What makes a great contractor compared to one who is not?

Saad Iqbal | 🗓️Modified: May 22, 2021 | ⏳Time to read:4 min

Great things never came from comfort zones and being a contractor you can’t afford to be a trivial in the business. The growing and harsh competition require a solid profile and you can’t win project bids without your reputation. Your repute, as a contractor, do passes from your past clients to potential clients.

Your greatness as a contractor is a major difference between a job loose or a job win. Whether you’re a general contractor, home improvement, wood working contractor or a similar one; your clients are looking for a quality work. The only way they trust your abilities and greatness is by looking at your repute and profile.

Organization & Team

Collaboration and team work is very important for success of a construction project. A great contractor focus on team building and making expert groups that are proficient and knowledgeable of their field. A team that works for a common goal i.e. to complete the project in time and with quality; is an invaluable asset for the contractor. You must be blessed as a contractor if you can find individuals that can work as a team and align their interests with yours.

A great contractor focus on giving training opportunities to all level of the firm. Construction and relevant technical works require in-depth training and comprehensive knowledge; that can only be acquired by formal and on-the-job trainings.

Experience

A great contractor has a good experience in every aspect of construction basic repairs to designing and building homes. Even if you are a firm that hire sub-contractors to complete a job; it requires understanding and capability.

Reputation

Your reputation is simply your gateway of wining more projects. A great contractor is always striking to develop and maintain a reputation that stands out among competitors. When you deliver projects as per your promised schedules you’d likely be going to be rewarded with admiration and referrals.

Integrity

Honesty and integrity is very vital for a constructive and productive environment within and outside your firm. This is not just with your client, you should be honest with your suppliers, subcontractor and even with your employees. Never try to over-charge the clients because you would gain less but miss more.

Quality

A quality conscious firm has definite potential to be a great contractor. Quality define the future of your business and it forms the basis of an efficient business. The quality establishes a framework that define such procedures and practices that ensures that the finished developed product meets the quality requirements.

Safety

Construction activities are the hazardous where the labor is involved in risky maneuvers. A great contractor takes safety as a top priority. Your good safety record would definitely help in growth of your business.

In case of a violation and an accident, the team has to investigate the incident, make reports, give explanations to management and all of this extra work is a pure mess for a great contractor.

Responsive Nature

No one like to hire an uncooperative contractor who is always refusing to consider scope changes. Construction works are unique in nature and even if you put your planning and management skills right on track, the outcomes are likely to surprise you because of uncertainty and uniqueness. Due to such nature of most projects, the client would request changes in schedule, milestones or even in structures and their finishes.

Although variations in real-time is challenging and frustrating at the same time; but to become a great contractor you should be responsive in cooperating with the client’s demands by submitting the price variations, revised schedules or whatever is demanded.

In a Nutshell

In conclusion, there is not a sure straight answer to the question, “what makes a contractor great?”. It takes great effort, time, commitment and patience to be a great contractor. It’s not an overnight achievement, rather it’s a continuous process that require one success after the other.

 

Saad Iqbal is a professional civil engineering and freelance write. He's passionate about structures, construction management, and home improvement topics. He's been working as a Senior Engineer in a consultant firm for over 8 years. Besides he loves writing informative and in-depth content focused on construction and home-related topics. You can catch him at his linkedin page or reach out via our contact us page.

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