How do you choose and monitor your subbies?

Q: Hiring a bad subbie can ruin a good job. How do you choose your subcontractors and how closely do you manage their work?

Firm: Jim the Builder
Principal: Jim Stenberg
Location: Christchurch
Staff: 30 builders, 15 apprentices

Simply put, your last job is your next best lead. If you get the wrong subbie, you risk turning a good job into a bad one – fast. Things can go wrong on a job; timelines can end up dragged out and unforeseen issues arise. So it’s not just how a subbie handles the job, it’s how they deal with an issue.

How we choose subbies is pretty straightforward. They are either tried and trusted through past working relationships, or they come as a referral from other contractors we trust. We also ensure that all our subbies are LBPs and that they follow safe practices onsite.

Managing subbies’ work is based on trust. We choose people who share our values and high quality of workmanship, so we trust them to do their job well. At the end of the day, all their work is inspected and signed off by our foreman, so it qualifies for Jim’s ‘seal of approval’ too!

Firm: R D Builders
Principal: Ross Flowerday
Location: Hutt Valley/Wellington
Staff: 1 carpenter

Most of the subbies I use have been working with me for a number of years, so I know they’re top quality and I trust them to do what’s required. I have one guy, a gib-stopper, who’s been working with me since I started my company 16 years ago.

However, when I do need to find a new subbie, I rely on recommendations from other contractors or sub-contractors, and it usually turns out well. I’ve had the odd occasion where it doesn’t work out, but, in general, word of mouth seems fairly dependable.

Also, when I do take on a new subbie, I monitor their work very closely for the first few jobs to make sure it’s up to our standard. Any work they do reflects on me, so it’s essential that it’s done correctly. Once they’ve proved their worth, then I usually leave them to their own devices.

Firm: Circle D Construction
Principal: David Crabb
Location: Kerikeri
Staff: 9 builders, 1 apprentice, 1 hammerhand

I’ve had my business for 20 years and I live in a small town, so by this point I’ve pretty much weeded out the subbies I don’t like and only work with the ones I do. However, when we go to tender for a project, which happens sometimes, I will often invite two subbies I trust to put forward a tender and will usually go with the better price, because I want to offer a lower price to win the bid.

I’ve found word of mouth is the most dependable mechanism for finding good subbies. In a small town like Kerikeri, it’s also the quickest way to find out that someone’s not so good!

Most of our subbies are monitored quite closely, especially if they’re new, as there’s a foreman on every site. While I have a huge amount of trust in my long-term guys, it’s always useful to have someone checking to make sure that everything’s being done correctly.