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In construction management, fees are justified only when risk is assumed. Without risk, there is no rationale for fee beyond …
Thomas Kellogg
President
When we hear the word “default,” we often think of dramatic events like bankruptcies or terminations. However, the reality is …
Thomas Kellogg
President
Construction management is the product of thousands and thousands of intertwining processes and the efforts of hundreds (if not thousands) …
Thomas Kellogg
President
1. Outdated Financials:Data from nine months ago doesn’t reflect today’s risk. Businesses change fast. 2. Oversimplified Ratios:Working capital is great—until it’s inflated by a big AR that won’t ever collect. …
Thomas Kellogg
Your gut’s not useless—but it’s not a strategy either. Construction leaders with decades of experience bring valuable intuition to the table. The problem? When instinct overrides data, risk decisions go …
Thomas Kellogg
1. Trusting Familiar Faces: Longtime partners feel safe—until they default mid-project. Loyalty ≠ reliability.2. Ignoring the Data: Instinct says “they’ve always pulled through.” The numbers say: maybe not this time.3. …
Thomas Kellogg
1. Garbage In, Garbage Out: If the inputs are bad, the platform can’t fix them—no matter how slick the interface is.2. No Human Context: Data without expert interpretation misses nuance—and …
Thomas Kellogg
Subcontractor risk scores can help streamline decisions—but only if they’re built on solid foundations. Unfortunately, we see the same scoring mistakes made again and again. If you're relying on these …
Thomas Kellogg
Subcontractor risk scoring mistakes can distort accuracy and lead to costly decisions. From outdated data to over-weighted metrics, we break down the five most common errors and how to avoid …
Thomas Kellogg
When prequal doesn’t work, most teams point fingers at the Subcontractors. But more often than not, it’s the system itself that’s broken. Here are three common pitfalls that undermine even …
Thomas Kellogg
1. Checkbox Culture:If your SOPs can’t deliver useful results every time, they’re just busywork. Bad forms, incomplete data, and stale templates create a false sense of confidence. 2. One-Size-Fits-None:Evaluating every …
Thomas Kellogg
Construction moves faster today than ever before. Gone are the days when drawing sketches could be taped next to the corresponding sheet in the job trailer—by the time tape is …
Thomas Kellogg
Risk management often gets a bad reputation—seen as the group that slows things down or says “no” when urgency is high. Project teams may feel stifled, while risk professionals are …
Thomas Kellogg
Captive insurance solutions offer forward-thinking businesses the opportunity to take greater control over their risk management and insurance costs. Rather than relying entirely on traditional insurers, companies can form or …
Thomas Kellogg
Default risk is often treated as a one-time consideration—typically assessed at the start of a project during the procurement phase. This process, commonly referred to as prequalification, provides an initial …
Thomas Kellogg
A well-structured prequalification process can be the key to securing the right project partners and avoiding the risks of costly Subcontractor delays. For Construction Managers and General Contractors (CM/GCs), prequalification …
Thomas Kellogg
In the pursuit of cost savings, Construction Managers and General Contractors (CM/GCs) are often tempted by the allure of bulk procurement—awarding large volumes of work to a single Subcontractor in …
Thomas Kellogg
In construction management, fees are justified only when risk is assumed. Without risk, there is no rationale for fee beyond compensation for time and resources. This principle is particularly evident …
Thomas Kellogg
Running a successful business isn’t just about delivering great work—it’s about ensuring your company can withstand challenges, adapt, and grow sustainably. While business owners often have a strong grasp of …
Thomas Kellogg
On the surface, construction managers and general contractors (CM/GCs) can often seem quite similar as they provide similar services. While expertise varies, every CM/GC who performs a similar type of …
Thomas Kellogg
Conducting due diligence on Subcontractors takes time, effort, and resources, making it tempting to focus only on key trades. While some due diligence is certainly better than none, limiting assessments …
Thomas Kellogg
Information transfer between a Construction Manager (CM/GC) and an Owner is inherently complex. Given the fast-paced nature of the industry, data is constantly evolving, requiring careful timing and preparation before …
Thomas Kellogg
When we hear the word “default,” we often think of dramatic events like bankruptcies or terminations. However, the reality is that most Subcontract defaults are far less dramatic but no …
Thomas Kellogg
When we hear the word “default,” it often conjures images of bankruptcy, termination, disputes, and costly litigation. Catastrophic defaults requiring millions of dollars in payouts dominate our perception. Yet, default …
Thomas Kellogg
In the competitive world of construction, the smallest details can be the difference between winning and losing a bid. Prequalification processes are not just administrative hurdles—they are opportunities to showcase …
Thomas Kellogg
In the construction industry, we have traditionally embraced a “one-and-done” mindset when it comes to Subcontractor due diligence, making “prequalification” a buzzword. While this approach may provide a convenient starting …
Thomas Kellogg
Achieving a best-in-class Subcontract due diligence (or “prequal”) process is no easy feat. Many organizations settle for systems riddled with procedural weaknesses, leading to incomplete conclusions that do not help …
Thomas Kellogg
Subcontractor default risk is a critical concern that extends far beyond Construction Managers or the triggering of Subcontractor Default Insurance (SDI) claims. Defaults—especially micro defaults, or those that do not …
Thomas Kellogg
Default risk generates real costs. Paying a premium for quality and reliability might feel expensive but rectifying a default can be even more costly on the back end. A smart …
Thomas Kellogg
Many organizations assess default-related risks using labels like high, medium, or low. We see red and become concerned, while green gives us comfort. However, these terms—and their associated colors—are relative, …
Thomas Kellogg
Subcontractors are at the mercy of their customers’ prequalification processes. Many of these processes, especially for larger CM/GCs and General Contractors (CM/GCs), are rigid and rigorous. They create a considerable …
Thomas Kellogg
Creating solid business processes is critical as a company grows. The more people involved in any process, the more opportunity for error and reduced uniformity – establishing guardrails to protect …
Thomas Kellogg
In a CM-at-risk or Lump Sum contract, the Construction Manager or General Contractor (CM/GC) has privity with the Subcontractors and is fully responsible for delivering an on-time project. The CM/GC …
Thomas Kellogg
In brief, you have. You have likely had many defaults that have cost real money. The truth is, although catastrophic defaults are not an everyday occurrence, “micro defaults,” those defaults …
Thomas Kellogg
Construction management is the product of thousands and thousands of intertwining processes and the efforts of hundreds (if not thousands) of people carrying them out. While most of these processes …
Thomas Kellogg
Tom Kellogg was a guest on Proactive's Building BITE podcast. Tom and hosts Michael Diercksen and Christopher Epps talk about all things default risk, with a food recommendation at the …
Thomas Kellogg
Maple Insight's article on the current landscape of Subcontract Default Risk was featured in Arthur J Gallagher's 2024 SDI Newsletter:Over the last five years, the construction industry has felt the …
Thomas Kellogg
Maple Insight was a featured guest on the Inside Insight Podcast. We talk everything default, how we can protect our projects, and the science behind it all.Check it out on …
Thomas Kellogg
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