Our Process & Safety Standards
Five owner-accountable steps. Zero lost-time injuries. Every project, every time.
OSHA 30 Certified Project Managers · Experience Modification Rate: 0.08 · Zero Lost-Time Injuries on Record · Site-Specific Safety Orientation — Every Project
How We Build
Commercial construction fails owners for predictable reasons: poor planning, underbid contingencies, reactive scheduling, and GCs who stop communicating when problems emerge.
S&L Construction operates differently. Our integrated five-step process is designed to get ahead of problems — not react to them. Each step is structured to protect the owner’s budget, schedule, and decision-making authority.
This is how we’ve delivered projects 7 and 8 months ahead of schedule for federal agencies and Fortune 100 financial institutions.
Step 1 — Planning & Contingency
Build the right plan before you build anything else.
Every S&L project starts with a structured preconstruction planning phase before a shovel turns or a subcontractor is engaged. This is where scope gets defined, contingencies get budgeted, and the phasing strategy gets stress-tested against the client’s occupancy and operational requirements.
- Scope development — translate program requirements into a detailed construction scope of work
- Budget development — preliminary estimates with real contingency assumptions, not optimistic best-case numbers
- Phasing strategy — map construction phases against client operational needs, particularly in occupied facilities
- Permit and regulatory review — identify jurisdiction requirements and lead times early
- Subcontractor market review — assess trade availability and lead times before committing to a schedule
- Risk identification — document known unknowns and establish response protocols upfront
Step 2 — Value Engineering
Find savings without sacrificing performance.
Value engineering at S&L is not about cutting scope to win a bid. It’s about identifying where specified systems, materials, or methods can be substituted with alternatives that perform equally or better — at lower cost to the owner.
- System-level review — evaluate structural, MEP, and envelope systems for cost-equivalent alternatives
- Material substitution analysis — identify equal-performance alternatives at lower cost or shorter lead time
- Procurement timing review — avoid cost escalation through early purchasing
- Phasing optimization — reduce temporary work, re-work, or idle time through smart sequencing
Proof point: On the Center Point Garage Addition, S&L value-engineered a fireproofing scope from a $3 million specification to a $300,000 solution — delivering the same fire-rated performance at 10% of the original cost.
Step 3 — Scheduling & Execution
Build to the schedule. Protect it every week.
Schedule is where most commercial construction projects lose owner confidence. S&L’s scheduling approach is proactive — our project managers build schedules with realistic durations and actively manage against them, adjusting before delays compound.
- Master schedule — CPM-based, tied to milestone payment schedule and permit approvals
- 3-week lookahead — rolling schedule updated weekly, reviewed with foremen and subs
- Subcontractor accountability — weekly progress meetings with documented commitments and recovery plans
- Owner reporting — written schedule status at every milestone, not just on request
- Change order management — every potential change evaluated for schedule impact before approval
The results: projects completed 4, 7, and 8 months ahead of schedule for federal agencies and Fortune 100 financial institutions.
Step 4 — Owner Documentation
The paper trail is part of the deliverable.
S&L Construction treats documentation as a project deliverable, not an afterthought. We use Sage 100 Contractor to manage project financials and job cost accounting in real time — giving owners visibility into costs as they occur, not at the end of the month.
- Job cost reporting — real-time cost tracking in Sage 100 Contractor
- RFI log — all requests for information documented and tracked to resolution
- Submittal log — all submittals tracked with design team review status
- Change order register — every change documented with cost breakdown before execution
- Inspection records — all required inspections scheduled, documented, and filed
- Closeout package — as-builts, O&M manuals, warranties, lien releases, CO compiled at turnover
Step 5 — Final Walks & Closeout
Finish the right way. No loose ends.
Closeout is where some contractors go quiet. S&L treats closeout with the same operational discipline as the rest of the project — because a project isn’t done until the owner says it’s done.
- Pre-final walk — internal inspection before the owner walk to resolve issues proactively
- Owner punch list walk — joint walk with full documentation of all remaining items
- Punch list completion tracking — all items assigned, tracked, and signed off in writing
- Subcontractor lien releases — all conditional and final lien waivers collected before final payment
- Warranty documentation — all manufacturer and subcontractor warranties compiled and delivered
- As-built drawings — marked-up construction documents reflecting actual field conditions
- Certificate of Occupancy — confirmed obtained and filed prior to owner move-in
- Final accounting — complete job cost closeout with final reconciliation delivered to owner
Safety Is an Operational Standard, Not a Campaign
S&L Construction’s safety performance isn’t a program we run — it’s the result of how we hire, train, and operate on every project site.
OSHA 30 Trained Project Managers. Every S&L project manager holds OSHA 30 certification — covering construction hazard recognition, fall protection, electrical safety, scaffolding, PPE, and jobsite safety program management.
Site-Specific Safety Orientation. Before any worker steps onto an S&L project, they complete a site-specific orientation covering the hazards, access protocols, emergency procedures, and behavioral expectations specific to that project.
Experience Modification Rate: 0.08. The industry average EMR is 1.0. S&L’s EMR of 0.08 places us among the safest commercial contractors in the country — directly impacting owner insurance costs and GC qualification requirements.
Zero Lost-Time Injuries on Record. No S&L employee has been lost from the job due to a work-related injury — across the full range of our commercial project history, including complex structural additions, occupied multi-phase TIs, and federal facility projects.
Ready to work with a contractor
who takes your project as seriously as you do?
Commercial only. Owner-accountable. Let’s talk.