Tips in Finding a Contractor

If you prefer to find a contractor by yourself, please read on to have a heads up on finding a good contractor;

Steps in finding a good contractor:

1. Get a list of potential Contractors. If you are a first timer, at least 3 - 5 contractors should be in your initial list. But it is recommended that you keep as many contacts as you can so that you can have better options and add other candidates in case one contractor fails to meet your expectations.

Don't engage with them yet. Just get their contact and basic information.


Ways to find a Construction Contractor:
 1. Relatives and Friends' Recommendations
 2. On-line/Internet
 3. Yellow Pages
 4. Newspapers and Magazines
 5. Ad posters, Billboards, etc.
 6. Scout for ongoing construction projects
 7. Ask for your Designer's recommendations
 8. Product and Service Expositions

2. Gather information about the contractors. You can try searching for their website or online protfolio. You can also join forums and ask about any feedback about them. You can make a call to inquire and ask for their company profile. Many construction firms nowadays have online company profile.

Information to take note:
1. PCAB Classification. This is to ensure that the contractor is qualified to do construction works for your project.

2. Years in Service. Of course, the longer they have been in the industry, the more experience they have. But be sure to check the time line of their projects. Having only 1 project in 1 year is ok. But having no project in a year or two is an issue you should clarify with the contractor.

3. Finished Projects. Aside from reading the list of their accomplished projects, you can also ask about brief history of some of their notable projects so you can have an overview on how they handle projects and how they dealt with their previous clients.

4. Office. Knowing the location of their office is not enough. Go and visit. Investigate on how long they have been taking office in there. If they have been there for so long, about 10 years above, they might be doing good business then. Also proximity of their office to your project is an advantage.

5. Equipment and Material Warehouse. If possible, try to visit their warehouse also. A good contractor should have an organized warehouse. This is also a proof that they have the equipment, machinery and resources to finish quality projects.

6. Permits and Licenses. Although this should be there as expected, there's no harm in having a double check including the validity of the professional license of the engineers and architects in the firm.

7. Client and Project Reference. You can ask this at the early stage if you are seriously considering the contractor. But don't expect too much because arranging a project visit is not that easy but should not be impossible. In respect to their previous client, the contractor will normally seek for permission first before you go for the inspection. If this pushed through, chances are, you've found a good contractor. The fact that you have been allowed to visit their accomplished project only proves that they have established a good working relationship with their previous client, and possibly to you also in the future.

Remember, don't directly contact their previous clients and ask for feedback without asking the contractor first. This can be considered unethical and/or unfair collection of opinion. You'll never know. It might be that the client was the bad guy, and the cause of the project failure. If the contractor is in good faith, it would not be afraid to let you meet its previous clients.

We will continue with the Selection and Dealing with Contractors in the next articles. Thank you for reading.