opinion page, please read our editorial guidelines and fill out the submission form here.

  • Construction workers help build a condo tower using steel rebar on Feb. 10, 2025, in Miami, Fla.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Joe Raedle/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Your contract can mitigate tariff impacts, if you know where to look

    Two construction lawyers detail how cost-plus, guaranteed maximum price and lump sum agreements work in light of higher import duties.

    Mason Hester and Austin Moorman • April 21, 2025
  • an older worker trains a new worker on a construction site
    Image attribution tooltip
    Akacin Phonsawat via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Why do we set up new hires to fail?

    The construction industry must move away from "sink-or-swim" training and instead provide early career workers with the coaching they need, writes consultant Fulton Cure.

    Fulton Cure • April 15, 2025
  • A construction site with two cranes.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Gerville via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    The AI infrastructure race hits a political reality check

    The AI-driven data center boom has created demand for land, electricity and water, a dynamic that has spawned growing opposition from communities, utility grid operators and regulators.

    Joe Brettell and Jeff Berkowitz • April 14, 2025
  • An engineer looks at a table while overseeing a construction site.
    Image attribution tooltip
    sculpies/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    How to use tech to fill construction’s skills gap

    While new technology can be daunting for workers and managers alike, a venture chief says starting small and educating onsite personnel can help firms stay ahead of the curve.

    Gonzalo Galindo • April 9, 2025
  • steel rods sit on the back of a truck
    Image attribution tooltip
    Nordroden via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Tariffs will change the way projects are financed, delivered

    Rising material costs from President Donald Trump’s trade war are altering how deals are structured and jobs are executed, writes a construction executive.

    Brian Gallagher • April 8, 2025
  • A blue clipboard with a white paper that says "OSHA, Occupational Safety and Health Administration," and protective gear lying above it.
    Image attribution tooltip
    designer491 for iStock via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Protecting OSHA protects workers. Slashing its budget is a dangerous mistake.

    Now is the time to invest more — not less — in the agency, writes a safety leader.

    Cam Mackey • April 4, 2025
  • two men shake hands on a construction site
    Image attribution tooltip
    shotbydave via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Design-build fosters collaboration, flexibility

    The fastest-growing project delivery method in the U.S. can help contractors control costs, streamline schedules and encourage innovation.

    Lisa Washington • March 27, 2025
  • workers rehabilitate a bridge roadway as the sun rises in the distance
    Image attribution tooltip
    John Moore via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    11 predictions for public contractors under Trump 2.0

    In this volatile environment, adapting quickly and understanding what is important to officials will be critical to government contracting success, writes consultant Mary Scott Nabers.

    Mary Scott Nabers • March 25, 2025
  • A group of people in a modern office chat over a presentation.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Wavebreakmedia via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    You’re not losing on price — you’re losing on process

    Successful construction industry salespeople must hone this core set of competencies in order to win more projects, says consultant Chad Prinkey.

    Chad Prinkey • March 12, 2025
  • a father holds a baby in the hospital while the mother looks on
    Image attribution tooltip
    AscentXMedia via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Helping women succeed at work starts with better leave

    Supporting parents begins with stronger leave policies, writes a construction executive who gained a new perspective after starting her own family.

    Rebecca Ozols Goss • March 5, 2025
  • A single rider waits on a train platform at a Washington Metro rail station.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Alternative delivery methods can help speed, simplify civil projects

    What’s behind acronyms like CMAR, DB, PDB and P3s? A transportation construction expert explains.

    Sami Soufi • Feb. 19, 2025
  • a man works on a laptop in an office with a hardhat on the desk
    Image attribution tooltip
    izzetugutman via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Why not to be the lowest bidder

    Competing on price matters, but it is only part of consistently winning work, says consultant Chad Prinkey.

    Chad Prinkey • Feb. 6, 2025
  • A highway with cars on it in front of a city skyline. Two large cranes line the highway next to new construction.
    Image attribution tooltip
    JasonDoiy via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Why navigating uncertainty will be key to construction gains in 2025

    JLL’s Louis Molinini walks through the impacts of the new administration, higher material prices and a continued focus on resilience for contractors.

    Louis Molinini • Jan. 30, 2025
  • an aerial view of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges spanning the East River between Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan in New York City.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Art Wager via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    We need another infrastructure law

    Carlo Scissura has a message for Congress and President Trump: Building a stronger country can’t stop now.

    Carlo Scissura • Jan. 16, 2025
  • A high school-aged student performs carpentry work in a wood shop.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Phynart Studio via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Why mentorship matters

    Initiatives like the ACE Mentor Program create a two-way street of learning, writes a preconstruction professional who works with high school students.

    Ratan Lal • Jan. 9, 2025
  • two men shake hands on a construction site
    Image attribution tooltip
    shotbydave via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Resolve to win more jobs in the new year

    Running a construction company is hard, but these steps can lead to a more profitable business, writes consultant Matt Verderamo.

    Matt Verderamo • Jan. 9, 2025
  • a federal tax form
    Image attribution tooltip
    SilverV via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Construction leaders eye estate planning as tax changes loom

    For construction company owners considering succession options, the early months of 2025 are an important implementation time, writes a CPA.

    Anita Mahamed • Jan. 6, 2025
  • Connecticut department of transportation construction crews work on a road.
    Image attribution tooltip
    John Moore via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Why construction productivity growth is lagging — and what to do about it

    From 2000 to 2022, global construction productivity improved only 10%, just one-fifth the rate of the overall economy, write McKinsey & Co. partners.

    Jan Mischke, Kevin Stokvis and Koen Vermeltfoort • Jan. 2, 2025
  • A machine attaching silicon dies to a chip at a fabrication facility.
    Image attribution tooltip
    SweetBunFactory for iStock via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Why construction must use technology to build technology

    The semiconductor industry is experiencing unprecedented growth and needs facilities that can match its rise. Here’s how the construction industry can answer the call.

    Darin Hart • Dec. 18, 2024
  • A rendering of the exterior of a laboratory building
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Pa.gov
    Image attribution tooltip

    Healthcare construction a key part of US infrastructure

    Contractors that are prepared to deliver medical facilities will be in high demand in 2025, writes a construction consultant.

    Mary Scott Nabers • Dec. 10, 2024
  • A small lake surrounded by mountains
    Image attribution tooltip
    Cavan Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Trump’s push for deregulation a double-edged sword for construction

    The president-elect’s focus on slashing red tape could be problematic for contractors and developers, writes a construction risk management expert.

    Christopher Ward • Dec. 5, 2024
  • an artist rendering of a public library
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from City of New Braunfels.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Suburban cities focus on infrastructure expansions, upgrades

    These smaller-but-growing markets are generating a range of public works construction projects, writes consultant Mary Scott Nabers.

    Mary Scott Nabers • Nov. 19, 2024
  • Donald Trump
    Image attribution tooltip
    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    I’m a construction exec who voted for Harris. But I see silver linings for our industry under Trump.

    Former Congressman Patrick E. Murphy sees less red tape, incentives for permit approvals and a push for innovation as positives for builders.

    Patrick E. Murphy • Nov. 18, 2024
  • Two people in hardhats look out from a high view into an in-progress building.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Paul Bradbury via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    What makes a great people manager?

    The industry’s best leaders have a high level of emotional intelligence, writes a construction consultant.

    Chad Prinkey • Nov. 14, 2024
  • a man and woman look at a computer monitor set up on a construction site
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Barton Malow
    Image attribution tooltip

    For tech innovation, trust the process

    At Barton Malow, testing a field printer that operates much like a CAD-driven Roomba started by organizing teams and aligning goals, writes the firm’s VDC director.

    Matt Hedke • Nov. 13, 2024