By Alex Tolle, The Coffee Shops®.

Explore education focused on everything from roof performance and evolving codes to building-envelope design and business management at this year's show.

Continuing education gives roofing professionals an opportunity to step away from daily demands and take a closer look at the systems, materials, requirements and economic forces shaping their work. At the Western Roofing Expo 2026, hosted by Western States Roofing Contractors Association, attendees can explore a broad seminar lineup designed to strengthen roofing knowledge, connect technical decisions to better-performing buildings and help them make better business deciscions. 

The program starts with the evolution of core roofing systems. Ken Klein will examine four decades of single-ply roofing, including changes in materials, attachment methods and detailing driven by jobsite experience. Trent Cotney and John Kenney will offer a wider industry perspective by tracing how roofing materials, craftsmanship, codes and technology have developed over time.

Fire resilience is another important focus. Marco Sieber and Maury Alpert will discuss roof coverings and underlayments that can help mitigate the effects of flame and embers in the wildland-urban interface. Building on that conversation, Jess Grandy will review developing ventilation regulations and fire-resistant vent options intended to help homeowners prepare their properties and meet applicable codes. 

Attendees can also deepen their understanding of moisture and climate-related performance. Phil Dregger will share findings from a three-year study involving water accumulation and wood decay below reflective roofing. Mindy Dahlquist will explore how snow retention, ventilation, roof geometry and material selection affect roof performance in cold and mixed climates across the western United States. 

Several sessions turn attention to design responsibilities and changing building requirements. Brian Chamberlain will clarify the differences between design expectations and manufacturers’ published warranty coverage. Matt Braun will examine emerging air-barrier requirements for reroofing and explain how air, moisture and thermal-control layers interact. Brian will also lead a session on roof-to-wall connections, addressing air leakage, wind resistance, product compatibility and trade coordination at one of the building envelope’s most important junctions.

In addition to the technically focused sessions, there are sessions that focus on business management. One such session will be taught by our President and CEO, Heidi J. Ellsworth! In the session, Roofing Trends That Matter, Heidi will share about the RoofersCoffeeShop 2025 Trends Report, which collected contractor survey data from more than 200 roofing professionals representing residential, commercial and mixed contractors of all sizes. Attendees of this presentation will "gain insight into how contractors are adapting through technology, digital marketing and operational changes" and get practical tips for using "marketing, technology and community involvement to build trust, increase visibility and strengthen long-term business stability."

Together, these seminars offer practical education for professionals working to improve installation, design, compliance and long-term roof performance. Select sessions also provide continuing education opportunities through the American Institute of Architects and the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants.

Learn more about the education available at the Western Roofing Expo 2026.

By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group. 

How roofing contractors should plan for slower growth, uneven demand and continued volatility.

If you are having trouble deciding what the economy is telling you right now, you are not alone. The signals do not agree. 

Total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 23,000 jobs in July, while construction added 22,000. The unemployment rate edged down to 4.1%, even as labor-force participation remained at 61.4%. The broader economy is still growing, but not rapidly. Real GDP increased at a 1.5% annual rate in the second quarter, down from 2.1% in the first quarter. 

National construction backlog still looks reasonably healthy, yet architecture billings remain weak. Some contractors are carrying significant amounts of work, while others are telling me their runway is getting noticeably shorter. Data centers and power-related construction continue to perform extremely well, while several traditional commercial and residential markets remain much softer. 

Depending on which number you look at, you can make a case that the economy is still growing, the labor market is weakening or construction is holding up better than other sectors. All three can be true at the same time. 

That is a difficult environment to plan around, but it does not make planning impossible. I do not believe the current data tells us a severe recession is inevitable. I also do not believe it gives roofing contractors much reason to assume everything will work itself out. 

The more prudent position is somewhere in between. For business planning, I would operate on the assumption of slower growth, increasingly uneven demand, continued cost volatility, and elevated policy risk, while maintaining sufficientliquidity and operating flexibility to handle a genuine downturn if several of these pressures converge. 

That may not be the most exciting forecast, but it may be the most useful one. 

The headline economy is not the contractor economy 

One of the biggest mistakes business owners can make is assuming national economic statistics describe what is happening inside their company. They do not. Roofing contractors do not operate at the national average. 

They operate within a specific geographic area, serve a particular customer base, operate in certain market sectors, and depend on specific general contractors, owners, manufacturers, and suppliers. That means two roofing companies located a hundred miles apart can experience completely different economies. 

One contractor may be heavily exposed to data centers, health care, power generation or public-sector work and have more opportunities than the company can reasonably pursue. Another may depend heavily on retail, traditional office, private development or residential construction and find projects moving slower, owners hesitating, and competition becoming much more aggressive. 

Both companies are operating in the same national economy. They are simply experiencing different versions of it. That distinction matters when preparing a business plan. 

The question should not simply be, “How is construction doing?” The better question is, “How are the markets we depend on doing?” 

Construction is splitting into different markets 

The current backlog numbers illustrate the problem. Associated Builders and Contractors reported national construction backlog at 8.8 months in June. On the surface, that appears healthy. Look deeper, and the story becomes more complicated. 

Contractors involved in data-center work reported a backlog of 11.0 months, compared with 8.5 months for contractors without data-center exposure. Earlier in the year, ABC also reported that backlog growth was concentrated among the largest contractors, while smaller revenue groups showed weaker year-over-year results. 

That tells me we do not have one construction market right now. We have several. Data centers remain extremely strong, power-related construction continues to attract significant investment, and certain infrastructure and institutional sectorsremain active. 

At the same time, parts of manufacturing, private commercial development, office construction, and residential activity remain under pressure. Strong markets are becoming even stronger, while weak markets are becoming even weaker. 

The national average sits somewhere between the two and may accurately describe neither. That is why roofing executives need to understand their own market mix much better than they understand the national average. 

Backlog may be sending the wrong signal 

I have always paid close attention to backlog. It is one of the most important forward-looking indicators for a roofing company, but backlog must be understood correctly. A contractor can have plenty of work under contract and still have a production problem developing. 

I believe there are really three kinds of backlog. Reported backlog is the work you have under contract. Executable backlog is the work you realistically expect to move into production during the period planned. Profitable backlog is executable work that still meets the company’s margin expectations. 

Those numbers are not always the same. A roofing contractor may have a large project under contract today that is not scheduled to reach the roofing scope for another six months. If financing, permitting, another trade or the general construction schedule pushes that project back another 90 days, the project technically remains in backlog. However, the crew that was supposed to start that roof in October still needs somewhere to work. 

That is the difference between reported backlog and executable backlog. 

In my work with roofing and specialty contractors, I generally consider a quality, executable backlog of six months or more a healthy operating position. When the backlog approaches three months, I want leadership to monitor the bidding pipeline, award timing, and project start dates very closely. When it approaches two months, I become concerned because a single project delay, a lost award or a customer financing issue can quickly create a production gap. 

That is not a published national industry standard. It is an operating benchmark developed from years of managing and advising roofing companies. 

Right now, I am hearing more concern from roofing contractors around the country about shorter backlog visibility, delayed starts, and work that does not feel as certain as it did several months ago. That field feedback deserves attention. 

A contractor with nine months of reported backlog but only four months of reliably executable work has a four-month problem, not a nine-month solution. 

Labor is weakening without becoming easy 

The labor market is sending another mixed signal. National hiring has slowed significantly. May and June payroll gains were revised lower, and total nonfarm employment declined in July. Labor-force participation has also fallen since the beginning of the year. 

Those are legitimate signs of a cooling labor market, but roofing contractors should not assume that means skilled people will suddenly become easy to find. They will not. 

A slower national economy may increase the number of people seeking work, but it does not automatically create experienced roofing estimators, project managers, superintendents, service technicians or foremen. Those skills take years to develop. 

Our industry is also dealing with a generational transition as experienced people retire and companies compete for a limited pool of proven talent. That creates another planning challenge. 

Contractors should be cautious about adding overhead simply because they expect future growth. They should be equally cautious about cutting experienced people too quickly because the economic headlines turn negative. Replacing a strong estimator or project manager twelve months from now may be much more difficult than retaining that person through a slower period. 

The forward pipeline deserves attention 

Backlog tells us what contractors already have. Architecture and design activity can tell us something about what may be coming. That is why I believe the Architecture Billings Index deserves attention. 

The June Architecture Billings Index came in at 47.3, remaining below the 50 level associated with growth. Architecture-firm backlog also declined from 6.6 months in the first quarter to 6.3 months in the second quarter. 

I would not use that information to predict a construction collapse. I would use it as another reason not to become complacent. Design work occurs well before construction, and when design activity remains weak for an extended period, it can eventually result in fewer projects reaching the bidding stage. 

That becomes particularly important as contractors begin developing their 2027 budgets. The work you are installing today was often designed and financed many months ago. The condition of the design pipeline today may tell us more about the opportunities available next year. 

Delays may matter more than cancellations 

There is another issue I believe contractors sometimes underestimate. Projects do not have to disappear to hurt your business. They only need to move. 

Contractor surveys this year have continued to show a significant number of projects postponed, scaled back or canceled. From an operational standpoint, a postponement can sometimes be nearly as disruptive as a cancellation. 

Imagine you have a $2 million roofing project scheduled to begin in October. The owner still intends to build it, the contract still exists, and the project remains in your backlog. But financing problems push the start into February. 

Your backlog report may barely change, while your October production schedule changes dramatically. Now you have crews without the work you expected, equipment sitting idle, overhead continuing, and cash flow shifting. Other jobs may need to be accelerated to fill the hole. 

That is why contractors need to talk with general contractors and owners about more than whether a project is still active. Ask whether the start date is still realistic. That conversation can be far more valuable than simply looking at the backlog report. 

Costs have not returned to normal 

A slowing economy would be easier to manage if costs were declining at the same time. That is not necessarily the environment contractors are operating in. 

July’s inflation reports are a good example of why the headlines can be misleading. Consumer prices rose only 0.1% in July, and the annual inflation rate eased slightly to 3.4%. Producer prices were flat overall for the month. That soundsencouraging, and it is, but it does not mean prices are falling. 

If inflation drops from 4% to 3%, that does not mean prices fell 1%. It means prices are still increasing, just at a slower rate than before. The same distinction matters on the producer side. Even with no overall increase in July, producer prices were still 4.7% higher than a year earlier. 

For construction, the picture was even more important. Construction input prices edged up 0.1% in July and remained 7.4% higher than a year earlier. A lower inflation rate can slow the erosion of margins, but it does not automatically restore them. 

Material prices remain elevated, insurance continues to pressure overhead and skilled labor costs remain high. Fuel and freight can change quickly and recent disruptions involving global refinery capacity and major shipping routes are another reminder that energy costs can move independently of the broader economic cycle. Financing also remains expensive compared with the environment contractors grew accustomed to years ago. 

That creates one of the more difficult combinations for any business. Slower growth reduces pricing power, higher costs squeeze margins, and shorter backlog increases the temptation to chase work. 

That is where discipline matters. The worst response to a weakening market can be filling the schedule with low-margin work simply because everyone is worried about keeping crews busy. 

Busy and profitable are not the same thing. That lesson becomes even more important when the market starts slowing. 

Build a plan that does not require you to be right 

This is the part I believe matters most as contractors prepare for 2027. The best business plan in an uncertain economy is not the one built around the most accurate forecast. It is the one that still works when the forecast is wrong. 

I would build next year’s plan around three scenarios. The base case assumes slower growth, uneven construction demand, and continued cost volatility. The upside case assumes financing improves, project starts accelerate, and demand begins broadening across more construction sectors. 

The downside case assumes several pressures converge at the same time: employment weakens further, financing becomes more difficult, project delays increase, the backlog declines, and cost pressures remain. 

I am not suggesting contractors build three separate companies or three completely different budgets. I am suggesting leadership understand what happens under each scenario. 

What happens to revenue and gross margin? How much backlog and cash do we need? When do we stop hiring or adjust overhead? Which capital expenditures can wait? Which investments continue regardless of conditions? At what point does declining executable backlog trigger a change in strategy? 

Those decisions are much easier to make today than when everyone is already under pressure. 

Liquidity is strategic flexibility 

Cash is sometimes treated as money simply sitting on the balance sheet. During uncertain markets, liquidity is much more valuable than that because it creates options. 

It allows a company to retain a strong employee through a temporary slowdown, purchase materials earlier when there is a legitimate financial advantage, absorb a delayed project, and pursue an opportunity when a competitor cannot. 

Most importantly, liquidity prevents desperation. Companies under financial pressure often make poor decisions because they run out of time. They bid projects they should not bid, accept margins they should not accept, borrow under unfavorable terms, delay necessary investments, and make personnel decisions based on what happens next week rather than where the company needs to be next year. 

Liquidity buys time, and time creates better decisions. 

Do not cut away your ability to grow 

Preparing for slower growth does not mean putting the company into recession mode. That would be another mistake. 

If conditions weaken, contractors should absolutely challenge overhead, delay unnecessary purchases, protect cash, review expenses, and improve collections. But there is a difference between eliminating waste and eliminating capacity. 

Your strongest estimator is capacity. Your best project manager is capacity. Your service department is capacity. Leadership development is capacity. Technology that improves estimating, project visibility, and job costing may also be capacity. 

A contractor can cut so deeply during a slowdown that the company survives the downturn but is unable to take advantage of the recovery. That is why I prefer flexibility over fear. 

Protect the capabilities that make the company stronger. Challenge the expenses that do not. 

What I would be doing going into 2027 

If I were sitting with a roofing contractor today, preparing next year’s business plan, I would begin with the executable backlog rather than the total backlog. 

I would review what is realistically scheduled at 30, 60, 90, 180, and 270 days, then stress-test it. What happens if one large project is delayed by 90 days? What happens if two projects move? Which customers represent the greatest concentration risk? Which jobs still depend on financing or other approvals? Which projects have aggressive margin assumptions? 

I would review the bid pipeline and hit rates. I would increase business development before backlog becomes critical rather than waiting until crews need work. I would watch collections and cash conversion closely, preserve available credit even if I did not expect to use it, challenge major capital expenditures, and protect strong people and productive operating capacity. 

Most importantly, I would establish clear trigger points for when the company changes course. If the executable backlog falls below a predetermined level, what actions are taken? If gross margin misses plan for two consecutive months, what gets reviewed? If accounts receivable starts to stretch, who owns the response? If major projects move, when does labor planning change? 

Those decisions should not be made for the first time during a crisis. The time to make them is now. 

Planning without pretending to know the future 

I do not believe roofing executives should plan as though a recession is inevitable. I also do not believe they should assume today’s economic pressures will work themselves out. 

The more prudent position lies between those two extremes. Build the company around a reasonable expectation of slower growth, increasingly uneven demand and continued cost volatility. Maintain enough liquidity and operating flexibility to withstand a genuine downturn if several pressures converge. 

At the same time, preserve enough capacity to take advantage of opportunity if conditions improve. 

The economic signals may continue to disagree. That does not mean leadership has to be uncertain. We do not need to know exactly what the economy will do next. We need to build roofing companies capable of succeeding under more than one outcome. 

That is not pessimism. It is responsible business planning. 

By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group. 

Every roofing project teaches the contractor something. The question is whether the business captures that lesson or allows it to disappear when the job is finished. 

Some lessons are obvious. A material may perform differently than expected, access may prove more difficult than the tender allowed for, labour productivity may be lower in one roof area or a supplier lead time may affect the programme. Other lessons are less visible. The handover may have been incomplete, the client’s expectations may not have been fully understood, a variation may have been recognised too late or the site team may have found a better installation sequence that was never communicated back to estimating. 

In many roofing businesses, that knowledge remains with the people who worked on the project. The estimator remembers part of it, the project manager remembers another part and the site manager carries the rest. The project ends, everyone moves on and the company loses an opportunity to improve. 

The best roofing contractors do not treat completion as the end of the process. They treat it as the point where project experience should be converted into organisational knowledge. 

Experience only has value when it is shared

Roofing is an experience-driven industry. People learn by seeing what works, understanding what fails and recognising the conditions that create risk. That experience becomes extremely valuable over time, but only if the business has a way to share it. 

A company may have an estimator with 25 years of knowledge, a contracts manager who has completed hundreds of projects and a site supervisor who can identify installation problems before most people see them. Those individuals are valuable, but the business remains vulnerable if their knowledge is not transferred to others. 

The company should not have to relearn the same lesson every time a different person manages the project. 

If one site team discovers that a particular detail consistently requires more labour than the estimate allows, that information should reach the estimating team. If a project manager finds that a supplier’s actual lead time is longer than expected, that should be reflected in future procurement planning. If a client’s access restrictions create repeated disruption, the tender review process should address those conditions on the next project. 

Experience becomes a company asset only when it changes future behaviour. 

The estimate and the actual result must be compared 

One of the most important lessons on any project comes from comparing the tender with the final result. The estimate represents what the company believed would happen. The completed project shows what actually happened, and the difference between the two deserves attention. 

Did the project use more labour hours than allowed? Were material quantities accurate? Did waste exceed the tender assumption? Was plant required for longer than expected? Did the installation sequence work? Were there additional deliveries or handling costs? Did supervision continue beyond the planned period? Were variations identified and valued properly? 

These questions are not intended to prove that the estimator was wrong or that the project manager failed. They are intended to improve the next estimate and the next delivery plan. 

An estimate built entirely from historical rates can become unreliable if those rates are never tested against current project performance. Labour output changes, material packaging changes, access conditions vary and installation methods improve. The company needs actual information from completed work to keep its estimating assumptions realistic. 

Without that feedback, estimating and operations begin working from different versions of reality. 

Labour performance should be understood, not simply judged 

Labour overruns are often discussed too generally. The final report may show that the project exceeded the labour allowance, but that figure alone does not explain what happened. The business needs to understand where the hours were used and why. 

Was the original allowance too low? Did access reduce productivity? Was the site team waiting for another trade? Were materials handled more often than planned? Did the client change the sequence? Was additional preparation required? Did weather affect progress? Was the team unfamiliar with the roofing system? Did remedial work increase the total hours? 

A labour overrun caused by poor access requires a different correction from one caused by an inaccurate production rate. If the business concludes that the team was too slow, it may miss the real lesson.

The purpose of reviewing labour is not to blame the operatives. It is to understand the conditions that affected performance and determine whether the tender, programme, supervision or site plan should change in the future. That produces better decisions. 

Site knowledge must return to the office

The people working closest to the roof often see problems and opportunities first. They understand which details take longer than expected, which delivery methods create unnecessary handling, which areas are difficult to access and which installation sequences produce better results. That knowledge is valuable to estimating, procurement and project management.

Unfortunately, many businesses have a one-way flow of information. The office sends drawings, programmes and instructions to site, but very little structured information comes back. Daily reports may record labour and progress, but the broader operational lesson is rarely captured. 

A proper project review should include input from the site manager or supervisor. They should have the opportunity to explain what supported productivity, what disrupted the work and what the business should approach differently next time. This is especially important when the project went well. 

Companies often review failures in detail but spend very little time understanding success. If one team completed an area faster than expected while maintaining quality, the business should know why. Perhaps material distribution was better, the workface was released more effectively or the team developed an improved sequence. 

Good performance should be studied and repeated. 

Quality issues should improve the system

Every roofing contractor aims to complete work correctly the first time, but defects, snagging items and remedial work still occur. The value of a quality review is not simply confirming that the problem was corrected. The business should understand why it happened. 

Was the detail unclear? Was the wrong material delivered? Did the site team lack the correct information? Was supervision inadequate? Did programme pressure encourage rushed work? Was the inspection completed too late? Did the tender fail to allow enough time for the required level of detail? 

Correcting the visible defect solves the immediate problem. Correcting the process reduces the chance of recurrence. That is the difference between repair and improvement. 

If the company repeatedly encounters the same type of defect but never changes its training, supervision, inspection or documentation, it is not learning from the work. The strongest contractors use quality issues to strengthen the operating system. 

Commercial lessons must be captured as well

A project can perform reasonably well on site and still produce a poor financial result. Variations may be identified late; instructions may not be recorded; payment applications may not reflect actual progress; delay costs may not be tracked; the final account may remain unresolved for too long; or retention may be overlooked. 

These are commercial lessons, but they are also operational, as they often begin with communication and record-keeping. 

A variation that is not reported from site cannot be valued promptly. An undocumented delay becomes difficult to explain later. Additional labour that is not linked to a specific change becomes part of the general project cost. The post-project review should therefore consider more than productivity and quality. It should examine whether the business protected its commercial position throughout the work. 

Were instructions confirmed in writing? Were notices issued when required? Were variations submitted promptly? Did the project team maintain adequate records? Did the contractor recover the value of the work it completed? A profitable project depends on good installation and good commercial control. Both should be reviewed. 

Client feedback provides another perspective

Internal project reviews are important, but the contractor should also consider the client’s experience. The project may have met the roofing specification while still causing frustration due to poor communication, missed updates or inconsistent site management. 

The client may also have valued something the contractor did not recognise. They may have appreciated early warning of programme changes, clear explanations of technical issues or the way the site team managed access around an occupied building. That feedback can help the contractor understand what creates trust. 

Not every client comment requires a change in process, but patterns matter. If several clients raise the same concern, the business should listen. If several clients praise the same behaviour, that strength should become part of the company’s operating standard. 

The goal is not simply to complete technically acceptable work. It is to deliver a professional experience that encourages repeat business and stronger relationships. 

Lessons-learned meetings should be practical

A project review does not need to become a long formal exercise. In many cases, a focused meeting with the right people can produce the necessary information. The estimator, project manager, commercial lead and site representative should review what was planned, what actually occurred and what should change. The conversation should remain specific. 

Saying that communication could have been better is not enough. Which information was missing? Who needed it? When should it have been provided? What step should be added or changed? Saying that procurement was difficult is not enough. Which item created the problem? Why was it ordered late? Was approval delayed? Was the lead time misunderstood? Who should track it differently next time? 

General comments create little improvement. Specific lessons can be turned into action. 

Every lesson should have an owner

One of the biggest weaknesses in lessons-learned meetings is that the discussion ends without responsibility. People agree that the handover form should be updated, labour rates should be reviewed or supplier lead times should be adjusted, but no one has been assigned to make the changes. 

The lesson is then lost. 

Every agreed improvement should have an owner and a deadline. If the estimating database needs to be updated, someone should be responsible for it. If the pre-start checklist requires a new access question, someone should revise it. If the site team needs additional training on a detail, that training should be scheduled. If the supplier information is inaccurate, procurement should correct it. 

The purpose of the review is not simply to discuss the past. It is to improve the future. That only happens when the lesson becomes action. 

The review process should remain constructive

People will only share useful information when they believe the review is fair. If every project meeting becomes an effort to identify who made the mistake, employees will protect themselves. They will provide less detail, avoid difficult subjects and shift responsibility. That destroys the value of the process. 

Accountability still matters. If someone ignored a required step or failed to communicate important information, leadership must address it. However, the broader review should also focus on how the system supported or failed the people performing the work. 

Was the expectation clear? Was the correct information available? Was the responsibility assigned? Was there enough time? Did the process identify the risk? Was the issue escalated soon enough? 

Strong leaders examine both individual performance and system performance. That creates a more honest and useful discussion. 

Small improvements build long-term advantage

The greatest value of lessons learned does not come from one major discovery. It comes from repeated small improvements. A labour rate is adjusted, a handover question is added, a supplier lead time is corrected, a site reporting requirement is clarified, a recurring detail is included in training, a variation procedure is strengthened or a quality inspection happens earlier. 

Each change may appear minor, but over time those changes make the business more accurate, efficient and predictable. That is how operational excellence develops. It is not created through a single software platform, a single management meeting or a single written procedure. It is created by learning from real work and improving how the next project is estimated, planned and delivered. 

Completion should create a better starting point

Every roofing contractor works hard to complete projects, satisfy clients and protect margin. The strongest companies take one additional step. They make sure the completed project leaves the business better prepared for the next one. 

They compare the estimate with actual cost, review labour performance, listen to the site team, study quality issues, examine commercial results and capture client feedback. They turn those lessons into changes that improve future tenders and future projects. 

A contractor that completes work without learning from it gains revenue and experience. A contractor that captures the lesson gains something more valuable. It gains a stronger operating system. 

The best roofing companies do not simply finish projects and move on. They use every project to improve the next one. 

About the author 

John Kenney has more than 45 years of experience in the roofing industry. His career has included every level of roofing operations, from field installation and estimating through executive leadership. He is the CEO of Cotney Consulting Group, a partner member of the International Federation for the Roofing Trades. He has earned the MIoR designation from the former Institute of Roofing in the United Kingdom. He works with roofing contractors to improve estimating, project management, operational performance, leadership and profitability. 

By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group.  

The strongest roofing contractors are the ones who see the problems coming and prepare accordingly. 

After more than 45 years in the roofing industry, I have learned that many project failures do not begin on site. They begin weeks earlier, when a decision was delayed, an order was not placed, access was not confirmed or information was not chased soon enough. 

By the time the issue becomes visible, the opportunity to manage it properly may already be gone. A material has not arrived, the planned area is not available, the client has changed the sequence, the site team is waiting, additional plant is required or a delivery must be rearranged. The business then moves into recovery mode; people work harder, calls become more urgent and costs begin to increase. 

The problem may appear to be today’s problem, but it was usually created by a lack of planning several weeks earlier. That is why planning is one of the most important operational disciplines a roofing contractor can develop. 

Planning is more than producing a programme. 

Most contractors have a project programme, but that does not necessarily mean they are planning effectively. 

A programme may show when work is expected to begin and finish, but true planning goes much further. It considers the sequence of activities, availability of labour, material lead times, access arrangements, plant requirements, approvals, temporary protection, coordination with other trades and the effect of weather on the work. 

A programme tells the team what should happen. Planning determines whether it can happen. 

A roofing project may be shown as starting on a particular date, but has the insulation been approved? Have the rooflights been ordered? Is the scaffolding complete? Are lifting arrangements confirmed? Has the client released the work area? Are the required operatives available? Has the substrate been inspected? Are the design details complete? 

If those questions have not been answered, the start date is only an intention. The most successful roofing contractors test the programme against reality. 

Materials should be managed before they become urgent 

Material planning has always been important, but delays, transport disruption, manufacturing constraints and changing product availability have made it even more critical. Not every material creates the same risk. Some products can be obtained locally with short notice, while others require technical approval, fabrication, colour selection, design input or scheduled manufacturing. The project team should understand that difference from the beginning. 

A standard roll of membrane should not be managed in the same way as a bespoke metal flashing, rooflight, tapered insulation scheme or specialist edge detail. Critical materials need to be identified during the handover and tracked separately. 

The contractor should know what information is required before each item can be released, who is responsible for providing it and when the order must be placed to protect the programme. Waiting until the material is needed is too late. 

Many procurement problems arise because the team assumes there is more time than there actually is. The contractor may be waiting for a technical submission, final dimensions, colour approval or client instruction and each delay shortens the available manufacturing window. 

By the time the order is finally released, the supplier is blamed for a lead time that should have been planned from the start. Planning does not eliminate every delay, but it gives the contractor more options. That alone has value.

Labour planning requires a wider view

Labour is often managed one week at a time — the company reviews which sites are active, which team is available and where the greatest pressure exists. That may be necessary for daily operations, but it is not enough for long-term control. 

Roofing contractors need to look several weeks ahead. They need to understand which projects are expected to start, which are likely to finish, where labour demand will peak and which jobs require specific skills or supervision. Without that wider view, one delayed project can disrupt the entire labour plan. 

A project that was expected to finish on Friday may continue for another two weeks, even though the same operatives have already been allocated to another site. The contractor then has to move people, delay a start, use unfamiliar labour or divide a team that should remain together. 

The result is usually lower productivity. 

Labour planning should also account for more than total numbers. The question is not simply how many operatives are available. The business needs to know which people are suitable for the work, who can supervise the project, who is familiar with the system and whether the planned team can achieve the output assumed in the tender. 

A team of six is not automatically more productive than a team of four. Too many people in a restricted area can reduce output rather than improve it. The correct labour plan depends on the project, sequence, access and available workface. That is why planning must begin with more than a headcount. 

Plant and access can control the entire project

Many roofing projects are delayed because plant and access are treated as secondary issues. 

They are not secondary. They often control whether the work can proceed at all. 

Scaffolding, hoists, cranes, telehandlers, mobile elevating work platforms, loading areas and material storage all affect productivity and programme. If the contractor does not confirm these arrangements early, the site team may arrive ready to work but unable to move materials to the roof. 

Additional handling is one of the most common forms of hidden labour loss. Materials are delivered to the wrong location, moved once for storage, moved again for access and moved a third time before installation. 

Each movement consumes labour and increases the risk of damage. The contractor may not notice the cost because it is spread across the project, but it is still there. 

Good planning asks practical questions before mobilisation. Where will materials be delivered? How will they reach the roof? How much storage is available? Which areas must remain clear? Who is responsible for booking plant? What happens if access is shared with another trade? Are there restrictions on delivery times? Will the same access arrangement be available throughout the project? 

These questions are operational, but they are also financial. Poor access planning quickly becomes a labour problem. 

Weather must be part of the plan 

Roofing will always be affected by weather. 

The challenge is not predicting every condition perfectly. The challenge is building enough flexibility into the plan to respond when conditions change. 

A realistic programme should consider the time of year, the type of roofing system, the sequence of stripping and covering, temporary protection and the consequences of leaving areas exposed. It should also consider which work can continue if the planned activity cannot proceed. 

Can prefabrication continue? Can materials be distributed? Can internal work be completed? Can another area be released? Can inspections or quality checks be brought forward? Contractors that plan alternatives lose less time. Those that plan only one sequence are more vulnerable. Weather delays become especially expensive when the business has already committed labour, plant and deliveries to one activity with no secondary plan. 

The most prepared contractors do not assume the weather will cooperate. They build options. 

Communication must happen before the problem 

One of the clearest signs of weak planning is late communication. 

The client is told about a delay after the date has already been missed. The supplier is contacted when the material is urgently required. The site team is informed of a sequence change after arriving on site. The commercial team hears about additional work after it has been completed. At that point, the conversation becomes more difficult. 

Early communication creates choices. Late communication creates explanations. A client may be willing to adjust the sequence if the issue is raised early enough. A supplier may be able to prioritise an order if given proper notice. A project manager may be able to move labour to another area if the team knows access will not be available. 

The earlier the information is shared, the more options remain. That does not mean communicating every minor concern as though it is a crisis. It means identifying issues with enough time to manage them professionally. 

Good communication is part of planning because it gives the entire project team time to respond. 

Cash flow is affected by operational planning. 

Planning is not limited to site performance. It also affects cash flow. Materials may require deposits or early payment. Labour costs begin before the contractor receives payment. Plant hire continues even when work is delayed. Late variations may not be included in the next payment application. 

An operationally disorganised project often becomes financially disorganised as well. The business may carry more cost than expected because procurement happened too early or too late. It may miss valuation opportunities because additional work was not recorded promptly. It may continue paying for labour and plant while waiting for access or information. 

The project manager and commercial team should therefore plan together. What costs will be incurred before the next payment cycle? Which materials require early commitment? What information is needed to support the application? Which variations must be valued now? Are delays affecting cost recovery? 

Operational decisions create financial consequences. The strongest contractors understand that connection. 

Short planning meetings can create long-term control 

Planning does not require endless meetings. It requires disciplined conversations held regularly. 

A weekly planning review can identify upcoming risks before they become urgent. The team should look beyond the current week and ask what must happen over the next three, six or even 12 weeks.

 Which projects are starting? Which are finishing? Which materials are critical? Which approvals are outstanding? Where will labour demand increase? What plant must be booked? Which clients need updated information? Which commercial issues require action? 

The purpose is not to create a perfect forecast. Construction changes too quickly for that. The purpose is to keep the business looking ahead. A contractor that reviews only what happened last week is managing history. A contractor that reviews what must happen next month is managing operations. 

Both are necessary, but only one protects the future. 

Planning further ahead protects margin 

Many contractors associate margin loss with poor estimating. Sometimes the estimate is the problem. 

Often, however, the estimate was reasonable, and the delivery process allowed small inefficiencies to accumulate. Additional carriage is paid, plant is extended, labour waits, materials are handled repeatedly, work is completed out of sequence, supervision is required for longer than planned and variations are submitted late. 

None of these costs may be large enough to attract immediate attention, but together they reduce profitability. Planning protects margin by reducing avoidable disruption. It allows the contractor to order more strategically, schedule labour more accurately, coordinate plant properly and communicate changes before they become emergencies. 

The business becomes less reactive. That is the real advantage. 

Better planning creates a more predictable business 

Roofing contractors cannot control every event that affects a project. They cannot control the weather, manufacturing capacity, client decisions or every condition found on site. They can control how early they look for risk, how quickly they respond, whether responsibilities are clear and whether important information is reviewed every week or left until someone remembers it. 

The most successful roofing contractors are not those that avoid every problem. They are the ones that give themselves more time to manage problems properly. They plan materials before they become urgent, plan labour before teams become overcommitted, confirm access before operatives arrive, communicate before dates are missed and review commercial issues before costs are forgotten. 

Planning further ahead does not make roofing predictable in every detail. It makes the business more prepared. That preparation improves productivity, communication, cash flow and margin. It also gives the contractor something every business needs. 

More control over what happens next. 

Learn more about Cotney Consulting Group in their Coffee Shop Directory or visit www.cotneyconsulting.com.

About the author 

John Kenney has more than 45 years of experience in the roofing industry. His career has included every level of roofing operations, from field installation and estimating through executive leadership. He is the CEO of Cotney Consulting Group, a partner member of the International Federation for the Roofing Trades. He has earned the MIoR designation from the former Institute of Roofing in the United Kingdom. He works with roofing contractors to improve estimating, project management, operational performance, leadership and profitability. 

By Emma Peterson. 

Explore the articles that generated the most interest this month. 

In the last month, over 250 articles have been published on RoofersCoffeeShop.com. That’s a lot of reading to keep up with, especially for busy contractors who are going between the office and the field. To make it easier to keep up, we’ve looked at those hundreds of articles and picked out the most popular ones to showcase.  

In this list, there are a couple of articles authored by Heidi J. Ellsworth, the president of The Coffee Shops™. In one article she highlights how the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) is expanding mental health support through suicide prevention training, made possible through a collaboration with LivingWorks. The other article dove into the importance of awards and recognition during the current artificial intelligence boom.  

Our friends over at Cotney Consulting Group also contributed a few articles on our top 10 list, including one about crystalline silica exposure and another about creating an operational preparedness plan to navigate the current global political environment.  

Our number one article of the month showcased FMI Corporation’s 2026 Q2 North America Construction and Engineering Outlook Report and was written by Emma Peterson, senior content developer for The Coffee Shops™. This was not the only article of Emma’s that made the list, as her articles about turning data into business strategies, taking on leadership roles and the development of the metal roof retrofit industry were also featured. 

July 2026’s top articles 

10 - Eagleview warns emergency managers: A below average hurricane season is not a safe season by Eagleview. 

9 - NRCA expands mental health support with free suicide prevention training by Heidi J. Ellsworth. 

8 - NRCA Gold Circle Awards: Why recognition matters more than ever in the age of AI by Heidi J. Ellsworth. 

7 - When global events reach the rooftop by John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group. 

6 - Building the metal roof retrofit industry by Emma Peterson. 

5 - Finding opportunity in every position by Emma Peterson. 

4 - ARCA’s Lotería Night brings fun and connection to the roofing community by Alex Tolle. 

3 - Connecting the dots between data and strategy by Emma Peterson. 

2 - The silica citation nobody sees coming by Cotney Consulting Group. 

1 - Construction growth expected in the next year by Emma Peterson. 

Por John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group, traducido por Alberto Torres 

Un estimado no está realmente terminado hasta que se hace la revisión final del proyecto y las lecciones aprendidas se aplican al siguiente trabajo. 

Uno de los errores más comunes en nuestra industria es pensar que el trabajo del estimador termina cuando se entrega la propuesta o se firma el contrato. Es una forma de verlo que tiene sentido, porque así es como están organizadas muchas empresas de roofing. Los estimadores preparan las propuestas. El equipo de ventas cierra el trato y después operaciones toma el control. Todos pasan a la siguiente tarea. 

El problema es que los proyectos de roofing no funcionan por departamentos. 

Funcionan como un proceso continuo, y el estimado es la base sobre la que se construye todo lo demás. Cuando esa base deja de formar parte de la conversación después de que se gana el proyecto, las empresas empiezan a perder algo mucho más valioso que información. Pierden alineación. 

Siempre he dicho que el proceso de estimación es la primera etapa de la administración de un proyecto. Con los años, me he convencido de que es incluso más que eso. El estimado es la primera decisión operativa que toma una empresa sobre cómo se va a construir un proyecto. Cada suposición, cada rendimiento de producción, cada cantidad de material, cada hora de mano de obra y cada nota dentro del estimado cuentan una historia sobre cómo alguien cree que se desarrollará el trabajo. Si esas ideas nunca salen del departamento de estimados, el equipo de campo termina escribiendo su propia historia. 

Ahí es cuando los proyectos empiezan a desviarse. 

He recorrido suficientes proyectos de roofing durante las últimas cuatro décadas para saber que muy pocos se salen de control por un solo error grave. Lo más común es que poco a poco se alejen del plan original porque la información no se compartió, las suposiciones nunca se cuestionaron o las condiciones cambiaron sin que nadie se detuviera a pensar qué significaban esos cambios para el estimado. Cuando el departamento de contabilidad detecta un problema con la utilidad, las decisiones que lo causaron normalmente ocurrieron semanas antes. 

El estimado nunca debe verse únicamente como un documento de precios. Debe convertirse en la guía del equipo del proyecto. Debe explicar no solo qué fue lo que se vendió, sino también cómo el estimador esperaba que se realizara el trabajo. Eso significa identificar las áreas donde la producción puede ser más lenta, donde el acceso representa un reto, donde el orden de las actividades es importante o donde la coordinación con otros oficios puede afectar la mano de obra. Esos no son solo detalles del estimado. Son situaciones reales que el gerente de proyecto y el supervisor deben conocer antes de que llegue el primer camión a la obra. 

Un área donde constantemente veo que los contratistas tienen dificultades es en la entrega del proyecto entre departamentos. Muchas veces se limita a pasar documentos de un área a otra. El estimado puede estar completo, pero la conversación no existe. El estimador sabe por qué ajustó la mano de obra en una parte del edificio, por qué incluyó un presupuesto adicional para posibles problemas en la plataforma del techo o por qué algunos detalles necesitaban más atención. Desafortunadamente, gran parte de ese conocimiento se queda con la persona que preparó el estimado. 

El gerente de proyecto recibe los documentos. El supervisor recibe el trabajo. Pero ninguno recibe el razonamiento que hay detrás del estimado. Esa diferencia es la que muchas veces separa un proyecto rentable de uno que termina siendo una decepción. 

Las mejores empresas de roofing con las que he trabajado consideran la entrega del proyecto como una reunión operativa y no solo como un trámite administrativo. La conversación se enfoca en los riesgos, la estrategia de producción, el orden de los trabajos y las expectativas. Los estimadores explican dónde creen que el proyecto puede complicarse. El equipo de operaciones comparte aspectos del trabajo en campo que podrían requerir ajustes. Al final, todos comienzan el proyecto con la misma idea de cómo debe verse el éxito. 

Estas conversaciones casi nunca son largas, pero tienen un enorme valor. 

Otro error que cometen muchos contratistas es pensar que, una vez terminado el estimado, ya no queda nada por aprender de él. Yo creo exactamente lo contrario. El estimado debe seguir evolucionando durante toda la vida del proyecto. Conforme avanza la producción, el desempeño real de la mano de obra debe compararse con las suposiciones originales. Se debe revisar el consumo de materiales. También deben documentarse las condiciones imprevistas. Cada diferencia importante se convierte en información que fortalece los futuros estimados. 

Sin ese proceso de retroalimentación, el trabajo de estimación termina desconectado de la realidad. 

Piensa cuántas veces escuchamos decir a los contratistas: "Cada vez es más difícil calcular la mano de obra." 

La pregunta que normalmente hago es: "¿Qué le enseñaron a su departamento de estimados los últimos veinte proyectos?" 

Muchas veces la respuesta es silencio. No porque esa información no exista. Sino porque nadie la recopiló. 

Los estimados mejoran cuando el equipo de operaciones comparte su experiencia. Y las operaciones mejoran cuando los estimadores escuchan. Ambos departamentos no deberían trabajar por separado. Deben funcionar como socios con el mismo objetivo: construir proyectos rentables. 

La tecnología ha hecho que preparar estimados sea más rápido que nunca. La inteligencia artificial puede ayudar con las mediciones. Las plataformas digitales organizan planos en cuestión de segundos. Los programas identifican cantidades con gran rapidez. Todos estos son avances importantes y los contratistas deben aprovechar las herramientas que aumentan la eficiencia. Pero la tecnología todavía no puede explicar por qué la producción bajó en el lado oeste del edificio después de la hora de comida porque el área de materiales estaba saturada. Tampoco puede decirte por qué un supervisor supera constantemente la producción estimada mientras otro tiene dificultades en condiciones muy parecidas. Y tampoco puede identificar esas pequeñas lecciones operativas que solo las personas con experiencia descubren después de completar cientos de proyectos. 

Ese conocimiento solo se obtiene conectando el proceso de estimación con la ejecución del trabajo. 

Una de las lecciones más importantes que he aprendido después de toda una vida en esta industria es que los estimadores deberían salir de la oficina de vez en cuando. Visiten proyectos en ejecución. Participen en las revisiones finales. Escuchen a los supervisores explicar qué ayudó a mejorar la producción y qué la retrasó. Observen cómo las cuadrillas realmente instalan los sistemas que ustedes estiman todos los días. Esas experiencias cambian la forma de preparar un estimado porque reemplazan las suposiciones con conocimiento. 

Lo mismo aplica en sentido contrario. Los gerentes de proyecto y los líderes de campo también deben entender cómo se preparan los estimados. Cuando conocen el razonamiento detrás de las proyecciones de producción y los cálculos de mano de obra, pueden proteger mucho mejor la utilidad que se estableció desde el principio. 

Las empresas de roofing más sólidas que he conocido no ven la estimación, las operaciones y la administración de proyectos como funciones separadas. Las consideran diferentes capítulos de la misma historia. Cada uno depende del anterior y cada uno influye en el siguiente. 

Cuando esa forma de pensar se convierte en parte de la cultura de una empresa, sucede algo muy interesante. El estimado deja de verse como la propuesta que ganó el proyecto y comienza a convertirse en el plan operativo que guía todo el trabajo. Las decisiones son más consistentes. La comunicación mejora. La producción se acerca mucho más a lo que se esperaba. Y, quizá lo más importante, el siguiente estimado aprovecha todo lo que el proyecto anterior le enseñó a la empresa. 

Así es como el proceso de estimación deja de ser simplemente un departamento. Se convierte en un proceso continuo de aprendizaje, mejora y perfeccionamiento. 

La propuesta puede haberse entregado. El contrato puede estar firmado. Pero un estimado nunca debería considerarse terminado hasta que se haga la revisión final del proyecto y las lecciones aprendidas se apliquen al siguiente trabajo. 

Porque los mejores estimadores no solo ayudan a ganar proyectos. Ayudan a construir mejores empresas de roofing. 

By Emma Peterson. 

John Kenney shares why contractors with strong systems, clear workflows and documented processes will be best positioned to embrace new technologies.  

For many of us, robots seem like something from a science fiction movie – something that might be cool but is far from becoming a part of our reality. But with advancements in automation and technology, robotics are already beginning to influence the roofing industry. To learn how contractors can prepare their operations for emerging robot technology, we brought John Kenney of Cotney Consulting Group on for a Read Listen Watch® webinar. 

Looking to the future, John sees robotics as a tool that will be used for repetitive tasks, sharing, “I think you're going to be able to have a lot of things happen within your company that are repetitive tasks, that we can't find anybody that wants to do them anyways, like moving materials, loading trucks, setting things up, managing your inventory, etc.”  

Additionally, he predicts that they will eventually become advanced enough to collaborate with your service technicians, saying, “There is a future where robots could be a part of service workflows. It could be super helpful in situations where you don’t have a full visual of a roof and need to collect that data safely. A robot could go up there and record data so that your service crew knows they can safely climb on a roof to work.” 

Obviously, we have not developed this level of robotic technology yet, but with the advancement of technologies like artificial intelligence, it has started to feel increasingly inevitable. So, if robots are going to become a part of our industry in the future, how can you make sure your company is positioned to adapt to this change effectively? John argues that it all depends on your operational workflows being in order:  

You have to start documenting your workflows and you have to start figuring those out. Further, you need to develop an accountability chain. Most companies have an unclear accountability process and if robotic tools ever become a part of our industry, you're going to need to clean those up... It’s the companies with disciplined systems and strong operational clarity that have the flexibility to adapt with technology.  

This advice applies to more than just preparing for future robot coworkers. It’s also about helping your team operate more efficiently and profitably today. By having everything documented and in order, your company will be better positioned both today and wherever the future leads.  

Listen the RLW or Watch the recording on demand to learn more about robotics, roofing and preparing your company for the future.

By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group.  

One of the most expensive mistakes a roofing contractor can make often happens before the project even reaches site. It happens during the handover. 

A project may have been estimated carefully, priced competitively and secured on acceptable terms. Still, if the information gathered during the tendering process is not transferred properly to the delivery team, much of that work is lost. The project manager starts reading the documents again, the site team asks questions the estimator has already answered, procurement discovers long-lead materials too late, access requirements are reviewed after the programme has been agreed and commercial qualifications are overlooked. 

The company effectively begins the project twice. The first time is during estimating, and the second time is after the contract is awarded. That duplication creates delay, confusion and unnecessary cost. More importantly, it increases the risk that the project will be delivered differently from the way it was priced. 

A proper handover is not an administrative meeting. It is the point where the business converts a successful tender into an executable project. 

The estimator holds more than the price 

The estimator is often the first person in the business to examine the project in detail. During the tendering process, the estimator reviews drawings, specifications, schedules, access conditions, material requirements, labour assumptions, exclusions, qualifications and commercial risks. They may speak with suppliers, subcontractors, manufacturers and members of the client’s team, and they may identify missing information, conflicting documents or areas where the roofing contractor has made a specific assumption. 

That knowledge has value, but much of it is often stored in the estimator’s memory, handwritten notes, emails or tender worksheets that are never fully explained to the delivery team. 

The project manager may receive the final estimate and contract documents without receiving the reasoning behind them. That creates a serious gap because a price tells the project manager what the company expects the work to cost, but it does not always explain why. 

It may not show that the labour allowance depended on a particular access route, that one material was priced as an alternative, that temporary protection was excluded or that the programme assumed continuous access to specific roof areas. Those details can determine whether the project succeeds financially. 

A good handover must therefore transfer both the numbers and the thinking behind the numbers. 

The cost of missing information appears gradually 

A poor handover rarely creates one immediate and obvious loss. Instead, the cost appears in smaller amounts throughout the project. 

A material order is delayed because no one realised approval was still required. An access platform is hired twice because the original plan was not communicated. Operatives arrive before the work area is ready. A delivery is refused because storage space was not coordinated in advance. The site manager discovers that the tender included fewer working visits than the client now expects. The team completes additional work but fails to record it as a variation. The estimator’s labour allowance is exceeded because the installation sequence has changed. 

Individually, these issues may appear manageable. Together, they consume margin. 

This is one reason roofing contractors sometimes complete a project and struggle to explain why the final profit is lower than expected. There may not have been one major failure. Instead, the project experienced dozens of small operational losses that began with incomplete information. 

The original estimate may have been accurate. The project may not have been delivered according to the estimate. 

Handover must happen early enough to matter 

Some companies hold a handover meeting only a few days before the site team is due to begin. By then, many important decisions have already been made. The programme may already be agreed; material selections may be expected; plant and access may need to be booked; subcontractors may need notice; and approvals may be required before manufacturing or delivery. A late handover becomes a review of what has already happened rather than an opportunity to shape the project. 

The handover should take place as soon as the contract is sufficiently secure and the delivery team can begin meaningful planning. That does not mean every detail must be resolved. It means the project manager must understand which details are complete, which remain outstanding and which could affect cost or programme. 

Early involvement also allows the project manager to challenge assumptions before they become commitments. Is the proposed labour level realistic? Can the roof areas be completed in the tendered sequence? Is the storage plan workable? Are the planned lifting arrangements suitable? Does the proposed programme reflect curing times, weather exposure and coordination with other trades? Have the client’s access restrictions been included? 

A strong handover creates time to answer these questions. A weak one leaves the site team to answer them under pressure. 

The contract and the estimate must be compared 

One of the most important parts of the handover is comparing the final contract requirements with the tender submission. 

Projects often change between the initial invitation to tender and contract award. Drawings are revised, specifications are updated, programmes are revised, clarifications are issued, tender qualifications are accepted or rejected and the final order may contain terms that were not included in the contractor’s original submission. 

The business should never assume that the awarded contract is identical to the tender. The handover must identify what changed. 

If the roofing contractor priced one insulation thickness but the final specification requires another, that difference matters. If the tender allowed for phased access but the contract programme expects multiple areas to be worked simultaneously, that matters. If the contractor excluded out-of-hours working but the final order includes weekend access, that matters. If a qualification has disappeared from the contract documents, that matters. 

The commercial team, estimator and project manager should understand these differences before procurement begins and before labour is committed. Otherwise, the company may start work under requirements it never properly priced. 

Procurement depends on a complete handover 

Roofing projects are particularly sensitive to procurement timing. Materials may require technical approval, colour selection, design calculations, fabrication or scheduled manufacturing. Insulation, metal components, rooflights, edge details and specialist accessories may all have different lead times. 

If those requirements are not identified during handover, the procurement team works reactively. 

Reactive procurement usually costs more. The company may pay additional carriage, accept less favourable purchasing terms or split orders that should have been coordinated. Materials may arrive out of sequence, creating additional handling and storage. The contractor may also be forced to use alternative products or installation methods to protect the programme. 

A strong handover should identify what needs to be ordered, who is responsible, what information is required before release and when each item must arrive. It should also separate standard materials from critical materials because not every item requires the same level of attention. 

The project manager needs to know which delayed component could stop the entire roofing programme. That item should be managed differently from materials that can be obtained locally with short notice. 

Labour planning begins with tender assumptions 

Labour is often the highest controllable cost on a roofing project, yet the delivery team may not receive a clear explanation of how the labour allowance was built. 

The estimate may assume a particular number of operatives, a planned output rate, standard working hours and uninterrupted access. The project manager may then develop a completely different approach by sending a larger team to site, changing the sequence, moving operatives between areas, adding supervision or introducing weekend working. 

None of these decisions is automatically wrong. The problem occurs when the business changes the delivery plan without understanding the cost assumptions behind the tender. 

The handover should explain how the estimator expected the work to be completed. How many labour hours were included? What productivity level was assumed? Did the estimate allow for material distribution? Was protection included? Were difficult details or restricted areas treated separately? Was supervision included in the labour rate, or was it carried elsewhere? 

The project manager can then decide whether the tendered plan is practical and make controlled adjustments where necessary. Without that discussion, labour overruns may begin before work starts. 

Variations are easier to manage when the baseline is clear 

A roofing contractor cannot manage variations properly unless the original scope is understood. 

When the site team does not know what was included in the tender, additional work can easily be absorbed into the project. The client may request a revised detail, the main contractor may change the sequence, existing conditions may require additional preparation, temporary protection may be extended, access may be restricted or a small area may need to be completed out of hours. 

The site team may recognise that the work is different, but if the original scope was never explained, they may not know whether it represents a variation. 

A proper handover establishes the baseline. It explains what the contractor priced, what was excluded, what was assumed and what information was relied upon. That gives the project manager and site team a clearer basis for identifying change.  It also improves the quality of records. Instead of reporting that the project was more difficult than expected, the team can document exactly what changed and how it affected labour, materials, plant or programme. 

That is essential for protecting entitlement and recovering additional cost. 

The handover should create ownership 

A project handover should not become an estimator reading through a checklist while everyone else listens. The delivery team must participate. 

The project manager should question the programme, procurement plan and labour assumptions. The site manager should raise concerns about access, storage, sequencing and temporary works. The commercial team should explain contract risks, notice requirements and valuation procedures. Procurement should identify lead times and approval requirements, while health and safety responsibilities should be understood before mobilisation. 

By the end of the meeting, responsibilities should be clear. Someone should own the outstanding information, material approvals, access arrangements, programme, design responsibilities, contract review and long-lead items. A handover that produces no actions, owners or deadlines is only a conversation. A good handover creates a controlled transition. 

Standardisation improves the process 

Every project is different, but the handover process should not be invented each time. 

A standard handover structure helps the business review the same critical areas on every project. That structure might include the tender summary, scope of works, exclusions, qualifications, contract review, programme, procurement, labour, access, plant, design, health and safety, quality requirements, commercial procedures and outstanding information. 

The purpose is not to create paperwork for its own sake. The purpose is to reduce reliance on memory. Experienced people may believe they already know what to discuss, and they probably do. The value of a standard process is that it makes that knowledge available to everyone else. 

It also creates consistency as the business grows. A project managed by one person should not receive a detailed handover while another begins with little more than a forwarded email. The company should establish one operating standard. 

A strong start protects the entire project 

A poor handover places the project team in a reactive position from the beginning. They spend the early stages searching for information, correcting assumptions and resolving issues that should already be understood. 

A strong handover gives them a different starting point. They know how the project was priced, they understand the contractual requirements, they can identify procurement priorities, they can plan labour and access more accurately, they know what remains outstanding and they have a clear basis for recognising variations. 

Most importantly, they begin with shared expectations. The hidden cost of a poor project handover is not the time spent in one ineffective meeting. It is the cost of every avoidable problem that follows. 

Roofing contractors work hard to secure profitable projects. The handover is where they begin protecting that profit. 

Learn more about Cotney Consulting Group in their Coffee Shop Directory or visit www.cotneyconsulting.com.

About the author 

John Kenney has more than 45 years of experience in the roofing industry. His career has included every level of roofing operations, from field installation and estimating through executive leadership. He is CEO of Cotney Consulting Group, a partner member of the International Federation for the Roofing Trades and earned the MIoR designation from the former Institute of Roofing in the United Kingdom. He works with roofing contractors to improve estimating, project management, operational performance, leadership and profitability. 

By Emma Peterson. 

Join Heidi J. Ellsworth and John Kenney for a live discussion on the market forces affecting coatings contractors and the strategies that can help businesses thrive. 

On August 12, 2026 at 11a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET), Heidi J. Ellsworth will host a live CoatingsTalk™ with John Kenney. John is the CEO of Cotney Consulting Group and boasts over 40 years of experience in the roofing and construction industries. He is known as a powerful thought-leader and credited with groundbreaking initiatives, such as an on-demand COO platform that redefined industry standards and provided contractors with the tools to succeed in an evolving market. 

In the webinar with Heidi, he will be using his vast experience and knowledge to share insights into the current forces shaping the construction coatings industry. He will put a special focus on the economic factors, such as spending habits, interest rates, material costs, and project backlogs, that are impacting roofing, waterproofing and specialty coating installations.  

And the conversation is not only about what has and is happening, John will also look to the future and share his thoughts on opportunities ahead, potential economic risks and market shifts. Closing out the webinar, John will share practical solutions and changes that can be made in order to protect business profitability. Examples of these changes include communicating long-term value during sales conversations, leveraging new technology to streamline operations and strategic planning/relationship building.  

Want to learn more about how to set your business up for success amid economic challenges? Register for the podcast, which will be live on August 12, 2026 at 11a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET), today!

By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group.  

The estimate is not finished until the final project review is complete and the lessons learned have been carried forward to the next opportunity. 

One of the biggest misconceptions in our industry is that estimating ends when the proposal is delivered or the contract is signed. It’s an understandable way to think because that's often how roofing companies are organized. Estimators bid work. Sales closes the opportunity, and then operations takes over. Everyone moves on to the next task. 

The problem is that roofing projects don't operate in departments. 

They operate as a continuous process, and the estimate is the foundation that everything else is built upon. When that foundation stops being part of the conversation after the job is awarded, companies begin losing something far more valuable than information. They lose alignment. 

I've often said that estimating is the first phase of project management. Over the years, I've become convinced it's even more than that. Estimating is the first operational decision the company makes about how a project will be built. Every assumption, every production rate, every material quantity, every labor hour and every note in that estimate tells a story about how someone believes the work will unfold. If those assumptions never make it beyond the estimating department, the field is forced to write its own story. 

That's where projects begin to drift. 

I've walked enough roofing projects over the past four decades to know that very few jobs go off track because of one catastrophic mistake. More often, they slowly move away from the original plan because information wasn't transferred, assumptions weren't challenged or conditions changed without anyone stopping to ask what those changes meant to the estimate. By the time accounting discovers a margin problem, the operational decisions that created it happened weeks earlier. 

The estimate should never be viewed as a pricing document alone. It should become the roadmap for the project team. It should explain not only what was sold, but how the estimator expected the work to be performed. That means identifying areas where production may slow, where access creates challenges, where sequencing matters or where coordination with other trades could affect labor. Those aren't simply estimating details. They're operational realities that the project manager and foreman need to understand before the first truck arrives on site. 

One area where I consistently see contractors struggle is the project handoff. Too often it becomes little more than transferring paperwork from one department to another. The estimate may be complete, but the conversation is missing. The estimator knows why labor was adjusted on one elevation, why an allowance was carried for questionable deck conditions or why certain details deserved extra attention. Unfortunately, much of that knowledge stays with the person who built the estimate. 

The project manager receives the documents. The foreman receives the work. Neither receives the thinking behind the estimate. That distinction is where profitable projects often separate themselves from disappointing ones. 

The best roofing companies I've worked with treat the handoff as an operational meeting rather than an administrative one. The discussion centers on risk, production strategy, sequencing and expectations. Estimators explain where they believe the project could become difficult. Operations shares field considerations that may require adjustments. Everyone leaves with the same understanding of what success should look like before work begins. 

Those conversations are rarely long, but they are incredibly valuable. 

Another mistake contractors make is assuming that once the estimate is complete, there is nothing left to learn from it. I believe the opposite is true. The estimate should continue to evolve throughout the life of the project. As production begins, actual labor performance should be compared to the original assumptions. Material usage should be reviewed. Unforeseen conditions should be documented. Every significant deviation becomes information that strengthens future estimates. 

Without that feedback loop, estimating becomes isolated from reality. 

Think about how many times contractors say, "Labor keeps getting harder to predict." 

The question I usually ask is, "What did your last twenty projects teach your estimating department?" 

Sometimes the answer is silence. Not because the information doesn't exist. Because no one ever captured it. 

Estimating improves when operations teaches it. Operations improves when estimating listens. The two departments shouldn't operate independently. They should function as partners pursuing the same objective: building profitable projects. 

Technology has made estimating faster than ever before. Artificial intelligence can assist with takeoffs. Digital platforms organize drawings in seconds. Software identifies quantities with impressive speed. These are meaningful advancements, and contractors should embrace tools that improve efficiency. But technology still can't explain why production slowed on the west elevation after lunchtime because the staging area became congested. It can't tell you why one foreman consistently exceeds estimated production while another struggles under similar conditions. It can't recognize the subtle operational lessons that experienced people identify after completing hundreds of projects. 

That knowledge only comes from connecting estimating with execution. 

One lesson I've learned after spending a lifetime in this industry is that estimators should occasionally leave the office. Walk active jobs. Attend project reviews. Listen to foremen explain what helped production and what slowed them down. Watch how crews actually install the systems you estimate every day. Those experiences change the way estimates are built because they replace assumptions with understanding. 

The same principle applies in reverse. Project managers and field leaders should understand how estimates are developed. When they appreciate the reasoning behind production assumptions and labor calculations, they become far more effective at protecting the margins established by the estimate. 

The strongest roofing companies I've known don't treat estimating, operations and project management as separate functions. They see them as different chapters of the same story. Each depends on the one before it, and each influences the one that follows. 

When that mindset becomes part of a company's culture, something interesting happens. The estimate stops being viewed as a bid that won the work and starts becoming the operational blueprint that guides it. Decisions become more consistent. Communication improves. Production aligns more closely with expectations. And perhaps most importantly, the next estimate benefits from everything the last project taught the company. 

That's how estimating becomes more than a department. It becomes a continuous process of learning, refining and improving. 

The proposal may be submitted. The contract may be signed. But the estimate should never be finished until the final project review is complete and its lessons have been carried forward to the next opportunity. 

Because the best estimators don't just win projects. They help build better roofing companies.