On every medium and large construction project, part of the work goes to specialist subcontractors: services, joinery, facades, bespoke items or landscaping. The project’s quality, time and cost depend heavily on how well these firms are chosen and managed.
1. Choose the right subcontractor
Looking only at price is risky. The firm’s references on similar work, its crew and equipment capacity, its safety practice and the workload it is carrying at the same time should all be assessed. Bids should be taken against the same item list.
2. Write the scope item by item
The most common problem in subcontracts is vague scope boundaries. Instead of ‘plumbing’, write what is included and what is not: for example pipework in walls, sanitaryware installation, testing and commissioning. Every piece of work left outside the scope either never gets done or comes back as a variation.
3. Give every interface an owner
The points where two trades meet, such as the services under a finish or the insulation around a window, are where responsibility is most easily lost. For each interface, who does what and in which order should be defined in the contract and the programme. We explain this on our design and site coordination page.
4. Tie everyone to one programme
Subcontractors working to their own schedules are the main cause of waiting and clashes on site. All firms should be tied to one programme, and the next period’s work agreed together in weekly planning meetings.
5. Apply the same quality rules
Material and detail approval, stage inspections and the pre-handover checklist should be the same whoever does the work. Work that will be covered, such as the services under a screed, should not be closed up without an inspection.
6. Run site safety together
The risk of accidents rises where different firms work to different rules. Risk assessment, personal protective equipment and site rules should be the same for all subcontractors and monitored through daily site checks.
7. Tie payments to the work done
Subcontractor payments should be prepared from the quantity of work measured on site. This protects both the main contractor and the subcontractor and reduces disputes.
A fair, long-term relationship
The relationship with subcontractors is more than the contract. Paying on time, communicating openly and acting fairly make good firms want to work with you on the next project too. That continuity also means continuity of quality and trust.
DEMAFT’s approach
At DEMAFT every trade from structure to turnkey runs under one contract and one coordination; DEMAFT is the client’s single contractor. We apply risk assessment, protective equipment and site rules together with our crews and subcontractors. We value fair, open and long-term relationships with our subcontractors and suppliers.
Firms that want to work with DEMAFT as a subcontractor can introduce their company and references using the details on our procurement and subcontractor management page.
