The Critical Role of Preconstruction Services in Hospital Projects
Best Practice Provided By: Barr & Barr Inc. Hospital projects are among the most technically complex and operationally sensitive facilities constructed today. Unlike many commercial projects, success cannot be measured solely by cost, schedule, and quality. Hospitals must support patient care, clinical workflows, life safety requirements, infection prevention measures, and rapidly evolving medical technology. For these reasons, preconstruction is not simply an early phase of the project; it is the
Before the Work Begins: The Importance of Pre-Shift Safety Meetings
Best Preactice Provided by: Jimmy Layman, ASP - Pointman Safety Consulting Every day on a construction site brings a new set of challenges. Work areas change, other trades move in and out, equipment is relocated, weather conditions shift, and the scope of work progresses. Yet too often, workers are sent into the field without having a meaningful conversation about what they are doing that day and the hazards they may encounter. It is easy to become complacent, especially when performing the same type of
Overhead in Construction: Best Practices
Best Practice Provided by: Shmulie Munitz - Munitz & Co.Ask ten AGC of Massachusetts contractor members what percentage they add to a bid for overhead, and you’ll get ten different answers. One goes with 10% because “that is what we have always done,” while another responds “15% is the industry standard.” A majority of them haven’t changed that number since their very first bid. In construction, a huge percentage of your top-line revenue never even belongs to you. In 2026, Siana reported that U.S.
Message from the Editor - Building Best Practices 2026 - Fall
By Tom Dunn, Esq. Pierce Atwood LLP Welcome to this edition of Building Best Practices. We have three articles that I think will resonate with anyone managing the business side of a construction company. I am pleased to contribute 5 Steps to Prompt Pay, which walks through practical compliance measures for the Massachusetts Prompt Pay Act in light of the Supreme Judicial Court's 2024 decision in Graycor and the 2026 decision in Cannistraro. Prompt pay statutes are driving daily decisions on construction
5 Steps to Consider Now to Comply with Massachusetts’ Prompt Pay Act
By Tom Dunn, Pierce Atwood LLP About the Author: Tom Dunn is a construction lawyer with over 20 years’ experience helping contractors prove-up, confront, mitigate, and resolve construction project payment, change order, and related claims and disputes in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He leads the Construction Practice Group at Pierce Atwood LLP, a law firm with offices in Boston, Providence, Portsmouth, and Portland. As a long-standing member of the AGC of Massachusetts, he serves as Chair of the AGC
AGC MA Members Continue Strong Safety Performance
The 2025 National AGC Safety Awards results demonstrate the continued commitment of AGC MA members to building safer jobsites. Participating Massachusetts companies reported more than 14.6 million work hours with an aggregate lost-workday incidence rate of just 0.21. Eighteen participating companies earned Certificates of Commendation for achieving either a zero incidence rate or an incidence rate at least 25 percent below their division average. The Massachusetts results compare favorably with the
AGC MA’s 6th Annual Building Advancement Externship Connects Educators with the Future of Constructi
AGC MA welcomed 14 educators and workforce professionals from across Massachusetts for the sixth annual Building Advancement Externship (BAE), held August 3–7, 2026. The week-long professional development program gave participants an inside look at today’s commercial construction industry and the wide range of career pathways available to their students. Throughout the week, participants stepped outside the classroom and into active jobsites, contractor offices, apprenticeship training centers, and higher
Remembering Francis “Bud” Madigan
A Message from AGC MA CEO John FerranteOn behalf of the Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts, I extend my deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Francis “Bud” Madigan and everyone at F.W. Madigan Company, Inc. on his passing. Bud was a true leader whose impact on our industry extended far beyond the projects he helped build. He was instrumental in helping make F.W. Madigan Company one of the earliest members of both AGC of Massachusetts and AGC of America, beginning a
Save on AGC MA Training with the Massachusetts Express Grant Program
AGC MA is an approved training provider under the Massachusetts Express Grant Program. Our members have access to state-funded support for select professional development offerings. Eligible AGC MA courses are now listed in the Express Grant Training Directory, allowing firms to apply grant funds directly toward participation. Grant funds are limited to $15,000 per company per calendar year, $300 per instructional hour, and $3,000 per employee per course. Businesses are responsible for covering additional
Future Builders Mentorship Program 2026
From March through May, students participated in weekly sessions featuring hands-on design and build activities, guest speakers, and construction site field trips. The program was hosted in partnership with Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School, Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, Worcester Technical High School, and offered virtually. Led by practicing industry professionals, the program helped students develop technical knowledge, problem-solving abilities, and a deeper
2026 AGC MA Membership Meeting
AGC MA Holds 2026 Annual Membership Meeting & Announces New Leadership AGC MA held its 2026 Annual Membership Meeting virtually on May 21, welcoming members from across the industry for an afternoon focused on leadership, association updates, and recognition of outstanding service to the construction community. The meeting featured updates from AGC MA Committee Chairs, highlighting the important work taking place across the Association and the many initiatives supporting the future of the commercial
Membership Update - AGC MA Office
Dear AGC MA Members, We wanted to share an important update regarding AGC MA’s office space at 888 Worcester Road in Wellesley. The Association has entered into a purchase and sale agreement for our office space dependent on approval of a redevelopment project. As a result, we are currently exploring potential opportunities for a future office location. The Board of Directors was actively involved in the negotiation of and decision to enter into the purchase and sale agreement. They will remain
Massachusetts Express Grant Program
Massachusetts Express Grant Program AGC MA is an approved training provider under the Massachusetts Express Grant Program. Our members have access to state-funded support for select professional development offerings. Eligible AGC MA courses are now listed in the Express Grant Training Directory, allowing firms to apply grant funds directly toward participation. Grant funds are limited to $15,000 per company per calendar year, $300 per instructional hour, and $3,000 per employee per course.
AGC MA Announces New Safety Partnership with Pointman Safety
AGC MA is proud to announce its first partnership with an external safety consulting firm, Pointman Safety Consulting, expanding the safety resources available to our members. Pointman Safety is a nationally recognized safety consulting firm serving the construction, manufacturing, and transportation sectors, with offices in Boston, MA and Branford, CT and clients across the United States and internationally. Their team integrates experienced safety professionals directly into client operations, offering
When Your Project is Put on Trial: What to Expect for the Contractor
By: R. Thomas Dunn, Esq. and Matthew R. O’Connor, Esq. As contractors, you may never imagine you could end up someday testifying under oath about the tenth email you sent on a random Tuesday years ago talking about an RFI, soil compaction, or who said what in a meeting with the project owner. Yet, that’s the reality of what happens when a dispute exits the worksite and enters a courtroom. Recently, the authors tried a multi-day arbitration involving millions in claims. There were twenty witnesses ranging
From the Field to the Front Office: Mentorship That Builds Confidence
From the Field to the Front Office: Mentorship That Builds Confidence In an industry where representation and inclusion are still evolving, the BuildHer Mentorship Program, launched by Building Women in Construction (BWiC), is more than a professional development initiative-- it’s a movement. BuildHer is redefining leadership by empowering women in commercial construction through meaningful communication, shared learning, and connection across generations.Building Confidence and Culture At its core,
Building Belonging: Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Through Member Collaboration
By: Samilys Rodriguez, Director of Career Development & Industry Inclusion, AGC MA In the spring and summer of 2025, AGC MA partnered with Dr. Yaro Fong-Olivares, Ph.D., of Bentley University’s Gloria Cordes Center for Women in Business, to lead a dynamic series of dialogues exploring how recent political and social developments impact diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across the construction industry. These sessions brought together a broad coalition of AGC MA members—contractors, owners, and
The new cyber threat landscape for construction firms
By Emily Selck - The Baldwin Group (Sr. Director, National Cyber Practice Leader) & Nick Coveney (Director, Baldwin Construction Practice) The rapid expansion of AI, the growth of megawatt-scale data centers, and the spread of connected technology across daily life have reshaped the cyber landscape. Cybercrime is now more prevalent, more sophisticated, and more disruptive, with attackers quickly adapting to bypass once-reliable safeguards. Combined with increasingly complex regulations, today’s
Safety Committee’s Implementation from the SAFE-T Survey
In the construction industry, safety is often measured in numbers such as incident rates, lost time, and reported near misses. However, a true safety culture runs much deeper than metrics. It should live in everyday conversations, behaviors, and decisions. This is how a true culture of safety is built. At Barr & Barr, our Safety Committee includes every level of the company—from C-suite members to field staff and everyone in between. This ensures our safety program is more than compliance-driven; it
Building Smarter: Construction & Demolition Waste Management in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, the construction industry has made steady progress in diverting materials from landfills, but there is still a long way to go. Every project — regardless of scope, size and program — generates waste that has both environmental and financial impacts. Effective construction & demolition (C&D) waste management is not only a regulatory requirement but also a way to reduce project costs, improve efficiency, and demonstrate environmental leadership in the industry. This article intends to
BAE Continues to Bridge the Gap Between Education & Construction
AGC MA Celebrates Recent Graduates of the 2025 Building Advancement Externship AGC MA is proud to recognize the recent graduates of the 2025 Building Advancement Externship (BAE). This year’s program brought together educators from across Massachusetts for a week-long immersion in the construction industry, providing valuable insight into career pathways, workforce development, and the future of building. The 2025 Building Advancement Externship recently concluded, giving educators a week of first-hand
New AGC MA Logo
AGC MA Logo Files and Brand Guide AGC MA - PNG | AGC MA - JPG | AGC MA Brand Guide
