Finding Good Contractors for Commercial Work? Burned too many times.

[Hack&Lube]

How do you find contractors for commercial work? Is there a Kijiji-like website or any resources with reviews/recommendations for contractors?

I have a small business and have been burned twice now by shady contractors who disappear, are late on deliverables, provided substandard work, subcontracted their work to even shadier guys who they in turn did not pay and then had liens filed against our building, etc. It's been a nightmare.

I'm currently looking for a commercial contractor and also looking for a building inspector for electrical/HVAC/plumbing for retail and restaurant and don't know where to look.

I'm really new to all this. Does anybody have any advice or recommendations?

[Muta]

PM sent.

[JonDuke]

Can't help with anyone to use, but can suggest who not to use:
A good friend just posted this yesterday:

I can't believe it's been four months since our renovation was completed (half assed), and we are still having to deal with the contractors that didn't get paid by the company we hired. Please please get this company's name out there so nobody else can get scammed by them. The name of the company is Perfotech Precision Maintenance Inc. and the owners name is Patrick Globenski. He also operates under many other company names. He took our money and used some of it towards other jobs. He never paid any of the sub trades, so they came after us. We have the proof to back up our story as well. His workers are not certified and they did work on our house that we had to pay out of pocket to have corrected. After checking around there are several other homeowners that also got scammed by him. Please share and drive this guy out of town before he hurts another family!!!!

[foshizzle11]

Haha, I looked on their website at the testimonials.

http://perfotech.org/testimonials.php

two of them are exactly the same, looks like some posting by the owner to pump himself up IMO.

Seems shady indeed.

[PostandIn]

You may want to try www.trustedpros.ca It's mostly a residential contractors website but lots of the contractors on it also do commercial work. It's a different dynamic than kijiji or whatever because you are posting a project and the most motivated contractors contact you wanting to bid. Works really well. There are performance reviews so its pretty easy to get a decent read on the contractors that respond to your ad. I posted a painting job on Thursday morning and had 4 bidders lined up for Monday. I had to suspend the ad by mid afternoon because there were too many respondents. Three of the four showed, all on time, and I have the bids already. Good luck.

[GGG]

Make sure you withhold payment properly and get proof of subs being paid. In the market right now it should be competitive enough that you shod the have to pay much updront

[afc wimbledon]

The one thing I've learned is ask about the carpenter, how old is he, how longs he been in the trade where did he apprentice.

[PsYcNeT]

Ona commercial level, while it may be more costly, hiring a design group that handles all facets of a job including all of the project management stuff, is better than having a direct contract with some tradesman. This puts responsibility for the jobs completion on a larger, more reputable group that will handle all of your work coordination.

[rain_e]

If the contractor wants a deposit move on. This is commercial work. If a contractor can't float the job until the end find someone who can.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by rain_e

If the contractor wants a deposit move on. This is commercial work. If a contractor can't float the job until the end find someone who can.

Are you implying all commercial construction works this way? That is not the case. A contractor doesn't build a building and wait until the end before receiving a cheque.

[skudr248]

Originally Posted by Burninator

Are you implying all commercial construction works this way? That is not the case. A contractor doesn't build a building and wait until the end before receiving a cheque.

Could have meant to do milestone percentage payments, best way IMO.

[normtwofinger]

Originally Posted by skudr248

Could have meant to do milestone percentage payments, best way IMO.

I also agree fro my experience in commercial work.

[normtwofinger]

PM me. I have contacts for residential.

[PostandIn]

It's industry standard, and perfectly appropriate, for the contractor to get a percentage of the total project up front. It's often portrayed as 'material costs' and, as suggested above, progress payments based on completion milestones are routine. The big thing: do not pay out (generally) more than 75% until the job is complete and subject to final inspection. (read: COMPLETE AND FUNCTIONAL and subject to final inspection), not with a punch list of odds and ends to do because once the contractor is paid in full, your odds and ends are just a nuisance to them).

Beware of scope growth, make sure that the estimate covers off, in detail, ALL of the work you want done. It seems like a straight forward thing, but resist the temptation to make scope decisions at some later, unspecified, date if you can avoid it. This approach almost always costs more money in the long run. Some contractors will wait til the last minute to bring up items that have to be determined quickly otherwise it will hold up schedule, leaving you little time to research, consider options and make well informed decisions. The contractors leverage increases because they know you 'really, really want it' if you are going to add it after the job has started. This is where lots of competitive initial bids are subsequently 'maximized' by the contractor.

Another important thing: if you don't clarify the materials and manufactured items contractors will often provide the lowest grade that they think they can get away with. An estimate from a reputable contractor will break down the estimate to show the allowances for paint, tile, flooring, carpet, etc. The estimate should specify the brands and models of cabinets, racking, appliances, office equipment, lighting systems, etc.

Warranty periods: You should know what the warranty periods are for manufactured goods and installed materials. For the contractors work, they typically want shorter warranty periods. You may wish to negotiate longer particularly if there is mechanical or electrical systems in the scope. Door frames move and poorly installed or manufactured windows leak. Even things like who balances the HVAC and who pays for it needs to be considered.

Visibility and documentation: If you (or a representative) can be on site regularly, building rapport with the worker bees and their supervision, that typically bodes well as the project progresses. Lots of stuff comes up through friendly conversations with the people doing and overseeing the work. That said, respect the contractors lines of command. Observe but don't correct workers. Issues and change management is done through contractor management. Take progress photos and video. Document your walkthroughs and issue record of same to the contractor particularly if there are issues that need further discussion to resolve. Also, be alert to damage and rework. If the contractor damages the premesis, document and adjust costs at the end of the project. Likewise, be alert for re-work or materials that get damaged during delivery, on-site or during installation.

[Hack&Lube]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I've gotten a few PMs but most people are for residential. There's probably some cross-over.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

Ona commercial level, while it may be more costly, hiring a design group that handles all facets of a job including all of the project management stuff, is better than having a direct contract with some tradesman. This puts responsibility for the jobs completion on a larger, more reputable group that will handle all of your work coordination.

Any recommendations for a design group?