{"id":11559,"date":"2021-11-18T07:03:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T13:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/?p=11559"},"modified":"2025-02-14T16:05:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T22:05:00","slug":"small-projects-big-risks-6-challenges-for-small-and-midsize-contractors-in-the-covid-19-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/small-projects-big-risks-6-challenges-for-small-and-midsize-contractors-in-the-covid-19-era\/","title":{"rendered":"Small projects, big risks: 6 challenges for small and midsize contractors in the COVID-19 era"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Michael Sheelen, bond manager of Small-Mid Contract, New York, Liberty Mutual Surety, Midsize Contractors<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Small projects, big risks: 6 challenges for small and midsize contractors in the COVID-19 era<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Contractors may assume that smaller projects equate to smaller problems \u2014 but that\u2019s not always the case. Construction jobs of all sizes share many of the same logistical and legal risks \u2014 and those risks have become even more complex in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Supply chain issues, labor shortages, and payment delays now define the construction landscape \u2014 and many small and midsize contractors don\u2019t have the financial cushion to stay afloat if something goes awry. A series of tough jobs could lead to significant losses for contractors who are unprepared. Here are six risk areas that construction companies should address to position themselves for success in the current COVID-19 era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Distribution issues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As contractors are aware, the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily shut down manufacturers and suppliers across the nation, leading to unprecedented distribution challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>As of July 2021, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/yieldpro.com\/2021\/07\/construction-materials-prices-rises-spread\/#:~:text=The%20Bureau%20of%20Labor%20Statistics,than%20its%20year%2Dearlier%20level.\">cost of construction materials is up 20 percent<\/a>, with a 3.2 percent increase just in the last month. For some common materials, like softwood lumber, prices have increased by more than 125 percent in the last year.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/business.libertymutual.com\/insights\/small-projects-big-risks-6-challenges-for-small-and-midsize-contractors-in-the-covid-19-era\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/business.libertymutual.com\/insights\/small-projects-big-risks-6-challenges-for-small-and-midsize-contractors-in-the-covid-19-era\/\">Click here for the rest of the story&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More great articles <\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__list wp-block-latest-posts\"><li><a class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/how-life-insurance-can-support-long-term-care-planning-without-replacing-it\/\">How Life Insurance Can Support Long-Term Care Planning Without Replacing It<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/what-happens-if-your-vehicle-is-totaled-understanding-the-auto-insurance-claims-process\/\">What Happens If Your Vehicle Is Totaled, Understanding the Auto Insurance Claims Process<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/why-now-is-a-smart-time-for-michigan-businesses-to-review-liability-coverage-before-spring-foot-traffic-increases\/\">Why Now Is a Smart Time for Michigan Businesses to Review Liability Coverage Before Spring Foot Traffic Increases<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/snowstorms-and-roof-damage-is-your-michigan-home-covered\/\">Snowstorms and Roof Damage: Is Your Michigan Home Covered?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"wp-block-latest-posts__post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/do-you-need-recreational-insurance-for-your-snowmobile-in-michigan\/\">Do You Need Recreational Insurance for Your Snowmobile in Michigan?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Midsize Contractors may assume that smaller projects to smaller problems \u2014 but that\u2019s not always the case.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14962,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,148,2],"tags":[15,31,1873,1877,77,1876,1875,71,1874,62],"class_list":["post-11559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-blog","category-health-ins-blog","category-shield-blog","tag-business","tag-commercial-insurance","tag-contractors-in-the-covid-19-era","tag-distribution","tag-insurance","tag-labor-shortages","tag-legal-pitfalls","tag-michigan","tag-payment-delayd","tag-shield-insurance-agency"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11559"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11691,"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11559\/revisions\/11691"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shieldagency.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}