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Fabricator Forum
Accreditation Helps Las Vegas General Contractor Drive Operational Efficiency and Quality
City of Las Vegas recognizes Richardson Construction with excellent performance evaluation
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Two years ago, Nevada-based general contractor Richardson Construction, Inc. (FA-441) looked to expand its range of construction services to include steel fabrication in support of public construction projects in and around Las Vegas, Nevada. The 30-year-old general construction firm had the equipment and welders—yet it needed a way to demonstrate to existing and potential customers its high level of quality, skilled personnel and advanced technology.
National accreditation seemed an appropriate solution and the company looked to IAS’s nationally recognized fabrication accreditation program. In the end, the mid-sized construction company not only earned IAS accreditation, but reshaped its quality control processes while creating an exceptional, service-oriented, steel fabrication business that caught the attention of one of its major clients, the City of Las Vegas.
The IAS accreditation process began with a review of the company’s quality control procedures, documentation and staff competency. Throughout the accreditation process, IAS and representatives of an IAS-accredited inspection agency assessed Richardson’s operations against industry best practices and offered suggestions for improvement.
Josefina Gonzalez, Quality Assurance Manager for Richardson Construction, adds, “When it was all done, the IAS fabricator accreditation process helped improve our overall operations in terms of efficiency and the quality of all fabricated members. Better yet, the quality control program we put in place for steel fabrication has now been adapted and expanded to all facets of construction, including to our superintendents.”
In earning IAS accreditation, Richardson Construction was able to significantly improve the overall tracking and documentation of the material fabricated in its facility, which included its ability to track all incoming and outgoing material. The process also provided the company with a way to accurately measure and quantify the quality of material and service provided to its customers.
Richardson Construction earned IAS Fabricator Accreditation in June 2006. Soon after, the company was recognized by the City of Las Vegas for work done on Fire Station No. 5 and Freedom Park projects with excellent marks on the performance evaluation. The City of Las Vegas noted that the projects were completed “with excellent teamwork, submittals, project being complete at opening and the quality of workmanship.”
Not long after, two of Richardson Construction’s projects, the Downtown Senior Services Center and the Washington Buffalo Sports Complex were awarded “Best of 2006” awards by Southwest Contractor Magazine.
“We attribute our success to our in-place quality control program,” concludes Gonzalez.