Most contractors I've looked at publish a prequalification packet as a PDF, collect insurance certificates from each sub's agent, and track expirations by hand. Then every pay application brings another round of conditional and unconditional lien waivers, and someone in the office has to make sure each one comes back.
What I'm asking contractors
- Take the last sub you brought on. What did you need from them, and how long did it take?
- What happens when a sub's insurance lapses in the middle of a project?
- How do lien waivers come back with each draw, and who chases the missing ones?
- Who in your office owns this paperwork, and how much of their week does it take?
If you talk with me
- It takes about 15 minutes, by phone or video, whichever you prefer.
- I'll ask how your most recent case got from first contact to a complete file, and where it got stuck. I won't demo anything.
- Everyone who talks with me gets the write-up of what the conversations turn up, with every firm anonymized.
What I won't do
I won't add you to a mailing list, and I won't share what you tell me in a way that identifies you or your firm. If you'd rather not hear from me again, reply to my email and say so, and you won't.
I'm also talking with business brokers and property managers, and I'm asking them the same kind of questions.