As we begin 2025, the commercial construction industry is faced with persistent supply chain disruptions, potential tariff impacts, labor shortages, and heightened regulatory scrutiny. These challenges demand a more integrated approach to project leadership—one that maintains consistency from initial concept through final completion.
Supply Chain and Labor Challenges
The post-pandemic construction environment has ushered in a new normal, one of extended timelines and complex logistics. Supply chain disruptions, though improved, continue to impact material delivery patterns. The possibility of new tariffs, particularly affecting trade with Canada, China, and Mexico, threatens to further complicate the situation. These tariffs could significantly impact the availability and cost of essential materials, from mechanical and electrical equipment to basic construction supplies.
Labor shortages, a decade-long challenge, show no signs of abating. The construction industry’s heavy reliance on immigrant labor makes it particularly vulnerable to potential immigration policy changes. Even a modest 3-5% reduction in workforce availability could severely impact project schedules.
In this complex environment, the traditional model of transitioning project leadership between departments—from estimating to pre-construction to construction—creates unnecessary risks. Every construction project is unique, which often requires comprehensive knowledge that can be compromised when leadership changes between project phases.
Consider a scenario where a piece of equipment specified during pre-construction faces potential tariff impacts. A project leader with continuous involvement from concept through completion can:
Immediately identify potential supply chain risks
Evaluate alternative equipment options while understanding their broader impact on permits and drawings
Navigate jurisdiction-specific requirements for equipment changes
Maintain clear communication with all stakeholders throughout the process
Meeting Modern Regulatory Demands
Today’s construction projects face intensified regulatory oversight, partly driven by high-profile incidents that have prompted jurisdictions to enhance their scrutiny. Fire marshals, building inspectors, and other regulatory authorities are more particular than they were even five years ago. This heightened attention to detail, while necessary for safety, creates tension with clients’ desires for faster project completion.
A consistent project leader who understands these regulatory nuances from the outset can:
Anticipate jurisdiction-specific requirements
Integrate compliance considerations into early planning
Coordinate effectively with third-party inspectors when needed
The KasCon Leadership Model
KasCon’s longstanding philosophy of maintaining singular leadership from concept estimate through completion has proven particularly prescient in today’s challenging environment. Unlike the typical general contractor model, which often doesn’t involve project managers until construction is ready to begin, KasCon’s approach ensures comprehensive project understanding from day one. This model, while requiring greater upfront investment in experienced leadership, has consistently delivered superior results, including:
Faster decision-making and problem resolution
Reduced information loss between project phases
More efficient risk management
Enhanced client satisfaction through single-point accountability
Eliminated orientation periods between leadership transitions
Looking Ahead
As we progress through 2025, the complexity of construction projects shows no signs of diminishing. The industry faces continuing pressures from supply chain uncertainties, workforce challenges, and intensifying regulatory requirements. In this environment, maintaining consistent leadership throughout a project’s lifecycle isn’t just beneficial—it’s becoming essential for successful project delivery.
/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/kascon_logo.png00Jeff Kassman/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/kascon_logo.pngJeff Kassman2025-01-21 15:29:452025-01-21 16:06:19Consistent Project Leadership: A Critical Strategy for Managing Construction Complexity in 2025
In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, the demand for outpatient and ambulatory care services continues to grow. The construction of these facilities in the post-pandemic world remains challenging on several fronts. As a leading medical facility general contractor in Maryland, KasCon, Inc. offers clients expert assistance in navigating the complexity of facility construction.
Growth in Demand for Outpatient Facilities
The demand for outpatient facilities and ambulatory care centers is growing. Insurance companies are increasingly discouraging the use of hospital emergency rooms, driving the demand to construct more urgent care facilities. Procedures such as knee and hip replacements, previously relegated to hospitals, are now being performed in the outpatient environment. Increased awareness of the value of routine testing as a preventative measure places increased demands on existing outpatient facilities and drives the need for larger, efficient spaces.
Unique Needs of Healthcare Facilities
Healthcare facilities have always had unique construction requirements which have grown substantially since the pandemic. Sanitization and easy-to-clean surfaces have been a mainstay of all healthcare environments, but a heightened focus on infection control has made these concerns more important. Quality ventilation systems and advanced air filtration have become standard, ensuring safer facilities. Hands free technology, back-up power systems, radiation protection, and structural demands are common to many ambulatory healthcare projects and those needs have not relaxed or changed. These trends all contribute to rising construction costs.
Navigating the “Perfect Storm” of Cost Pressures
Medical construction projects today face a “perfect storm” of cost pressures:
MEP: Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems have seen the most significant cost increases post-pandemic and are dominant elements in all healthcare projects.
Aesthetic Considerations: There’s a growing emphasis on creating appealing “front of house” areas with high-end, expensive finishes to attract and maintain patients.
Infection Control & Safety Best Practices: Meeting new requirements for infection control and other safety measures contributes to rising costs.
Predicting these increased materials costs is critical to predicting overall construction costs to prepare and meet accurate budgets.
The KasCon Advantage: Strategic Pre-Construction Planning and Proactive Problem Solving
At KasCon, we understand that navigating these multifaceted challenges requires more than just construction expertise – it demands a comprehensive, strategic approach. That’s why we place critical importance on thorough pre-construction planning. Our process involves detailed budgeting with comprehensive cost analysis from the project’s outset, expert guidance through the complex web of healthcare construction regulations, and innovative solutions leveraging our years of experience. We work collaboratively with healthcare providers, architects, and regulators to ensure all needs are met efficiently and cost-effectively.
KasCon understands how, and when, all the elements of a project need to fit together and works to proactively overcome any challenges. Some examples include:
Identifying and pre-ordering mechanical equipment with a long-lead time to ensure a project stays on schedule
Reworking electrical distribution to utilize more readily available equipment
Implementing temporary solutions to keep a project on track, e.g. lining an x-ray room door with lead to make the site functional, while waiting or a back-ordered custom lead-lined door
Partnering for Success in Medical Construction
As the medical construction landscape continues to evolve, specialized expertise like KasCon’s becomes increasingly valuable. By understanding the unique challenges of outpatient and ambulatory facility construction and employing meticulous planning and innovative problem-solving, we help healthcare providers navigate this complex landscape of cost pressures and regulatory demands.
For healthcare providers looking to build or renovate outpatient facilities in Maryland, partnering with an experienced firm like KasCon can make the difference between a challenging, costly process and a smooth, successful project that meets all regulatory, functional, and budgetary requirements.
/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/kascon_logo.png00Jeff Kassman/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/kascon_logo.pngJeff Kassman2024-10-22 21:41:262024-10-22 21:41:26Navigating the Complexities of Outpatient Healthcare Construction
After 17 years in the same location, it was time for KasCon to take the next step in our growth and move our offices to a larger space with more amenities. As painful and disruptive as picking up and moving was after almost two decades, we had no choice. We embarked on the process so many of our clients experience, finding the right location, negotiating a lease, designing the space, obtaining a building permit, constructing it and, finally, moving.
There is an old saying that the shoemaker’s kids go shoeless, and I was determined that the adage would not apply to us. With decades of experience, one would think that such a process should go flawlessly. Knowing what to do and doing it are very different things. Our office move demonstrated some positive things I would recommend, and it also revealed some lessons learned that I felt worth sharing.
Balance Setting a Realistic Timeline with Getting a Jump on the Project – Failure to Get it Right Can be Costly
The process from touring the space to move-in is frustratingly linear. It’s unrealistic to start task B before finishing task A without potentially wasting money. Case in point, you want to be sure to wait until your new lease is firmly locked down before engaging too many resources formally such as space planners, architectural or engineering services. Doing so may be costly if you aren’t quite ready.
Even with our extensive experience, we should have been more conservative when building our timeline. During our move, we needed to extend our current lease by a couple of weeks which was quite costly. This could have been avoided by just adding some extra time for the unknown and starting that much earlier.
Be Very Clear on the End of Lease Expectations with Your Landlord
Meeting with the Property Manager in advance of your departure and obtaining and agreeing to very specific requirements for removal of items etc. will expedite that process and the return of your security deposit. You won’t have time to deal with it during the move, so clarity up front will be a big help and will avoid unnecessary trips back to your old space. We had a significant number of built-ins in our old office space and, there was a misunderstanding as to which ones were ok to leave as is and which ones needed to be removed. Ultimately, our lack of clarity cost us a fair amount of back and forth and extreme inefficiency at the time of our move-out. This could have been avoided with better communication with the Property Manager.
Don’t Put Off Decisions on Those Few Last Items…They Will Come Back to Bite You
Designing a new office requires literally thousands of decisions. Many of these are delegated to architects, engineers and designers to guide you and narrow the field using their experience. Other decisions that remain, but don’t appear to be critical at the moment, tend to lag. Human nature takes hold and after making all the critical decisions there are others that tend to be put off. I experienced this with items like new side chairs for the offices and the display of photos throughout the space. When the decisions about these post move items were delayed, the project was held up. Now, what seemed like an insignificant decision at the time, resulted in delaying the finished look by months. By the time we decided where to put our artwork/project photography around the space, we ended up having to redo our hallway lighting to accommodate and showcase the photos appropriately. This was costly and could have been avoided with earlier planning. Resist the temptation to put off any decision, down to the very last item, so the entire project stays in sequence.
Examples of What Went Well
I was very proud of the project overall with a few notable areas where we avoided potential pitfalls with proper and thorough planning. We did a comprehensive analysis of the heating and air conditioning in advance of negotiating the lease. As a result, we were able to negotiate a complete replacement and redesign of the HVAC and now the space is comfortable and well-controlled.
Also, while it isn’t very sexy, we identified water infiltration issues during the demolition phase of the project. By discovering this early and working with the landlord in advance, we were able to resolve the problems permanently and avoid future disruptions and costs.
Conclusion
Relocating an office is a huge undertaking filled with opportunities to either plan wisely or learn some hard lessons. Hopefully our insights, both positive and negative, prove useful to others embarking on an office move. With thorough preparation, clear communication, and swift decision-making, the process can be far smoother and more rewarding than you might expect. Here’s to your company’s next chapter in a great new space!
Consistent Project Leadership: A Critical Strategy for Managing Construction Complexity in 2025
As we begin 2025, the commercial construction industry is faced with persistent supply chain disruptions, potential tariff impacts, labor shortages, and heightened regulatory scrutiny. These challenges demand a more integrated approach to project leadership—one that maintains consistency from initial concept through final completion.
Supply Chain and Labor Challenges
The post-pandemic construction environment has ushered in a new normal, one of extended timelines and complex logistics. Supply chain disruptions, though improved, continue to impact material delivery patterns. The possibility of new tariffs, particularly affecting trade with Canada, China, and Mexico, threatens to further complicate the situation. These tariffs could significantly impact the availability and cost of essential materials, from mechanical and electrical equipment to basic construction supplies.
Labor shortages, a decade-long challenge, show no signs of abating. The construction industry’s heavy reliance on immigrant labor makes it particularly vulnerable to potential immigration policy changes. Even a modest 3-5% reduction in workforce availability could severely impact project schedules.
In this complex environment, the traditional model of transitioning project leadership between departments—from estimating to pre-construction to construction—creates unnecessary risks. Every construction project is unique, which often requires comprehensive knowledge that can be compromised when leadership changes between project phases.
Consider a scenario where a piece of equipment specified during pre-construction faces potential tariff impacts. A project leader with continuous involvement from concept through completion can:
Meeting Modern Regulatory Demands
Today’s construction projects face intensified regulatory oversight, partly driven by high-profile incidents that have prompted jurisdictions to enhance their scrutiny. Fire marshals, building inspectors, and other regulatory authorities are more particular than they were even five years ago. This heightened attention to detail, while necessary for safety, creates tension with clients’ desires for faster project completion.
A consistent project leader who understands these regulatory nuances from the outset can:
The KasCon Leadership Model
KasCon’s longstanding philosophy of maintaining singular leadership from concept estimate through completion has proven particularly prescient in today’s challenging environment. Unlike the typical general contractor model, which often doesn’t involve project managers until construction is ready to begin, KasCon’s approach ensures comprehensive project understanding from day one. This model, while requiring greater upfront investment in experienced leadership, has consistently delivered superior results, including:
Looking Ahead
As we progress through 2025, the complexity of construction projects shows no signs of diminishing. The industry faces continuing pressures from supply chain uncertainties, workforce challenges, and intensifying regulatory requirements. In this environment, maintaining consistent leadership throughout a project’s lifecycle isn’t just beneficial—it’s becoming essential for successful project delivery.
Navigating the Complexities of Outpatient Healthcare Construction
In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, the demand for outpatient and ambulatory care services continues to grow. The construction of these facilities in the post-pandemic world remains challenging on several fronts. As a leading medical facility general contractor in Maryland, KasCon, Inc. offers clients expert assistance in navigating the complexity of facility construction.
Growth in Demand for Outpatient Facilities
The demand for outpatient facilities and ambulatory care centers is growing. Insurance companies are increasingly discouraging the use of hospital emergency rooms, driving the demand to construct more urgent care facilities. Procedures such as knee and hip replacements, previously relegated to hospitals, are now being performed in the outpatient environment. Increased awareness of the value of routine testing as a preventative measure places increased demands on existing outpatient facilities and drives the need for larger, efficient spaces.
Unique Needs of Healthcare Facilities
Healthcare facilities have always had unique construction requirements which have grown substantially since the pandemic. Sanitization and easy-to-clean surfaces have been a mainstay of all healthcare environments, but a heightened focus on infection control has made these concerns more important. Quality ventilation systems and advanced air filtration have become standard, ensuring safer facilities. Hands free technology, back-up power systems, radiation protection, and structural demands are common to many ambulatory healthcare projects and those needs have not relaxed or changed. These trends all contribute to rising construction costs.
Navigating the “Perfect Storm” of Cost Pressures
Medical construction projects today face a “perfect storm” of cost pressures:
Predicting these increased materials costs is critical to predicting overall construction costs to prepare and meet accurate budgets.
The KasCon Advantage: Strategic Pre-Construction Planning and Proactive Problem Solving
At KasCon, we understand that navigating these multifaceted challenges requires more than just construction expertise – it demands a comprehensive, strategic approach. That’s why we place critical importance on thorough pre-construction planning. Our process involves detailed budgeting with comprehensive cost analysis from the project’s outset, expert guidance through the complex web of healthcare construction regulations, and innovative solutions leveraging our years of experience. We work collaboratively with healthcare providers, architects, and regulators to ensure all needs are met efficiently and cost-effectively.
KasCon understands how, and when, all the elements of a project need to fit together and works to proactively overcome any challenges. Some examples include:
Partnering for Success in Medical Construction
As the medical construction landscape continues to evolve, specialized expertise like KasCon’s becomes increasingly valuable. By understanding the unique challenges of outpatient and ambulatory facility construction and employing meticulous planning and innovative problem-solving, we help healthcare providers navigate this complex landscape of cost pressures and regulatory demands.
For healthcare providers looking to build or renovate outpatient facilities in Maryland, partnering with an experienced firm like KasCon can make the difference between a challenging, costly process and a smooth, successful project that meets all regulatory, functional, and budgetary requirements.
Lessons Learned: KasCon’s Office Buildout
After 17 years in the same location, it was time for KasCon to take the next step in our growth and move our offices to a larger space with more amenities. As painful and disruptive as picking up and moving was after almost two decades, we had no choice. We embarked on the process so many of our clients experience, finding the right location, negotiating a lease, designing the space, obtaining a building permit, constructing it and, finally, moving.
There is an old saying that the shoemaker’s kids go shoeless, and I was determined that the adage would not apply to us. With decades of experience, one would think that such a process should go flawlessly. Knowing what to do and doing it are very different things. Our office move demonstrated some positive things I would recommend, and it also revealed some lessons learned that I felt worth sharing.
Balance Setting a Realistic Timeline with Getting a Jump on the Project – Failure to Get it Right Can be Costly
The process from touring the space to move-in is frustratingly linear. It’s unrealistic to start task B before finishing task A without potentially wasting money. Case in point, you want to be sure to wait until your new lease is firmly locked down before engaging too many resources formally such as space planners, architectural or engineering services. Doing so may be costly if you aren’t quite ready.
Even with our extensive experience, we should have been more conservative when building our timeline. During our move, we needed to extend our current lease by a couple of weeks which was quite costly. This could have been avoided by just adding some extra time for the unknown and starting that much earlier.
Be Very Clear on the End of Lease Expectations with Your Landlord
Meeting with the Property Manager in advance of your departure and obtaining and agreeing to very specific requirements for removal of items etc. will expedite that process and the return of your security deposit. You won’t have time to deal with it during the move, so clarity up front will be a big help and will avoid unnecessary trips back to your old space. We had a significant number of built-ins in our old office space and, there was a misunderstanding as to which ones were ok to leave as is and which ones needed to be removed. Ultimately, our lack of clarity cost us a fair amount of back and forth and extreme inefficiency at the time of our move-out. This could have been avoided with better communication with the Property Manager.
Don’t Put Off Decisions on Those Few Last Items…They Will Come Back to Bite You
Designing a new office requires literally thousands of decisions. Many of these are delegated to architects, engineers and designers to guide you and narrow the field using their experience. Other decisions that remain, but don’t appear to be critical at the moment, tend to lag. Human nature takes hold and after making all the critical decisions there are others that tend to be put off. I experienced this with items like new side chairs for the offices and the display of photos throughout the space. When the decisions about these post move items were delayed, the project was held up. Now, what seemed like an insignificant decision at the time, resulted in delaying the finished look by months. By the time we decided where to put our artwork/project photography around the space, we ended up having to redo our hallway lighting to accommodate and showcase the photos appropriately. This was costly and could have been avoided with earlier planning. Resist the temptation to put off any decision, down to the very last item, so the entire project stays in sequence.
Examples of What Went Well
I was very proud of the project overall with a few notable areas where we avoided potential pitfalls with proper and thorough planning. We did a comprehensive analysis of the heating and air conditioning in advance of negotiating the lease. As a result, we were able to negotiate a complete replacement and redesign of the HVAC and now the space is comfortable and well-controlled.
Also, while it isn’t very sexy, we identified water infiltration issues during the demolition phase of the project. By discovering this early and working with the landlord in advance, we were able to resolve the problems permanently and avoid future disruptions and costs.
Conclusion
Relocating an office is a huge undertaking filled with opportunities to either plan wisely or learn some hard lessons. Hopefully our insights, both positive and negative, prove useful to others embarking on an office move. With thorough preparation, clear communication, and swift decision-making, the process can be far smoother and more rewarding than you might expect. Here’s to your company’s next chapter in a great new space!