{"id":2323,"date":"2023-06-28T13:38:51","date_gmt":"2023-06-28T20:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/?p=2323"},"modified":"2023-07-12T13:55:21","modified_gmt":"2023-07-12T20:55:21","slug":"5-things-to-focus-on-when-hiring-a-subcontractor-as-a-licensed-contractor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/5-things-to-focus-on-when-hiring-a-subcontractor-as-a-licensed-contractor\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things To Focus On When Hiring A Subcontractor As A Licensed Contractor"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Working with a new subcontractor to do a crucial job on your commercial or residential project can test the nerves of even the strongest, most seasoned contractors.<\/span><\/p>\n

While most contractors have a strong network of co-workers that they can trust, you never know when you\u2019ll need to hire a specialist that\u2019s outside of your network (we once had a client inadvertently demand a load-bearing lattice archway made out of granite!).<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are 5 things to focus on when hiring subcontractors that you don\u2019t know.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Verify Their License<\/span><\/h3>\n

According to a survey by the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies, around 40% of contractor complaints are related to unlicensed activity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in a position where you\u2019re hiring subcontractors to do jobs, you already know how important it is to make sure you\u2019re doing in accordance with CSLB requirements \u2013 and California law. Step 1 is verifying your potential sub\u2019s license.<\/span><\/p>\n

First things first: get your subcontractor\u2019s CSLB license number. Once you have that, you can check your potential sub\u2019s license status with the CSLB <\/span>using their online license checker.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve verified their contractor\u2019s license, you can begin assessing their capabilities as a contractor.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Call Up Those References!<\/span><\/h3>\n

This is a no-brainer, but always request references from former clients and contact them to learn about their experience with the subcontractor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In many cases, the subcontractor you\u2019re looking at is a friend of a friend or even maybe a family member of one of your existing employees or subs. While you may be tempted to take their word for it, you <\/span>must<\/span> make sure they\u2019re not going to put you in legal and financial trouble by doing something stupid.<\/span><\/p>\n

The best way to verify a contractor\u2019s quality is by speaking to their former employees. That way you can get an objective viewpoint<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Check Their Communication Skills<\/span><\/h3>\n

You can usually tell pretty quickly whether someone will be a good subcontractor by how they communicate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Poor communication can increase project costs by up to 20%, so strong communication skills are absolutely necessary for success on a jobsite.<\/span><\/p>\n

Especially when it comes to the sometimes-surly world of hiring subs, always check that the subcontractor you\u2019re considering can actually communicate \u2013 with you and with others. People who can\u2019t communicate have no place on a construction site, as it can not only harm the project but it also creates the potential for conflict or hazardous work situations.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Assess their Capacity and Flexibility<\/span><\/h3>\n

Research shows that 85% of projects exceed their initial timeline, so making sure your potential subcontractor even has the resources and time to commit to your project is critical to keeping things on track.<\/span><\/p>\n

Determine their availability and willingness to work within your project’s timeline. This is your ship, not theirs. Also make sure they can adapt to potential changes in project scope \u2013 this is the construction industry, after all, and things are changing in scope or scale all the time. Any good subcontractor will have no problem adapting.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Establish An Onboarding Pipeline<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re hiring a subcontractor, you need to have all your stuff in order. You and your team need a robust process for hiring, paying and handling paperwork with regards to any subcontractors you hire.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also need to acquire Workers\u2019 Compensation insurance and liability insurance as well. Establishing a process with your team to handle the administrative load of making sure all your insurance, licenses, contracts and paperwork are all in order is absolutely critical. Not only will it protect you legally, but it\u2019ll make it quicker and easier to hire more people and grow your business.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion: Building a Robust Team of Subcontractors<\/span><\/h2>\n

Any general contractor worth their salt knows that any successful construction job hinges on the success of its weakest team member, so hire carefully and hire slowly.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the very least, always always <\/span>always<\/span><\/i> make sure that your subcontractors are verified CSLB license holders, and you can protect yourself from the worst consequences of a hiring mishap.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Working with a new subcontractor to do a crucial job on your commercial or residential project can test the nerves of even the strongest, most seasoned contractors. While most contractors have a strong network of co-workers that they can trust, you never know when you\u2019ll need to hire a specialist that\u2019s outside of your network … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[220],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-contractor-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2323\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contractorslicensingschools.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}