Managing subcontractors for a construction project can be complex, with each trade having unique responsibilities and overlaps. This article provides important questions to ask your subcontractors to ensure all aspects of a project are covered efficiently and accurately.
Key Insights
- It's crucial to understand what each subcontractor's role entails, for instance, whether a concrete subcontractor includes structural or site concrete, or if a carpentry sub's responsibility ends with rough carpentry or includes architectural finishes as well.
- Subcontractors often prefer to work with their favorite partners, such as a concrete contractor including their own reinforcing steel subcontractor. Therefore, having clear communication with your subcontractors about their preferred partnerships and their scope of work is necessary.
- Estimating the cost of each trade yourself before receiving subcontractor quotes can help avoid discrepancies in the bids. It is advisable to get at least three bids for each trade on a sizable project. If the numbers vary significantly, it's important to reach out to the subcontractors and clarify the scope of work included in their bid.
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So, what are some good examples of questions to ask your subcontractors? Does a concrete sub include structural or site concrete or both? Many contractors include one or the other, not necessarily both. Larger projects often have a structural and a site concrete subcontractor. The structural concrete contractor would include all the concrete in the foundations, whereas the site concrete contractor would include the sidewalks, paving, aprons at the garbage trash bales, and curbs and gutter.
Is reinforcing steel included with the concrete subcontractor's pricing or is another sub required? Although a separate trade, the structural concrete subcontractor often includes their own reinforcing steel sub in their own bid. The reason for this is very often the concrete contractors prefer working with their favorite reinforcing contractors and they coordinate their own work. Where does rough carpentry end and architectural or finished woodwork start? Rough carpentry typically covers all of the structural framing and exterior sheathing.
Finished trades typically cover the remainder of the scope of work. That would include handrails, balusters on stairs, paneling inside the building, on the walls. Another question is what subs provide the doors for a storefront system? Entrances and storefronts are an integrated system, so this specialty sub would perform this work.
A specialty sub for doors, frames, and hardware does, however, provide the interior systems such as knockdown doors and frames and side lights. Is floor tile typically provided by the flooring contractor or the tiling contractor? Tiling contractors typically perform this area of work, whether it be on the floor or on a waitance code of a wall. Does the electrical contractor provide low voltage cabling, wiring, and conduits required? Voice, data, security, and fire, life safety, these are all often performed by specialty subcontractors as the project becomes larger.
You should always inquire with your electrical subcontractor ahead of time to verify what they are going to include. If they include low voltage in addition to their high voltage electrical system. Excavation.
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Who hauls off the spoils from the foundations? The estimator must first determine how many cubic yards of spoils will be generated and if they can be spread on the existing site. If they can't be spread on the site, the trade performing excavation and or the trenching typically covers this. It's important to make sure that they include it in their pricing.
How many bids should you get? If it's a sizable project, get at least three bids for each trade. This helps when you have a high number and a low number, at least that third number might justify which way to go. If all fails, always resort to your own pricing or your own budget estimate.
Regardless of the pricing that you get from your subcontractors, it has to make sense because you could have three very high bids. These are just some examples for this one particular project, but understand that this can change from project to project. There are many considerations and that's why it's always good to have a direct conversation with your subcontractors and talk about what they would include and what they don't include.
As a result, you then be contacting other contractors and revising their scopes of work as well. So generally speaking, having a good rapport or good conversations with your subcontractors makes it very clear as to how the project will be priced out by your subs and what the scope of work will include. Good information from your subs, therefore, provides better information for other subs with related work.
The best thing to take out of this is talk to your subcontractors. Just remember, it's okay to ask questions. So that takes us into the last item where we should estimate the cost of each of the trades that you plan to have subcontractors perform whenever possible.
This effort further defines the required scope of work as well as the cost prior to receiving their subbids. You should estimate the cost of each of the trades yourself prior to receiving subquotes. Don't rely strictly on your subcontractors quotes whenever you can.
You may actually get two bids and both of them may be high compared to your own number. It then opens up the door to ask more questions as to how your own budget might have been too low and then perhaps which of the two estimates you have is the right number to use in your bid going forward. Very often when you see numbers that range dramatically, high or low, there may be misinformation inside the bid documents or that they're being interpreted differently by each of the contractors.
Remember, pick up the phone and have that phone conversation to determine the scope of work included in their bid.
