Best Questions for hiring a GC

[Justin Pearson]

Hello BP! I'm working remotely for a REI company and we've got a project going in San Antonio. So far we've been able to get a foundation guy in to do some work, inspection, etc. and a few contractor bids are trickling in. It's gotten to the point where I need to start vetting the prospective GCs and would like to know what kinds of questions you've asked in the past that helped you really find the right person for the job. This is my first time handling a project 100% remote and any advice is welcome.

[Christopher Campbell]

Key things to look for:

(1) Experience - however much you deem acceptable

(2) References - contact the last 3 customers they did similar work for

(3) Compliance - be sure they're following local rules in regards to permitting/inspections

(4) Specialty - a lot of guys say they do it all. To me that's a red flag. Learn what they do best and what they'll need outside help with.

(5) Management - how do they plan and manage the execution of a project? Which parts of the job would they sub out and how do they manage that along with any permits that might be necessary for that trade work? What's in-house?

(6) Billing - how do they expect to be paid? What's their billing schedule? What is the Quality Assurance agreement? Is their a per diem agreement for past due steps in the project (outside of any crazy weather, health issues, or stop work orders)

These are just some basics. I'm sure there will be a fair amount of additional input, this is a good subject to follow.

I hope this helps!

Cheers!