By Alicia Garceau
What happens when the electrician you normally hire is booked for the next four months, or you decide your plumbers just aren't cutting it anymore? You may thumb through the Yellow Pages or ask another remodeler for a recommendation, which can be risky. Even if you have a stable of regulars, you may have no choice but to roll the dice with an unknown subcontractor sooner or later, and that can lead to problems that at the very least could set you back with the schedule. In a worst-case scenario, it even might land you in court.
There is a better way.
A few years ago, Washington, D.C.-based Case Design/Remodeling Inc. took a hard look at their client surveys. What they found were clients who were happy with their Case Design/Remodeling experience save for one area: subcontractors. "So we said, 'Timeout. What can we do to make this better?'" says Bruce Case, vice president and director of kitchen, bath & handyman. "We realized we ought to start treating subcontractors just like when we're hiring a new employee."
The company created a system to control the variables when it comes to hiring subcontractors. Now if their usual trade contractors are booked or Case Design/Remodeling wants to add fresh talent to their stable of subcontractors, they can be confident that the new person has been thoroughly checked out and will represent the company well.
Check, double check
First, Case Design/Remodeling interviews all subcontractor candidates by phone. The idea is to conduct an informal interview to get a feel for how the subcontractors would present themselves to clients. Do the subcontractors communicate effectively? Are they pleasant? Do you like what they have to say?
Based on how the candidates fare during the phone interview, Case Design/Remodeling will then invite them to fill out formal applications. Case recommends that the subcontractor application reads similarly to the one used for employees. His company's includes questions about whether the subcontractor has a felony conviction, any pending lawsuits or unfavorable judgments. Case urges all remodelers to verify the potential subcontractor's answers. "We do background checks with employees. We need to do the same with our subs," he says.
Next, Case Design/Remodeling takes the subcontractors for a trial run. "We let them work in a client's house or two or three and monitor their performance," Case says. The company uses a subcontractor performance report that evaluates the subcontractor on several levels, including:
- Was the subcontractor responsive in coming out to look at the job?
- Is the subcontractor's pricing fair?
- How did the subcontractor's work rate?
The form is simple enough that it can be filled out by any member of the organization. If the potential subcontractors pass this final test, they are added to the Case Design/Remodeling stable.
Using a system for hiring subcontractors like the one Case Design/Remodeling has created may be a bit more time-intensive than throwing a dart at a Yellow Page ad, but the results are well worth the effort–especially since your own company's reputation is on the line.
Alicia Garceau is a freelance writer based in Indianapolis. She is the former managing editor of Professional Remodeler magazine.
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