Crew Productivity and Quality Outcomes in Multi-Discipline Telecommunications Construction: A Comparative Analysis of Integrated and Siloed Subcontracting Models

Abstract

The subcontracting structure of telecommunications infrastructure construction in the United States has remained largely unexamined in the academic literature despite the sector's central role in the federal broadband buildout authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. The dominant model in the industry organizes wireless tower construction, horizontal directional drilling (HDD), and fiber optic installation as discrete service lines executed by separate, specialized subcontractors. This paper challenges the assumption that specialization produces superior operational outcomes and presents an empirical case study of VS&NC INC, a multi-discipline telecommunications construction company that integrates all three service lines under unified management. Drawing on project-level operational data covering 140 tower projects and more than 70 fiber and HDD installations completed in 2025, this study compares crew productivity rates, rework frequency, timeline variance, and safety incident rates across integrated and siloed delivery configurations. Findings indicate that the integrated model produces statistically meaningful reductions in timeline variance and rework frequency and supports higher rates of workforce retention and safety compliance. The paper argues that the siloed subcontracting model, while administratively convenient for general contractors, introduces coordination inefficiencies that compound at scale, and that the integrated multi-discipline contractor represents an understudied but operationally superior configuration for large-scale telecommunications deployment. Implications for federal broadband program administration, contractor procurement practices, and workforce development policy are discussed.