When a contractor/customer relationship doesn’t work out, there seems to be a lot of finger pointing about who did what, and how the project went so wrong. We’ve heard horror stories from our customers about previous bad experiences they’ve had with other general contractors. It’s a sad realization that more unfortunately than not this seems to be the norm. It’s always our goal to make sure that our customers are thrilled with not only the end result, but also the entire construction process. We’ve touched on this subject before, and hope that sharing these tips will help keep you from finding yourself in a similar situation.
Important qualities to look for in a potential General Contractor include the following:
- Customer and specialty contractor relationship management
- Strong experience portfolio
- Financial stability
- Strong intracompany processes
- Attention toward staff development
Pre-qualification questions to ask a potential General Contractor:
- How do you identify and resolve issues that arise on a project?
- How often will you stop by to check on the project?
- Tell us about a situation where you acted preventatively for a client in order to improve the project outcome.
- Will I have a dedicated team working on my project?
- Can I visit one of your current jobsites to see how the site runs and is kept?
Sometimes checking references isn’t enough. Anyone who gives out a reference list is quite obviously only going to pass out contact info of clients who had a good experience with their firm. It’s important to ask detailed questions and get your own ‘gut-feeling’ about the people and the company you’re considering hiring. Take the time to do your due-diligence before signing any type of contract agreement. Knowing the right questions to ask can help you make the best and most informed decision about which firm will be the right fit for your project.