Greetings!
Is your contractors representative qualified?
Many contractors may have plenty of years of experience in their industry, but the contractors representative may not.
Pre-qualifying not only your contractor is important, but qualifying the contractors representative is also as important. On an average, maintenance contractors representatives have no more than 2-3 years experience in their trade. This is not a lot of experience when it comes to recommending thousands of dollars worth of work needed. They may have plenty of sales or other experience, but when it comes to developing a scope of work, and assuring that the customers money is being spent wisely, is not very assuring.
One of the questions many owners and managers ask contractors is "How long has your company been in business? This question is okay to ask, but a better question is "How long have YOU been in the business? As an owner or manager, it is vital that your investment is being protected to preserve capital expenditures, and that you wont have any unexpected major costs in the future. This also makes it vital that your contractors representative has the experience to determine the cause, effect, and the best solutions to meet your maintenance & repair needs. It can be very costly if the issues are not properly diagnosed and not having a long term plan in mind.
Here are 5 helpful tips to use as you approach your next project:
- Ask the contractor's representative how long they have been estimating this type of work.
- Request a resume and qualifications of the contractors representative.
- Call the representatives references from 1-2 years ago and of their most recent projects.
- When calling the contractor for an estimate, ask for their most experienced estimator.
- Seek a third party expert to determine the work necessary. This option is not that expensive, and in most cases will pay for it self.
Dedicated to bringing you information,
-ON-SITE Commercial Services Team
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