Post-Construction
Once construction ends, problems do not always subside. Frequently, owners, architects, contractors, and subcontractors can engage in multiple rounds of litigation, adding yet another project expenditure. These occurrences are so common, it is popular for construction companies to build litigation costs into the budget. But since issues on the job site so widely vary, companies are not always aware which, if any, litigation will come their way.Â
Take, for example, a discrepancy that occurred between Rogers-O’Brien (“RO”) and one of its subcontractors. A subcontractor attempted to charge RO more than the original quote for services to be rendered. In the past, manually surveying land for projects was time-consuming and inaccurate, usually resulting in the owner paying the subcontractor’s quote without the luxury of an accurate verification. But RO found they could avoid the subcontractor’s change order by using DroneDeploy’s maps as visual verification. RO could present these maps to the subcontractor, providing concrete proof the change order was unnecessary, and saving them thousands of dollars.
Realizing the benefits of such documentation, going forward, RO began using drones and DroneDeploy to produce progress photos for enhanced quality assurance. This was a much-needed alternative to the photos they captured from manned aircraft, which previously cost the company an estimated $6,000 per flight.
Jones|Carter, a full-service engineering firm, had a similar discrepancy. A subcontractor claimed to have completed a certain level of earthworks. But using DroneDeploy’s side-by-side feature and Cut/Fill analysis, Jones|Carter provided the subcontractor with proper visual documentation that the work had not been completed, avoiding all overages.