The Pre-Job Conference: Cornerstone of a Successful Project

The Committee is often approached by contractors, Building Trades affiliates and owners alike, posing the question, "When must pre-job conferences be conducted?"

In 1996 the National Maintenance Agreements Policy Committee negotiated today's state of the art National Maintenance Agreement. It was decided by the Committee in 1996 to include a requirement for all contractors to conduct a pre-job conference, and the Committee inserted this requirement in Article I, Section 3 of the Agreement.

That paragraph states, "The Employer is required to conduct a pre-job conference, including craft work assignments, for each project performed under the National Maintenance Agreement. It is the responsibility of the Employer to notify the appropriate Building Trades Council having jurisdiction, as well as all International Unions with which it is party to a National Maintenance Agreement of the time and place of the pre-job conference. A pre-job conference outline can be obtained from the NMAPC office and/or any participating International Union. Failure to comply with this section is a violation of this Agreement."

The drafters of this language came to the conclusion, in the spirit of increased communications that is a foundation of the NMAPC program, that discussing projects in advance, particularly subjects such as work scope, work schedule, wage information, craft personnel requirements, safety, substance abuse policies and other jobsite conditions were an invaluable tool in getting projects utilizing the NMA off to a strong start. Certain owners that have developed strong relationships with the NMAPC have gone so far as to include the pre-job conference requirements in bid specifications that call for the use of the NMA.

The Committee also recognized that, in many cases, contractors may have a large number of projects at numerous locations varying in size and duration which may make it logistically difficult to conduct formal pre-job conferences for every project or additional scope of work that may be subsequently awarded to the contractor at these sites. While it is not the intent of the NMA to overburden contractors by requiring that they hold pre-job conferences for every portion of additional work that they may be awarded by the owner, it became apparent to the Committee that guidelines needed to be provided to the parties in order to develop better lines of communication as to the various scopes of work which were being performed, both upon the initiation of work at a particular, as well as for additional work activities that may be subsequently undertaken by a contractor on the same site.

The Committee determined, in brief, that contractors should conduct initial pre-job conferences on all projects, with the exception of emergency situations, and periodically thereafter for subsequent work awarded by the owner on a continuous basis. The contractor must also provide the local Building Trades Council with a jobsite contact.

The NMAPC also supplies contractors with a suggested agenda to use when conducting successful pre-job conferences. It is just another step in building a partnership of Safety, Productivity, Quality and Strength under the NMAPC program.

If you have other questions regarding the NMA's, contact the NMAPC office.

July 08, 2008