Well, before I am scared off Maybe I will drive all the way into Austin and visit some suppliers....15 minutes but again I am a sloth.

GC/Owner gives me phone number of their preferred supplier, I make up material lists and order accordingly, supply house delivers to job site directly and GC/Owner pays upon delivery.

My cabinet supplier had some neat software that let him design my kitchen in a simple 2D top view layout and then generate a 3D model.

With a designer on your team, you no longer need to worry about building relationships with suppliers for materials or finding an architect.

But I would provide trade references to my subs and suppliers.

I figured the 81% AFU boiler I want costs for 1500 from a local supplier.

You should be familiar with material costs, suppliers and time required for a job so you can judge any bid.

For example, I have accounts on all my suppliers (except for some "convenience" shops), I have a standing instruction where it is illegal to "combine" purchases per project, each project is treated as a separate transaction, every time, all the time, no matter what, no matter when.

It's best to ask local realtors, suppliers, lenders, even insurance agents for referrals.

My last order of RTA cabinets from a local supplier, half of them came in damaged.