One thing we pride ourselves on at JLJ and Associates is our exceptional relationships with our subcontractors. And while you might think, “Well, that’s nice, but how does it help me?” you might be surprised.
Our subcontractors are essential to what we do, providing specialized skills and performing crucial tasks in the course of any construction project. Without “subs,” our services would cost more, projects would take longer, and the results probably would not be as high quality.
Over the years, we’ve developed relationships with a stable of reliable, high-quality subcontractors that we have counted on over and over again to provide services that allow us to finish jobs on time and within budget. Why are those relationships important?
Subcontractors Are a Major Part of Construction
Imagine building a small workshop in your backyard and what skills you would need if you were going to do the whole project yourself. You’d need to know how to pour concrete to lay the foundation for your building. You’d need to know how to frame walls and a roof, how to install decking and sheathing, lay shingles, install doors and windows, and hang siding. You’d need to know how to run wiring so your shop could have lights, fans, and places to plug in tools. And that’s just the big-ticket items.
Now imagine building a massive industrial facility. The number of skills required for a project like that is significantly higher, and some of those skills are highly specialized. Maintaining a workforce capable of performing every single job on a construction site is impractical and not cost-effective. Instead, we use subcontractors who can come in, do the one or two things they specialize in, and then move on to their next project – for a fraction of the cost of hiring an employee or team to do the same specialized work.
By utilizing subcontractors, construction companies can offer their clients the top-quality work of highly specialized professionals without having to keep these specialists on staff.
Subcontractors Can Make or Break a Construction Job
A good subcontractor is a welcome addition to any job site. A poor subcontractor, however, can completely derail a project quickly. Failing to arrive as scheduled, missing completion deadlines, and other failures to deliver on time can soon snowball into delays in other areas of construction.
If a drywall installer is late, for instance, that can push drywall work into the window allocated for painting. If the painter has another job on the books, you may find your job delayed for weeks or months due to the subcontractor’s error.
With a roster of known and reliable subcontractors, we start your project knowing that our subs will be there on time, that they’ll complete their work according to schedule, and that any potential delays or issues will be communicated quickly so that we can adjust our planning as needed.
Subcontractor Relationships Directly Affect Success
Who are you more likely to go out of the way to help: a stranger or a close friend? A good subcontractor relationship means that the subs we’ve worked with in the past know us and know our business. They also know we won’t ask them to go out of their way or adjust anything unless it’s necessary, which means they’re far more likely to do whatever it takes to make things work.
While we have extensive experience with almost every type of commercial and industrial construction out there, we are still occasionally faced with a new type of need or want for a project that requires us to partner with a new subcontractor. In those cases, our reputation for maintaining exceptional subcontractor relationships means we’re more likely to find and employ a quality sub for that particular job.
Subcontractors Help Identify Issues and Develop Solutions
Our subcontractors are with us from the beginning of every project. During the design phase (of a design-build project) or the bidding phase (of a traditional project), our subcontractors are with us, reviewing the specifications and helping us identify when a particular aspect of a project could be problematic.
They also help develop creative solutions to help mitigate or eliminate the risk associated with that part of the project. They have the deep expertise and subject matter knowledge to come up with new ways of proceeding efficiently, effectively, and safely.
Subcontractors Help Solve Emerging Problems
If there’s ever been a construction job that didn’t run into a single problem or unexpected challenge, we’re not aware of it. When the unexpected happens, work stops until a solution is found, and finding the solution is always faster when you have more brains working on it. It’s faster still when some of those brains belong to highly specialized individuals with lots of experience in the area where the issue arose.
In other words, subcontractors help contractors solve problems. Even if we’re past a subcontractor’s formal involvement in a project, we know that we can count on their expertise any time we need it. Our subcontractors are more than just service providers; they also act as on-demand consultants to provide us with expert advice when we run into a hiccup.
Renovating, Repairing, Expanding, or Repurposing Your Business Facilities? Give Us a Call, and Let Us Show You the JLJ Difference.
From data center renovations to tenant buildouts, expansions, and more, trust the team at JLJ and Associates and our reliable subcontractors to complete your project on time and within budget. Call us today to find out how we can work for you! 770-961-7600
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