Tips on Hiring a Contractor
TIME TO PAINT? Great! You’ve taken the first step to repaint your building. Now what do you do? Do you get a free specification, use a certified spec writer, engineer, or architect? But wait a second… who are those contractors on the bid list?
• Do they have a license for those specific disciplines that you require?
• How long have they had that particular license?
• What training have their crews had in the work you intend to hire them for?
• How long have they been a painter?
• Where do they get their painters from and how are they trained?
• Who supervises their crews when you are not there and will they use your project to train new workers?
Handing someone a brush doesn’t make them a painter anymore than handing them a wrench would make them a mechanic. It’s a skill… A skill that is learned over a period of time with good training as well as constant on the job supervision. Jade employs some of the best workers in the industry. We assign a crew to your job and that crew stays on the job until it is done.
So if you’ve had other painters that have skipped a day or two, to finish other projects, unless other arrangements are made, that won’t happen if you hire Jade Painting, Inc. We put a foreman (or foreperson) in charge, assign him (or her) specific crew members and they work on the project until it is done. This includes supervision by a qualified superintendent that maintains daily /weekly jobsite visits, including being available by phone and email. We also encourage morning meetings with your designated on-site person whom will be responsible to convey information directly to occupants or users of the facility that we are hired to work at. This keeps everyone aware of changing conditions and other important things to know…
TRAINED PERSONNEL: Jade Painting, Inc. employs well-skilled and well-trained men and women. Our training begins with a 4 year apprenticeship training program, where teaching and supervision is guided through a process of certification classes until they become journey-persons or jobsite supervisors themselves. In fact, a fair number of Jade employees have been with our company for ten to twenty years, or more. (Click on the safety tab for training and certifications that our crews have available to them.)
PRICE: There’s always someone out there who would love to be the low bidder. But who are they and how experienced are they in what you need to achieve? When bidding to a written specification, all things being considered, bid pricing should be fairly consistent and spread out. But when you require special attention to detail and an in-depth review of the evident work on your particular project then it’s time to turn to Jade Painting, Inc. You may also wish to take into consideration whether they have enough years and experience to back up who they are, what they are doing, and is the price comparable to the job they will undertake.
THE OTHER GUYS: Who are those other guys and how long have they been in business? We run across this nearly every day. A new company that either just appeared on the horizon, used to paint houses, or recently started their own company. That’s when due diligence comes into play. Check out their years in business, the type of work that they’ve done, and then see if the experience they have matches up with their licenses and pricing that they provided. You can also call the State licensing department at 587-3295. They should be able to confirm a company’s license, including how long they’ve had that particular license to perform the work you are requesting them to do. So talk to them. Compare references to others and see how comfortable you feel about the price, past performance, and the work you intend to hire them to perform.
PERFORMANCE AND PAYMENT BONDS / INSURANCE LIMITS: Whether a performance and payment bond is required or not, you may wish to find out if the painter you will hire can provide one, including verification of what insurance levels they can comply with. A sample insurance certificate, from their Insurance Company, should be available upon request.
