Shopping for a good contractor

Contractor at a site. PHOTO | FOTOSEARCH 

By COLLINS OMULO
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In an industry filled with contractors at different levels of expertise and experience, the task of identifying the right and dependable one for a project can be challenging.

Felix Onyango, the chief executive officer of Dominion Valuers Limited — a real estate firm — says that one should have a plan and a proper understanding of the project including the budget, timeline and finer details before even thinking of getting a contractor.

“Failure to have a suitable understanding of the project and what you want will make it difficult to compare contractors.”

He also recommends taking several bids from different contractors before settling on the best fit, keeping in mind that the most expensive one is not always the best while the one with low quotations does not necessarily mean their work is of poor quality.

Simon Ng’ang’a, the managing director of Granite Capital Kenya, a real estate agency, says that before engaging any contractor, one needs to look at their certifications, more so from the statutory bodies such as National Construction Authority (NCA).

“It is imperative that they are certified by a statutory body where you can take your complaints in case of any disagreements,” he states.

One should look at a number of projects done by the said contractor with bias on the quality of the developments undertaken. One should also seek out previous clients for referrals and experience of working with the contractor.

“Be keen on the quality of the product. If they are hesitant to show you the completed works or referrals, there most likely is a problem,” explains Ng’ang’a.

Even with referrals, Ng’ang’a adds that it is important to learn whether the contractor respects your ideas, time, how they relate with their direct reports. These small aspects will help you determine your compatibility with the contractor.

He points out that most clients look at cost versus quality when number one priority for any client should be quality and not cost making mistakes in the process later ending up with a wrong contractor.

“If there is work to be outsourced from site, you will also need to do your due diligence on this vendor and on the quality of their finished products. It is imperative that you also confirm the payments to the outsourced services because some contractors divert these funds to their operational expenses,” he adds.

Paul Warithi Mutahi of UDesign Architects and Interior Designers explains that one should also find out whether the contractor does only government projects or private ones as those used to the former will struggle doing private projects as they are used to abnormal profits and relaxed deadlines.

“Most government projects start at Sh2 billion but end up at Sh4 billion so they are used to abnormal profit and the project might take a while. For a private individual, you want the project within a strict deadline as probably you borrowed money from the bank and deductions are due and the interest keeps on increasing with time” adds Mutahi.

Talk to consultants such as an architect, the quantity surveyor, and the engineer the contractor has worked with to tell you the relationship and even the professionalism of the contractor.

“Find out how many projects the contractor is carrying out at the moment because he can be overstretched. Mistakes most people do is that they do not want to do due diligence, they look for cheap prices and the guy entices them,” says Mutahi.