Construction was recently completed for LEPCO’s new warehouse and office in Marietta, Pa. High Construction served as construction manager for the project.

Your construction project is well under way. One day, while visiting the site, you have a question about material you see being delivered. Who’s the right person to ask? The project superintendent is on site, but the project manager oversees purchases for the project. You deal regularly with both of them and know they have different roles. Who should you ask?

Mark Hessinger, vice president of Lawn Equipment Parts Company (LEPCO), wouldn’t hesitate. As the main contact for his company’s new warehouse and office building project, Hessinger gained a great deal of respect for his project manager and project superintendent. Although this is the first time he has been involved in a commercial construction project, he learned quickly who performs which specific duties in these two rubber-meets-the-road positions.

“Sheila Snyder, my project manager, stays in daily contact with me,” says Hessinger. “She updates me on everything happening from an overall perspective.” Hessinger says he always knows the schedules, the full background on any issues needing his decisions, and “the all-important information on how actual costs line up with the forecast.”

The project manager is responsible for ongoing contact with the project superintendent, with management at the subcontractor companies, and with the client. She tracks project schedules and financials, reviews and approves shop drawings, submits any change orders, and finalizes invoices. She has full authority to make decisions for matters related to cost, schedule, and execution of the work.

The project superintendent, who works at the building location every day, is responsible for daily planning and execution of all fieldwork. He or she schedules and directs subcontractors and tradespeople on the jobsite, maintains any required on-site records, follows project schedules, monitors work for compliance with the contract drawings and specifications, ensures quality workmanship, and keeps the job site orderly and safe.

The LEPCO project’s superintendent, Kent Williams, has also earned Hessinger’s respect. Although contact with Williams is not as frequent as contact with Snyder, “Kent knows exactly what is going on all the time,” Hessinger says. “His command of logistics and schedules, his good relationships with the subs on site, and his efficiency are all terrific! I have his cell phone number and know he’s available to me 24/7.”

Although Hessinger admits that a construction site is new to him, “it obviously is Kent’s expertise. Dealing with both of them [Williams and Snyder] gives me a tremendously high comfort level.”

“The project manager and project superintendent should be a knowledgeable, close team,” says Bob Walsh, vice president of project management for High Construction. “They must be seasoned professionals who don’t need much oversight, but know when to contact other resources and can work well with everyone from owners, to vendors, to subcontractors.”

“Owners need to remember the division of duties,” adds Walsh. “For example, don’t expect a project superintendent to answer your invoice questions, and don’t call the project manager if the carpet looks different than you expected or to ask whether the paving is still on schedule with rain in the forecast.”

Walsh keeps tabs on individual teams of project managers and project superintendents by visiting job sites and attending meetings. “You need a great team to keep things progressing well for a project.”

Hessinger is confident that’s what he has in Snyder and Williams. “They gave me a good understanding of their individual duties from the start,” he said. “They’ve been so consistent, professional, and aboveboard that I know how to address any issue and get a straight answer.”