Construction Law
Tips for Managing Subcontractors Part 2
Subcontractors play a critical role in the construction industry. While companies and contractors would love to handle everything “in-house”, it doesn’t always make business sense to do so. Subcontractors can offer a specialized skill set or temporary help at key times on a project.
In the first part of our series on managing subcontractors, we touched on key actions that must be done ahead of time to ensure project success. In this part, we will examine a few tips that make managing subcontractors easier once they are on your job site.
Include Subcontractors In Planning
It’s easy to have subcontractors conduct their jobs on site and isolate them from the rest of the process. However, by including them in weekly meetings, they will take more ownership in the project and likely be more effective. You also need to have an understanding of the other projects that your subcontractor may be working on. They need to be able to understand the work flow on your project.
Communications and Reporting
Since your subcontractor is essentially a separate company working with you, communication is vital. At the beginning of the project, make sure that your subcontractor has all the information that he or she needs to complete their work. If parts of their work are dependent on the work of other parts of the team, make sure that those parties are communicating with each other. It’s helpful to put together a contact sheet for your project and share it with everyone on the team. Also, include them in project reporting. Their feedback is valuable and this helps to hold them accountable for their work. Subcontractors should submit reports as well. You want to ensure that they are doing quality work and that it’s compliant. If conflict does arise, this information could be instrumental, if a Tallahassee construction law attorney needs to make a case.
Team Building
It’s not common to do team building in this setting, but with so much at stake on a construction project, anything that can motivate a subcontractor to give their best effort is worth investigating. Research creative ways to build connection among the members of your project, both staff members and contractors. The help of a team building professional may be needed.
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Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.