So they bought cheaper rebar. Thinner gauge. Elena had to approve the change order. She’d signed it with a heavy hand. By month five, they were three weeks behind. The concrete pour was scheduled for a Tuesday, but the cheaper rebar had arrived bent. Straightening it cost two days. Then a surprise rain—unusually heavy for October—flooded the south approach because no one had budgeted for the temporary drainage study.
Marcus stared at the water. “Because planning costs money.” planningpme cost
Elena smiled. She reached into her bag and pulled out a faded sticky note. So they bought cheaper rebar
When the county awarded her firm the contract to rebuild the old Jasper Bridge, she’d smiled. Easy money , she’d thought. The budget was $2.4 million. Timeline: ten months. She’d signed it with a heavy hand
That drainage study would have cost $8,000.