Masonry Magazine December 2000 Page. 27
In North Carolina, we are promoting "turnkey/lump sum" masonry bidding specifications for public projects that, by law, require an award to the low bidder. There is a positive correlation between "lump-sum" work and quality construction completed on schedule.
MM: Is certification a plausible solution?
JC: It depends how you define certification. If you mean sending a bunch of mason contractors to a class and then give them a certificate of completion and call them certified mason contractors, then that clearly will not solve the problem. If you make the mason contractor go through a very extensive educational process, ensure that the contractors have key factors in a reputable certification program such as: bond capability, a strong safety program, continuing employee education and a history of quality completed on projects. Then add to that the backing of a national association like the Mason Contractors Association of America to implement a test and certification, then that should work.
GD: I don't know. I believe that certification is too big to implement at the present time. Who will do the certification, how will we educate everyone and what about the legal ramifications? This seems just too much to contemplate considering our customers are not calling for certification. Generally, quality concerns usually point to improperly trained workers. Since certification necessitates educating the workforce, won't it mean that if we provide stronger training then the need for certification would be eliminated?
JB: I see some sort of certification being an advantage. I just don't see how it can be accomplished. We need a tie-in to both the contractor and worker as well. But there are so many issues. How can we implement it nationally? If we can have certification with teeth to it, then is it worth pursuing?
CO: Absolutely not. Certification is a term that has been used for a fast fix for those who think it will create a quality project. Certification exists in certain areas of the country, and customers will still select the lowest bid. The low-bid is too much of an attraction that often pulls customers away from quality of work. There are an awful lot of specialty trades within
"...with proper education
on masonry systems,
customers can insure
for themselves that
their projects will be
built with quality."
masonry. Will each specialty trade have a certification, and if so, the cost could be astronomical for contractors who specialize in many trades.
EG: The only way certification would work is if there were a continual program established for continuing education. A contractor should not just be able to take a test and do nothing else to show competence to maintain certification. The program would also have to gain acceptance among the customer community. I feel it would also be key to continue to educate the customer about what a quality project involves.
LN: That question is debated quite a bit. I think if a workable certification program is created, and everyone (particularly the customer) buys into it, then I feel it could work. Architects have told me that if a program existed "that had teeth," they would include a specification requiring a certified contractor. Owners and specification writers would need to be convinced that certification would be a true indication of qualification and skills to properly perform.
MM: Is the industry capable of implementing certification?
JC: I believe that once we have an expanded educational outlet where contractors and their employees can receive training, we will have the capability.
GD: First of all, the mason contractors would have to want certification and most important the customer would have to spec it. Without both, it won't work. However, if both factors are there, then I believe we would need some outside organization to implement it to give it credibility. Lastly, we simply don't have enough educational outlets to train everyone. At least not now!
JB: We would need a strong chapter network to implement the program
much like AIA or CSI, where the local chapter ensures that the educational programs are attended in order to pass the test. It would be virtually impossible without a strong network of educational outlets. I believe that the customers would want to see that our workforce is more thoroughly trained in all aspects of our craft. As an industry, there is a push to short-cut training and that is a mistake. We are in danger of losing the art of masonry, which sells masonry to the architect. I believe that craftsmanship would need to be a critical part of certification for it to be of value to the customer.
CO: It would be extremely difficult to implement, and I do not feel the industry is ready for something as large as certification.
EG: I do not feel the industry is capable of implementing it. A program this large would take many years to develop and implement. There would have to be quite a bit more educational offerings to make it work.
LN: In order for the industry to implement a successful program, everyone in the industry would have to be willing to accept it. This is clearly not the case. Masonry contractors, suppliers and construction customers do not wholeheartedly support the idea, and therefore, any present effort to create such a certification would fail.
MM: Will our customers buy certification?
JC: That's the million dollar question. My gut feeling is that at the present time, they won't. Not with the pressure to look strictly at the lowest bidder. And if we force quality mason contractors through a costly and extensive certification program, the difference in price between reputable mason contractors and the lowest bidder will continue to get worse. Of course, I say this knowing that there are times when a reputable mason contractor is also the lowest bidder.
GD: Right now, I don't think that the customer would buy it since they are in the mode of simply buying the lowest price. In fact, I believe that our customers believe that all mason contractors are created equal and that price is the only way to differentiate between them, so why not take the lowest price? I feel that we need to educate our customers on the benefits of hiring a quality mason contractor.