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Questions You Should Ask Your Contractor: “If there is one thing that can start a project off right, it is…”

When asked if there is one thing that can start a project off right,

Brandon Spangler says:

“I work to get subcontractors to send us their scopes early.  Many positives can come from reviewing scopes very thoroughly, at the very beginning. For example, from a pricing standpoint, we can avoid cost overlap by not having both the HVAC contractor and the steel contractor price steel supports for the HVAC unit, or both the drywall contractor and the tile contractor give us a price for backer board.  Awareness of these details gets us closer to the TRUE cost of the job. Another positive is that we can determine who will pick up whatever is left off any given scope but will still be necessary in the project, like caulking on the interior of storefront windows.  It doesn’t benefit anyone to determine that cost and who will conduct that work on the back end of a project.  Also, by reviewing scopes early and thoroughly, we can make sure every division has been accounted for, even Division 10 items that slip through the cracks so easily.  This serves as an internal double check, especially on highly detailed plans.  We can also get clarification when we need it.  If a subcontractor lists “excludes steel” in his scope, we can find out what exactly he intends to exclude and make sure those things are accounted for elsewhere.

All of this avoids potential changes down the road, once the project starts.  We would much rather ask the architect or subcontractor questions ahead of time, before receiving the notice to proceed, than deal with change orders or RFI’s that could’ve been avoided.”