Chapter 15 Construction Scheduling 261
Obtaining Materials
The list of materials needed for the project
is created during the estimating process. The
contractor refers to the schedule to deter-
mine when various materials will be needed
at the job site. Based on this information, the
contractor places orders for the materials. The
goal is to have the materials available when
necessary. They should not arrive too early and
certainly should not arrive late.
Figure 15-5. These welders are assembling
structural steel components. (Santa Fe Pacific)
stock material:
Available material
that is left over from
previous jobs, owned
by the company, and
in storage.
buy as needed:
Purchasing material
as it is required.
Materials for small projects can normally be
purchased immediately since they are usually
available locally. However, materials for major
projects must be ordered far in advance. For
example, structural steel framing for a building
has to be fabricated specifically for the project,
Figure 15-5, and then shipped to the work site.
This process can take months.
Materials are obtained either from stock on
hand or bought as needed. Stock material is
material owned and stored by the construction
company. Construction companies often have
two types of stock materials: frequently used
materials and materials left over from previous
projects. Frequently used materials that are
not readily available from local suppliers at a
favorable cost are stocked by the contractor. For
example, a concrete contractor may stock the
more commonly used sizes of form ties for the
concrete forms that the company owns.
Leftover materials might include extra rein-
forcing steel or wire mesh reinforcing used by a
concrete contractor. The contractor would want
to use these materials before purchasing new
material. These materials must, however, meet
the specifications of the current project.
The other common way to get materials
is to buy as needed. Local suppliers main-
tain large inventories of many construction
materials. Buying these materials when they
are needed minimizes the amount of money
the contractor has invested in materials. The
material is used soon after it arrives on site,
Figure 15-6. The more quickly it is used, the
less chance there is for loss and damage.
Figure 15-6. Material for a sewer line is being delivered. Sewer installation is
already in progress so these materials will be used soon. (Caterpillar Inc.)