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?

4. Interview the potential contractors. Face to face interviews can be very helpful.  Every job requires a contractor with a technical skill set, but it is also important to remember that you are looking for a working relationship, not just simply “hiring somebody”. So begin the process of narrowing down the list of contractors by setting up interviews.  Some people choose to do this before requesting a bid; some people choose to do this after receiving a bid, and some do both.  The timing of the interview isn’t as important as the questions being asked, so prepare for the interview and make sure that you are asking the questions that are most important to you.  

5. Ask for references. When selecting a contractor, always ask for the names and contact information of past and current clients. Any contractor who has been in business long enough should have a long list of references. Don’t settle for three references; ask for ten and randomly choose the ones you want to call.  Similar to the contractor interview, have a prepared set of questions and ask each reference the same questions.  Find out how satisfied the customers were with the contractor.  Ask whether he or she would use the same contractor again.  Find out what made it a productive experience and how the contractor handled problems any problems that arose in other projects.

6. Ask to visit an active job site.  There is no better way to learn how a contractor runs their job, then to see it firsthand on a jobsite.  Ask the contractor if they have any current jobs similar to the scope of work that you are considering and then set up a site visit.  Is the jobsite clean?  Does it look organized and safe and is there lots of activity?  Does someone take the time to meet with you, walk with you and answer your questions?  These are just a few of the things to think about when visiting a jobsite.  

​Next time we will provide a detailed list of questions to ask during contractor interviews. That list, together with the above suggestions, can provide an effective strategy for selecting the right contractor to assist you with your construction needs. ​