RJ Martin Electric Blog

Do You Trust Your Electrical Contractor? Six Qualities to Consider

Hiring an electrical contracting firm for project work in commercial, industrial, health care, retail and educational sectors is a big decision—and one that’s not easy by any measure.

If you’re a general contractor (GC) or end user, you’ll have to gather as much information as you can, decide what criteria are important for your particular project and measure the electrical contractor against those criteria.

The contracting firm you choose should have deep experience in your industry, and with the type of project you’re planning. They should price their work fairly and have established track records of performing work safely, on time and on budget.

But what about trust? Certainly, professional capabilities and a solid track record can help to reinforce the sense of trust you have with an electrical contractor. But trust is more than that—it’s built on a foundation of shared values, and it provides an intangible feeling that instills confidence and builds bonds. In the end, businesses are run by people. You and your associates should trust the people you do business with.

That’s not to say you and your electrical contractor must be best buddies. Rather, they should be reflective of the best values and ethics you yourself aspire to, and they should instill confidence that their work will be of the highest quality, and performed in strict adherence to time and budgetary parameters.

Below are six qualities to look for in an electrical contracting firm that can help to instill trust.

(1) Proven experience. There’s no substitute for experience. The electrical contractor you choose should have a breadth and depth of experience in multiple industries—and the creativity, insight and, frankly, the courage to recommend alternative approaches when appropriate.

(2) Proactive communication. RJ Martin Electric makes ongoing and proactive communication with GCs and end users a priority throughout the course of all projects we work on. We also take the time and make the effort to reach out to other subcontractors on a job and build ongoing dialogue with them, regardless of their labor affiliation. Doing so benefits everyone—subs and GCs/end users alike.

We believe effective communication in an electrical contracting project occurs in four ways:

  • In writing: Written documentation not only protects us at RJ Martin Electric from damages either related or unrelated to our work, but it gives GCs valuable insight throughout a project that helps them identify potential trouble spots they may otherwise have not known about. In turn, they can address those issues with the relevant trades in order to get their work scopes back on track and help keep the overall project on schedule.
  • Verbally: As issues arise, subs – be they electrical contractors or other trades – should always be proactive in communicating. This means talking with GCs, and when appropriate, other subs. Informal conversations can even lead to subs sharing tooling and other resources as appropriate to keep projects running smoothly.
  • In meetings—planned and unplanned. At RJ Martin, we strongly endorse weekly coordination meetings among superintendents for each trade. These meetings offer a great opportunity to get together and discuss “two-week look-aheads” on which trade will be doing specific work at what point in time, and how that may impact other trades’ work and schedules. This gives everyone – subcontractors and GCs alike – advanced insight on what’s happening with the project so that the project stays on or ahead of schedule.
  • Internally. The electrical contracting firm you hire (or for that matter, any subcontracting firm) must have the processes, systems and culture in place that facilitate effective internal communication. Field personnel and project managers in the office must constantly communicate to ensure that manpower, equipment and materials coordinate properly with project schedules. As a family-owned and oriented company, we maintain an environment that encourages open communication in all facets of our operation. You should expect nothing less from the electrical contracting firm you hire for your next project.

(3) Capabilities and resources. At RJ Martin Electric, our electrical contracting capabilities and reach extend nationwide. We’re licensed as an electrical contractor in 31 states and maintain more than 335 municipal licenses throughout the U.S. We also have 40 service trucks operating across the country. We’re where you need us to be—when you need us to be there.

(4) A tangible commitment to safety. You would have a hard time finding an electrical contractor with a more comprehensive safety program:

  • Our award-winning program includes comprehensive drug-free workplace education, training and testing
  • ALL of our electricians have completed the OSHA 10-hour or 30-hour Construction Safety and Health course
  • We establish a site-specific safety plan at the start of each project
  • Our Experience Modification Rate (EMR) is well below the 1.0 industry average

Our total commitment to safety helps ensure your project stays safe, on time and on budget.

(5) Honest answers to your questions. GCs and end users may have questions about many aspects of electrical contracting projects—from processes and procedures, to billing, scheduling and more. An electrical contractor who doesn’t respond to questions, doesn’t respond in a timely fashion or gives vague answers isn’t someone who inspires confidence.

At RJ Martin Electric, we prepare highly thorough estimates for each project using state-of-the-art Accubid® and Accubid LiveCount™ estimating software so that you know up front all steps and procedures within our work scope. That, coupled with our firm commitment to communication at every stage of the project, helps address many questions both proactively and reactively. And of course, if customers have questions, we respond quickly with complete and honest answers. It’s simply the way we’ve done business for more than 30 years.

Learn more about how thorough estimates for electrical contracting projects benefit GCs and end users.

(6) Promises kept. RJ Martin Electric has maintained 100 percent fulfillment of all contractual obligations over the past 30 years. When we make promises, we keep them.

Contact RJ Martin Electric to learn more.

We hope this blog helps you understand the qualities of top electrical contracting firms that can help instill trust, as well as the approach RJ Martin Electric takes in this area. If you seek an exceptional electrical contracting firm for your next industrial, health care, commercial, education or retail project, please call Robert J. Martin at 216-662-7100 or email rmartinjr@rjmartinelectric.com.

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