As the COVID-19 outbreak spirals out of control again across the United States, with daily death tolls approaching the highest levels since spring, many contractors are preparing for the possibility that the government may once again order construction sites to shut down, similar to the restrictions imposed in the early days of the pandemic.

Facing this reality, construction professionals say they are preparing as far in advance as they can, while ensuring that projects can be wound down in an orderly manner so that work can resume quickly after the pandemic passes. Here are important steps that contractors and experts say should be considered now:

Accelerate current work

For some construction companies, preparing for a shutdown may include speeding up construction while it is still feasible.

"Given the ever-present possibility of another lockdown, most projects have calculated and continuously updated the overtime costs of accelerating construction," said Geoff Ross, a New York architect and construction consultant. "Finishing early can be costly, but if it gets you ahead of a lockdown, it's money well spent."

Document project progress

For other companies, lessons learned from early pandemic shutdowns are becoming a guide for preparation in the coming months.

"Many of the early shutdown orders came quite suddenly," said Philip Casto, senior vice president at Chicago-based commercial insurance brokerage HUB International. "It was on the news on Friday, and by Monday there was a full shutdown."

To that end, Casto and HUB have been advising clients to prepare for various scenarios that could arise later in the pandemic and to accurately document current project progress.

"You need to make sure you have a checklist," Casto said. "Take photos of the project, document the current percentage of completion, and note materials or equipment that will remain on site."

Winterizing construction sites

Winter weather in many parts of the United States could also pose problems for sites that are shut down.

"As you get into the colder months, you have to make sure all your assets are safe," Casto said. "There will be freezing issues, building envelope issues. I worry about projects that are shut down and not properly sealed."

Eran Polack, CEO of HAP Construction in New York, said previous shutdown preparations included sealing site entrances and leaving two or three key personnel responsible for security.

For large vertical construction projects, a full shutdown may involve decisions about leased equipment, such as large tower cranes.

"If work won't resume for three months, when does the tower crane have to be dismantled and removed from the site?" Casto said. "Because just being idle creates liability in terms of how it's parked, especially if there's a major storm event."

Keep workers engaged

Multiple sources worry that workers may not return after a prolonged shutdown, especially if they find other opportunities, as happened during the Great Recession.

"For example, if construction is not deemed an essential industry, but Amazon can continue to operate, you can expect many construction workers to try to find jobs at distribution centers," said Anirban Basu, chief economist at Associated Builders and Contractors. "There's no guarantee they will return to the construction industry."

To address this possibility, Polack said he learned from past shutdowns that it's important to keep trade partners involved in the project during the shutdown, even if physical work stops.

"So even though plumbers or electricians can't work from home, we still have them join our weekly meetings," Polack said. "We review the schedule and what work can be done from home, keeping communication open so that when you restart, you're not coming back after six to eight weeks of shutdown. There's a certain continuity."

Ask owners to keep teams intact

Linda Foggie, senior vice president and New York office lead at professional services firm Turner & Townsend, suggests talking with owners about taking on the cost of retaining the existing team. Doing so during a prolonged shutdown helps preserve the institutional knowledge accumulated on the project.

"Are they willing to pay the monthly carrying cost to maintain the team so that when they reopen, they can bring the team back?" Foggie said. "Many clients have agreed. So I encourage contractors to ask that question."

Do what you can during the shutdown

Contractors can also use information about a potential shutdown to procure materials needed after work resumes, since a shutdown will undoubtedly affect manufacturing.

"Since Georgia hasn't shut down yet, but it looks like it's heading in that direction, you could buy carpet now (in Georgia), even if you're still in the steel phase and don't need it yet," Foggie said. "Maybe rent a warehouse in New Jersey to store the carpet until you need it, because at least you have it."

Others encourage contractors to use downtime to improve project deficiencies, viewing it as a rare opportunity to 'rework' aspects that didn't go as planned.

"Although everyone wants to start as soon as possible, use this time to reassess the project and see if it can be improved in any way," said Eli Meltzer, principal at Meltzer/Mandl Architects in New York. "Every building has parts we wish we had done differently, and sometimes construction moves too fast to make adjustments. But now you might have the opportunity to optimize it and end up with a more special product."

Prepare for the coming boom

The good news is that no matter what happens this winter, observers expect a strong recovery in construction once a vaccine is in place. One reason is that this recession, unlike the Great Recession, was not caused by massive debt. This means that when the pandemic is under control, both consumers and companies will have plans and cash to move forward.

"There could be a surge in workload sometime next year," Basu said. "It's reasonable to assume that because so many projects have been delayed, at some point a large number of projects will restart."

In fact, this possibility raises another concern: if all projects come to market at the same time, how to manage the influx of projects and find enough workers to complete them.

"What we're worried about is what the situation will be with trade partners and material supplies as a large number of projects restart," said Stuart Meurer, president of Windover Construction in Beverly, Massachusetts. "We're watching closely and think the impact will start to show in the second quarter of 2021."

But of course, to get there, contractors first need to survive the coming winter.

"In a federal lockdown scenario, you're not providing construction services, so you'd better not be incurring costs," Basu said. "Then develop a strategy so that when the pandemic recedes on April 15 or May 1 or whenever, you're ready to go."