When it’s time to hire an electrical contractor for your next commercial, industrial, health care, retail or education project, there are lots of things to consider—from their experience with similar projects, to their overall capabilities, their commitment to safety, the merits of the bid they submit and much more. But how much knowledge do you need when it comes to the ins and outs of electrical systems, components and processes?
Thankfully, the answer is, none. After all, you as a general contractor (GC) or end user hire subcontractors based on their qualifications, capabilities and experience in their specific trade. Each should have demonstrated expertise in their field, and you should expect them to serve the best interests of you, your organization and your project at all times.
While no in-depth knowledge of electrical contracting is necessary on your part, there are five important factors to consider when evaluating electrical contracting firms:
1) Deep experience and capabilities in specific sectors – and in many sectors. There’s no substitute for experience—and when it comes to electrical contracting services, that holds true in two notable respects:
First, certain industries necessitate specific types of training and certifications—for example, some industrial projects require electrical workers to have a Transportation Workers Identity Card. Projects in settings like cement factories require electrical contractors to have AMSHA training. Before hiring an electrical contractor within a specific industry (e.g., health care, industrial, retail, commercial), ask for details about their experience in that industry, as well as certifications and trainings specific to the industry that workers have received.
Second, experience in a variety of market sectors exposes professional electricians to alternative approaches and techniques that can greatly benefit your project. There are times when multiple approaches can be used for one electrical task. If the electrical contractor you choose employs one approach for, say, hospital work, that approach may be suitable for your industrial, retail or commercial project—and it could potentially save you time and money.
Ideally, your electrical contractor should therefore 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) Accurate estimates. General contractors and end-user construction supervisors have so much on their plates; one thing they don’t need is unwanted surprises that result from faulty or incomplete estimates. To ensure that our project estimates reflect the true scope of work we intend to perform, RJ Martin Electric utilizes state-of-the-art estimating software – Accubid® and Accubid LiveCount™ – for every electrical contracting project we pursue.
Our Accubid estimating software allows RJ Martin Electric estimators to access over 40,000 items and 9,500 assemblies online. Accubid LiveCount, meanwhile, allows RJ Martin Electric estimators and field supervisors to pull up drawings electronically anywhere, anytime. This helps improve data security by keeping plans in one secure and easily accessible digital warehouse; and it further reinforces accuracy and trackability of estimates and costs throughout the duration of a project.
Accubid and Accubid LiveCount represent a substantial investment by RJ Martin Electric—and not all electrical contractors are willing to make that investment. Yet, through the use of Accubid and Accubid LiveCount, our estimates are detailed down to the screw. And for GCs and end users, that means extremely fast and accurate estimates, where no detail is overlooked, and no unpleasant surprises arise during construction projects. For more information on our estimating process and resources, read our recent blog on this topic.
3) Competitive pricing and attention to cost control. Your electrical contractor should give you a competitive – and fair – quote for their services. If it seems high, tell them so, and ask for their rationale. Do the same if it seems too low. Far too often, electrical contractors will underbid a job – sometimes by a wide margin – and then “change-order” their way to profitability. For GCs and end users, this is a very bad scenario. Believe us when we say it will cost you more money in the long run – probably a lot more – to perform damage control in that situation than to simply select a reputable contractor who provides an accurate, comprehensive and fair price up front.
The second consideration is cost control. Again, once a project commences, lots of things can derail schedules and send budgets soaring skyward. If the electrical contracting firm you hire has a reputation for staying on time and on budget, then you’ll likely have one less thing to worry about in the overall project scheme.
4) Trustworthiness, honesty and reliability. Think about it: An electrical contracting firm that doesn’t have financial judgments against it, pays its bills on time, delivers accurate estimates, shows up to the job when it says it will, does the work it’s contracted to do, communicates clearly and regularly with the GC and other subcontractors and maintains a drug-free workplace and a stringent safety program is worthy of being trusted. And with so many variables in any construction project, it’s comforting (or put another way, one less worry) for GCs and end users when they can trust the electrical contracting firm they hire.
Related to trustworthiness, an honest electrical contracting firm sticks to their word, delivers work on time and on budget as per the specified work scope, doesn’t mince words and doesn’t renege on promises made.
Then there’s reliability. GCs and end users juggle lots of balls in the course of a construction project. One glitch, and you’re in jeopardy of dropping them all—and that means lost time and money. It’s crucial the electrical contracting firm you select is reliable in every sense of the word. That means:
An electrical contractor may tell you they’re reliable up front. How can you validate that? We suggest to GCs and end users that they talk to our current and past customers and ask them for candid assessments of how reliably we performed on their projects.
5) A firm-wide commitment to safety. It’s hard to overstate the importance of safety in construction projects. When you’re evaluating electrical contractors for your next project, the contractor you choose must maintain an established and comprehensive safety program that ensures workers are properly trained in all elements of safe work practices. This helps to mitigate jobsite accidents and keep project schedules and budgets on track. Anything less is unacceptable.
RJ Martin Electric places the highest priority on providing employees with a safe and clean work environment. In fact, you would have a hard time finding an electrical contractor with a more comprehensive safety program. How so?
Contact RJ Martin Electric to learn more.
We hope this blog helps you understand what you need to know in order to hire your next electrical contractor. 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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