Now that you Know These Construction Contract Terms, I think you’re ready now to follow along as I explain my process for finding contractors.

For your benefit I’ll be condensing my years of experience right here.

Okay, let’s get an easy one out of the way.

This is by and large a referral based business. When someone performs well you’re likely to use them on your next project. You’re also likely to recommend them to a family member, friend, or colleague.

Conversely, when someone performs poorly you won’t be doing either of those. In fact you’ll be telling others to stay away. Therefore the first thing you should do in your General Contractor search is ask your personal network for recommendations.

My first stop would always be seeking out other Project Managers in my office and asking for their feedback. Personally knowing someone who has used a contractor can give you a lot of insight when you’re asking the right questions.

Here are some of mine:

• What did the project’s scope of work entail?

• How would you rate their performance on… Communication? Budget? Schedule? Quality?

• What went right? What went wrong?

• How would you handle scenario “x” differently next time?

• Would you work with them again?

• Who from their team do you recommend working with?

Use their experience to extract as much information about the contractor as possible, and start building your list of contractor names.

Alright, I’ve given you your first move; seeking out referrals from your personal network.

Where else do you find General Contractors?

The second and only place you need to look is Google.

Search for Local or Regional home builders, contractors, and construction associations near your project. For example, I have the Waterloo Region Home Builders’ Association and the Grand Valley Construction Association near me. These associations exist throughout Ontario, so you should be able to find an association near you. Each of these associations will have a members’ directory on their website. Take advantage of this resource and keep a few of the following things in mind.

• Despite them being a member of a particular association, it does not necessarily mean they only service that area. (More on this later)

• The members are not limited to the residential sector. Members will consist of the commercial, institutional, and industrial sectors as well.

• The members will also include General Contractors, Subcontractors, Project Management firms, and other third party professionals.

There is normally a filter function somewhere on the members’ directory search page. Filter the members’ list to only show residential General Contractors. There may also be subcategories of residential shown such as Home Builder’s, Renovators, or similar. Select the most appropriate option(s) for your project.

You may find that despite selecting residential related filters, there are commercial contractors who were mistakenly tagged in residential, or who actually have a residential division, that appear. You may choose to include them for the next step or not.

UPDATE: In addition to the local Builder’s associations you can use Google, Google Maps, Yellowpages.ca, etc. and search your local area for just about any type of general or specialized subcontractor that you need for your project. Another method that has worked extremely well for me is to contact local building suppliers such as hardware stores, paint stores, and so forth and ask if they have a list of recommended contractors. You can even ask contractors you’re speaking to if they have any recommendations. For example, does the HVAC subcontractor know any reputable Plumbers or Electricians. Chances are, they definitely do.

Moving on, you’ve looked through several associations websites and found companies you think are well-suited for your project. Using a notepad or spreadsheet on your computer record the following information for each: company name, primary contact, address, service area (if shown), and website. If they don’t have a website listed, search Google using their company name or address.

What if you still can’t find a company website?

Queue my short rant:

If they don’t want to take advantage of the Internet to attract clients, showcase work, provide customer testimonials, list their services, service area or give a map of their brick and mortar location that’s on them. Personally, if I can’t find all of this information where it’s easily accessible in order to pre-qualify them, then it’s not worth the time spent trying to find it.

So, what if they do have a company website?

It’s an excellent way to start pre-qualifying a contractor before contacting them.

Navigate around their website, and extract the following information:

• Is it professional in appearance?

• Do they provide a list of services? Do any of the services listed align with your project needs?

• Did they include their service areas, so you know they will come to your area?

• Is there a ‘Gallery’ showcasing their largest and/or best projects, workmanship, etc.?

• Are there customer testimonials? (More on this later)

• Do they have an ‘About Us’ section that shows how long they’ve been in business? Their backstory? Who owns it?

• Are there any credentials or accolades on display that require further research? Are they legitimate? Made up? Purchased?

• Do they mention any affiliates or partnerships? Are they legitimate? Made up?

• Does it show the location and/or street view of a brick and mortar office you can visit?

• Is it the owner’s direct contact information on the website or an administrative contact?

All of the information collected from answering these questions will tell you a lot about the company and the experience you’re likely to have. Come back to these questions regularly as you work your way through all of the General Contractors on your list.

Circling back to customer testimonials for a moment; the testimonials on a company website will always be hand-picked for prospective customers to see. It makes sense; they are proud of their work and want you to know that these customers had a great experience working with them. Don’t take this at face value. Use Google, and search their company name. Look for reviews from other sources. Google reviews, the Better Business Bureau, and other various websites or forums are all resources you can use to gather unbiased reviews.

Admittedly, people are more prone to voice their negative experience on the Internet than positive one, so use your better judgment when reading through them. Some people just have unrealistic expectations and that doesn’t carry much weight with me.

Anyways, more positive reviews, moves them up my list. Poor reviews, moves them down my list. No reviews requires more research about the company. For example, they may be a newer company with an established team that for whatever reason branched out from their previous company. I’ve seen it happen. Update your notepad or spreadsheet accordingly.

Repeat the above process for each business until you’ve built up a substantial list of pre-qualified General Contractors. You should have 10 or more companies on your list before moving onto to Ways to Qualify a General Contractor. Keep expanding your search area on an as needed basis.

Once you’ve done that, I will show you how to contact your pre-qualified list of General Contractors and the important qualification questions you need to be asking next time.

Until then, Take care!