City Scoop: Providence

Before COVID-19 outbreak, value of new contracts had been expected to fall 5%

Declines had been forecast for nonresidential and non-building sectors; gains were expected for residential.

City Grill

Steve Callahan
Vice President, Business Development
Callahan Construction Managers

The biggest impacts of COVID-19 on the Providence construction market, Callahan says, are on the jobsite and in the supply chain. He says the firm continues to “emphasize social distancing guidelines, PPE use and increased worker hygiene through the creation of additional handwashing stations.”

Supply chain product shortages and price escalation are “especially high in the lumber market,” Callahan says, adding that managing workflows with “varying delivery times is challenging. Fortunately, our project executives and managers have quickly adapted.”

The firm has not seen significant schedule slippage in Rhode Island, where the “reopening timeline has allowed for all Callahan construction to move ahead on schedule,” the executive says. “It’s difficult to estimate when supply chains and safety measures will shift, but we anticipate on-time deliveries and workflow as we move forward.” Callahan predits that laboratory and R&D work “will continue to grow throughout the Northeast, likely continuing expansion into markets such as Providence.”