suppliers?

If the material cost is significant we tell the contractor we will pay them on the start of first day, or they can put us in touch with their supplier and we will pay the supplier directly. 

I'm of the opinion that there's nothing wrong with making money and there's nothing wrong with a company getting profit if they are offering value - and in our case the overriding considerations we have used to justify this decision are that:We should be doing something more valuable with our time than handling service calls (and we have those opportunities in the hopper)We have higher 'costs' (lets call them transactional costs) associated with constantly trying to maintain a network of competent service suppliers. 

I'm redoing  a condo kitchen in Hayward - low/middle end. I like the reasonable prices of Chinese quartz, but am concerned because the quality really varies.  Uni-Tile, East Star, Sincere . . .   Who is a REPUTABLE Ch...

If so, who is the supplier?

In particular, I work with a great kitchen supplier who orders direct and usually donates or cheaply sells extra supplies that are rejected or slightly damaged. 

And do you buy it from a local supplier or do you buy someplace we could all go?

I am sure you will get plenty of feedback from the contractors around here and other investors that have good contractors that they work with.I have been working with contractors for over 12 years as a Designer, Estimator, and a Supplier of all things interior and a few things exterior. 

Also I'd hire a local you trust as a go between for your subcontractors and suppliers.

The lender will also want to know what type of suppliers you are working with and if you are making sound decisions about what needs to be purchased and how.This list is certainly not exhaustive and much more information may very well be required in order to secure the SBA-backed loan.