Given the way we in the federal government do historic restoration, I
     have learned that conservators HATE being the general for a project.
     All they seem to want to do is whatever their specialty is. In that
     case, the general must have enough interest to understand how the
     conservator needs to work. He has to forget whatever way he is used to
     scheduling a project, because the conservator will not be rushed. A
     conservator is not the usual subcontractor. He or she will insist on
     doing the job exactly as their training and experience has taught
     them. And I have learned that to get what the government is paying
     for, I must learn how the conservator works and back them. It helps
     that I am an information junkie and have done a lot of research before
     the design for the project even started.

     So, to train a general to work with conservators requires that, first,
     they like historic buildings. If they don't, they will not have enough
     patience to deal with the"speed" at which conservators work. If they
     like historic buildings, they will enjoy the learning process because
     each conservation project is different from the last. He would need
     some hands-on art training, especially in stone, metal, glass, and
     painting. He would need a course in materials. This course would deal
     with conservation materials, not your usual construction materials. He
     would need a course in Art and Architecture history. When he can do
     some of this work, even at an amateur level, he will have some feel
     for the ease or difficulty of a conservation project and be able to
     estimate it closer to real world costs and time.

     Another part of the equation is the search for a general who can
     handle a conservation project. Whoever, owner or architect, needs to
     research names of contractors who do this kind of work. They need to
     develop source selection criteria that will help them evaluate
     offerings and bids. The owner needs to keep rejection of conservator
     rights in the contract.  They need to know which conservator the
     general will be using as his sub. If the conservator is one which does
     not do that particular type of conservation well, that sub should be
     rejected. And this all costs money. It does not come cheap.

     I think I've reached my Dwell Time 5 Minutes.

     "Public media should not contain explicit or implied descriptions of
     sex acts. Our society should be purged of the perverts who provide the
     media with pornographic material while pretending it has some
     redeeming social value under the public's 'right to know'."
     (Kenneth Starr, 1987, "Sixty Minutes")



______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: How should General Contractors be "educated"?
Author:  "j.a. drew diaz" <[log in to unmask]> at internet
Date:    9/23/98 10:03 AM


Dan Becker wrote:

> >Subject: How should General Contractors be "educated"?
> >

At the circus With a gun & a whip-A stint w/ the jugglers to help them balance
A/R & A/P.
The high wire should be included as we spend so much time walking the EDGE-
This will be none w/out the net.
Trapeze practice will seem inequitable as the GC is expected to catch any and
all comers- while no one is willing to catch the GC.
Lion taming experience will provide skills appropriate to dealing w/ Union
Business Agents.
The midway will provide the GC w/  all important shill steering experience,
fixing of games and dealing w/ geeks [as will be most Subs].
Lost & Found [particularly lost children] will help the potential GC in
dealing with clients.
Roustabout experience will acquaint the potential GC w/ immediately mobilizing
sundry parties, to make up for the large chunks of time lost to the design
phase.
Cleaning up after the parade will give the potential GC an idea of what he
will be left with at the end of the day.

DD


> >