Contractor Selection for the Savvy Owner - Part One

By Charter Construction

Savvy owners realize that contractor selection is a crucial decision.  Selecting the right contractor will help you get the quality you want, at the right price, in the right time frame and the chance to work with people you like and respect.  In Part One of this article, we cover 6 key steps. 

1. Define your scope.  It might sound like a no brainer, but before you can do anything, you need to define the specific scope of work that you need done.  Even if the scope of work is only a few line items long, having a clearly defined scope of work is critical when determining the contractor you need.  In addition, having a defined scope of work is critical when communicating your needs to more than one contractor.  If you don’t do this, you may end up receiving very different bids for very differently perceived scopes of work.
2. Call people with similar experience. Now that you have your scope of work, contact people you know who have done similar work to the job that you are contemplating. Word of mouth can be a great way find a qualified professional to tackle your job. Ask them lots of questions and learn about their personal experience and how it might relate to your own present requirements.
   
3. Call the contractors directly. Once you have a list of contractors, calling them directly is a great way to begin the selection process.  Again, be sure to provide the same scope of work to each contractor so you can obtain a level comparison of how they would approach the job.  What is your initial impression?  Do they do this kind of work? Do they sound interested in the job at hand?  Are they available?  Did they take the time to talk to you and understand your needs?

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