What To Ask Your Subcontractor

Hiring reliable subcontractors is an absolute must for any builder. Failing to do so can lead to inevitable project headaches, and over time could also spell the eventual end for the builder. It is therefore essential to ensure your subcontractors are reliable, efficient and complete top-quality work.

If you work in construction, you will no doubt have noticed that some projects run very smoothly, and others can be a total nightmare. Almost always it’s due to sub-par subcontractors on the job which causes headaches for the builder and the other subcontractors. For this reason, we have put together a checklist of questions for builders to ask to ensure they are selecting the best subcontractors for their projects.

How can you avoid hiring substandard subcontractors?

Most builders like to believe that the subcontracting side of any project is under control, but often it’s not the case. After experiencing too many instances of builds being negatively affected by substandard subcontractors, we formulated a checklist to give builders which allows them to tick off the top 4 questions:

Question 1:

Do you pay wages on time?

As a builder, your reputation is on the line. You have to be able to get the job done on time, on budget and to a high level of standard. If your subcontractor is not paying their workers on time, it’s very likely they’re not going to show up for work. This holds up the project, and other subcontractors and ends up damaging your reputation.

Getting clear on this question from the start will save you time, money and headaches.

Question 2:

Is your superannuation up to date?

In the same way that not paying wages on time will lead to many problems down the line, not paying superannuation in a timely manner will also lead to issues. Failure to be up to date with super payments is a leading indicator of a business that is in trouble. Definitely not a subcontractor that you want on your job.

Knowing that a subcontractor is on top of superannuation payments gives you peace of mind that they are organised and have solid foundations.

Question 3:

Do you have a project administrator?

As the builder, you’ve got to be able to get things done and you need to be able to get a reply from your subcontractors in a timely manner. For example, with RFIs, ordering, wages and a myriad of other administrative communications.

If there’s no one on the subcontractor’s end dedicated to taking care of this detail, things are going to get missed, held up or vital information delayed.

You should be able to rely on a response within 24 hours at minimum. But when there is no administrative support, things all too frequently slip through the cracks, making everyone’s job a lot harder.

Whereas when there is a dedicated contact person, life is a whole lot easier and the project runs much more smoothly.

Question 4:

Are you subcontracting the work out?

If a subcontractor is subcontracting the work out to someone else, it generally means the person they’re passing the work on to is cheaper. If they are doing it for a lower price, then they are going to want to cut corners and take shortcuts so they’re able to get the job done in a fast amount of time and still make their margin.

What can happen when just one of the top 4 most important questions is overlooked?

Here’s a funny (although it wasn’t quite that funny at the time) example of what can go wrong on a job when one or more of these questions are overlooked.

Recently we were working with a builder who needed a flooring contractor for the project. He had the option of two different subcontractors. One of them was cheaper, but he’d worked with them before and hadn’t been happy with their work. They had cut corners and given him hard time on the job.

So instead, he opted for the more expensive flooring contractor who had good recommendations.

But unbeknownst to the builder, this flooring contractor actually contracted out the job to the other cheaper contractor! So, he ended up paying more for a lower-quality job.

This would not have happened if the builder had asked question #4.

An important lesson learn.