NJPEA - News and Updates

Register Now! Fundamentals of Estimating Seminar @ NJIT

noreply@blogger.com (NJ Professional Estimators Association) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:45:00 +0000

FUNDAMENTALS OF ESTIMATING SEMINAR

LOCATION: New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)
WHERE: Newark, New Jersey
BUILDING: G.I.T.C.
ROOM #: 3730
TIME: 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM Saturday, February 13, 2010

Space is limited but there are still a few seats available. Contact NJPEA at info@njpea.org to register for the class today.

Download, view and share the pdf of the class schedule below:

Presenting the Construction Estimating Process at NJ Transit building seminar in NY Feb 25

noreply@blogger.com (NJ Professional Estimators Association) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:28:00 +0000

NJ TRANSIT (NJT) is hosting a series of Capacity Building Seminars designed to enhance each participating DBEs capacity as a potential bidder for opportunities on THE Tunnel Project; – an $8.7 billion dollar project that will provide commuters with an alternate means of travel between New Jersey and New York by 2017.

This seminar will be held on Thursday, February 25, 2010 from 8:30AM to 1:00PM at the Center for Learning and Achievement, One Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Joseph Majewski, president of JPM Construction Consultants, Inc., will be a panelist presenting on the “Construction Estimating Process.”

Download, view and share the invitation to participate in this FREE NJ Transit building seminar in the pdf document below.

The Essex County Economic Development Corporation and NJPEA Bonding Program Photos

noreply@blogger.com (NJ Professional Estimators Association) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:49:00 +0000

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from New Jersey Professional Estimators Association

NJPEA to lead 1 of 7 workshops comprising the Essex County Bonding Readiness Program hosted by Essex County and the Surety & Fidelity Assoc. of America.

noreply@blogger.com (NJ Professional Estimators Association) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:44:00 +0000

NJPEA to lead one of the 7 workshops that comprise the Essex County
Bonding Readiness Program hosted by Essex County and the Surety &
Fidelity Association of America.

This one-of-a-kind program consists of an eight-week comprehensive
course of study geared toward small, women, and minority owned
businesses gain the necessary bonding credentials to apply for
government contract. There is no cost to the participants. The Surety
& Fidelity Association is partnering with the County of Essex to
ensure the success of our program. This project is funded by a grant
from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

A press conference announcing the program is scheduled for November 5,
2009 at 12pm. Updates to follow.

Posted via email from njpea's posterous

POP QUIZ! A bid package is sent by the Project Manager to the Procurement Officer for a 45 minute fire rated 3m x 3m Roll-up door...

noreply@blogger.com (NJ Professional Estimators Association) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:58:00 +0000

A bid package is sent by the Project Manager to the Procurement Officer for a 45 minute fire rated 3m x 3m Roll-up door with BOQ, drawings and technical specifications. The Vendor quotes the same size door with 3 hour fire rating. This performance exceeds the specifications. The price is within the allowable budget. The Design Manager gets the product approved by the Engineer. The purchase order is to be written for the Vendor.

The question is, should the PO be written as per the BOQ or per the quotation?

Question by Iftifhar Madni, CCE

This post will be updated with the answer next week, please feel free to submit your answer on http://njpea.blogspot.com in the comments of this post.

Posted via email from njpea's posterous

What do our students say? Read this testimonial.

noreply@blogger.com (NJ Professional Estimators Association) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:59:00 +0000

"Determined to help contractors to succeed with a genuine love for going the extra mile and for the work they believe in. With boxes filled with books and white binders, two men entered my life and changed me forever. Their wisdom and knowledge let me know that I was being taught by the best. That was the day Mr. Alex Mackenzie and Mr. Joseph P. Majewski walked into my life. No question was dumb. Every answered question proved that not only were they qualified, but that they have hands-on experience. Day after day they were there early with the lesson ready to go. I recorded every lesson.

Mr. Alex Mackenzie and Mr. Joseph P. Majewski are more than teachers to me. They are like my fathers in the construction business. They make themselves available even months after the class has ended, always giving me the right direction in the field. I don't just recommend taking the estimating course but building a lasting relationship with good men. I will close with this - I love you and thank you for all your continuous help."

Anthony Miller, owner
All-N-1 Contractors LLC

Posted via email from njpea's posterous

Follow NJPEA on Twitter!

noreply@blogger.com (NJ Professional Estimators Association) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:32:00 +0000

http://twitter.com/NJPEA Stay up to date, follow the NJPEA on Twitter. We will follow construction industry and NJ based organizations. The NJPEA is breaking into social networking in a big way!

Want to be a Construction Professional? Do you work in Construction but want or need to learn more?

noreply@blogger.com (NJ Professional Estimators Association) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:23:00 +0000

A recent print ad for the New Jersey Professional Estimators Association.

Preparing women, minorities, veterans for construction jobs

noreply@blogger.com (NJ Professional Estimators Association) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:44:00 +0000

Broadsheet Daily article featuring Peter J. Ruffini - NJPEA Instructor
Preparing women, minorities, veterans for construction jobs

LMCCC spearheads program at Borough of Manhattan Community College original article from The Broadsheet DAILY

Photo Description: Peter J. Ruffini, chief estimator for Kreisler, Borg, Florman, a general construction company, teaching a class in construction cost estimating at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. (Photos: Terese Loeb Kreuzer)

When a building goes up, a cost estimator has to think about the materials, the labor and the design elements and prepare a budget. The topic on a recent evening at Peter Ruffini's cost estimator class at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) was "roofing, doors and finishes." His students pored over blueprints as Mr. Ruffini asked them to consider what the doors were made of and how big they were before coming up with a price.

Mr. Ruffini, chief estimator for Kreisler, Borg, Florman general construction company, has been in the business for more than 28 years. "A company could go broke if you miss things and the estimate is off," he told his class.

BMCC's construction cost estimator training program was developed at the instigation of the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center (LMCCC).

"An organization called the Building Trade Employers Association did a survey that revealed that a lot of construction workers were aging out," said Beverly Bobb, manager of Opportunity Downtown Programs for the LMCCC. "They found there would be a need for certain skill sets."

These included job schedulers, cost estimators, project managers and site superintendents. Using funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, LMCCC asked the Borough of Manhattan Community College to create and administer programs to prepare people for this work.

Job scheduling was the first program offered. In 2007-2008, around 85 people graduated from the course. This year, there are 19 people in the cost estimator class, with a second class scheduled for the fall.

Nine of the students in the current class are female. "Five years ago in any kind of construction-related program you would find nine men for every woman," said Patrick Dail, director of continuing education at BMCC. "The recruitment that Beverly has pioneered for the LMCCC/BMCC has specifically sought out female candidates from pre-apprenticeship programs and other organizations in the city as well as minority candidates from lower-income communities and non-profit groups." The program has also "reached out to veterans," in Ms. Bobb's words, through an organization called Helmets to Hardhats.

Salaries for job schedulers and junior cost estimators start at $55,000 a year. "We get two applicants for every seat we could offer to a qualified candidate," Mr. Dail observed.

Applicants for the class are required to have a minimum of five years of prior employment in a construction-related or engineering-related field plus either journeyman papers or a minimum of two years of college. Among the students in Mr. Ruffini's current class are a general contractor, a union carpenter, an architect and a structural engineer. Students range in age from their mid-20's to their mid-50's. Though most of them live in New York City, some commute from New Jersey or Connecticut to attend the program.

The cost of the 18-week course, which meets twice a week, is $1,495. Graduates get a continuing education certificate and help from BMCC in finding a job. The assistance includes resume preparation, interview coaching and internship placements.

"Other schools offer a similar class but without the job placement skills that BMCC provides," said Ms. Bobb.

Mr. Dail said the college has "some concerns about the slowdown in construction work due to the economy," but added, "we're crossing our fingers." The curriculum for the cost estimator course was developed with the help of an advisory board of senior cost estimators, so, said Mr. Dail, "we have a foot in the door to get people internships and find the jobs that are out there."

- Terese Loeb Kreuzer

NJPEA has a Facebook Page! Become a fan today!

noreply@blogger.com (NJ Professional Estimators Association) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:33:00 +0000

Visit our facebook page and "become a fan" by logging into facebook, visiting our page and clicking on the tiny fan flag on the top of the page right next to the page title.

We've also posted a photo album with pictures from the graduation event last year. The students in these photos completed the Fundamentals of Estimating course and received their CCE (Certified Construction Estimator) certification.

NJPEA Website Redesign

noreply@blogger.com (NJ Professional Estimators Association) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:27:00 +0000

The website for the New Jersey Professional Estimators Association is being redesigned to be better than before. We now feature a news feed of our blog on the home page of the site to instantly keep visitors updated with updates about the NJPEA. New information is being posted to the site including new instructor biographies and a complete list of classes and their descriptions offered through the NJPEA program. Further updates are being added, please check back often.