Construction Litigation Industry in California Thesis - 1

Construction Litigation Industry in California - Thesis Example In the light of improved opportunities, we find that the general contractors now offer a number of services such as: financial assistance, management of the total program, operations and maintenance, and renovation besides the core service of designing, building, and construction management1. Hence, we see that the construction industry has taken over a number of services that were offered by consultants. The contractors have taken over a large share of the service market of A/E consultants and thus, A/E firms need to expand the services offered to retain their market shares. They need to venture into service segments such as providing financial assistance to the clients, assistance with regulations, cost analysis of project life cycle, O&M functions, and renovation services. The situation has changed dramatically for marketing professionals and construction services providers and it is not as simple as it used to be. The shift in the project delivery system and the advances in commu nication technology requires the architects and the engineers to change themselves from their usual procedures of working. For example, in the past architects relied on their name and recognition whereas consulting engineers relied on 80/20 rule2 , and general contractors used to bid low in competitive bidding situations. The A/E consultants can retain their market shares by strengthening their market niche, marketing plans that increase customer retention, and restructuring of the organization to increase flexibility in the human resource.