Finding the right contractor for your commercial facility should be the first priority, whether you’re a first-time facility manager or looking to renew a contract before the New Year. As the end of 2019 approaches, think about the qualities you look for in a maintenance team, and what expectations you want to lay out for them. Knowing your maintenance and facility improvement goals before you sit down with a potential contractor will help you better navigate your contract and decide who to call when an emergency maintenance issue arises.
Before you decide on a general contractor for your facility, follow these steps:
Question the contractor
Before you sign a contract, you should interview your contractor thoroughly to learn about their services. Ask them what services they can and cannot perform, as well as what client references they can provide. You will want to find out what separates them from other contractors, and how their prices match up. Before you decide, interview several companies and compare notes.
Audit the company
Unless it is an emergency, there should be plenty of planning in the process of preventative maintenance. Before you sign a company, you need to audit their facilities and ensure they can meet the demands of yours. You need to ensure they contractors on staff follow safe, clean, and efficient protocols and can back up their work. One of the best ways to audit a maintenance team is to review their references thoroughly and ask them the questions you want to be answered.
Request case studies
If the company you hire is as good as they say, they should have case studies for you to review. Case studies could include the results they’ve achieved with other clients, or how their preventative maintenance programs have helped save clients on energy or power expenses. You should also be able to find out their project completion rate and time frame and compare these numbers to their competitors.
Find out their expertise.
Every general contractor has an area of specialty. You don’t want to hire a contractor who is not specialized in the services you plan to schedule throughout the year. Smaller contractors may try to take on more jobs than they’re specialized in. However, this can get you into trouble as the client. Ask for their certifications and specializations to ensure the contractor you hire can do the job you need.
MaintenX provides honest references, hard work, and certified contractors in a variety of fields. We work hard to ensure that when you have an emergency maintenance issue, you know who you can trust to save the day. MaintenX also offers year-round preventative maintenance contracts to help you keep your facility in tip-top shape. Contact us today to learn more.
