Hiring a Contractor

Often we face situations where a client has asked a number of service companies to provide a quote for the services they require. When the final decision is made why was one contractor picked over another? Was it price? Appearance of the individual quoting? Web presence? References? “Feel”?

Things to bear in mind when finalizing your decision on a contractor:

Insurance – is the company insured for liability should something happen on site? Fires, floods, etc… can occur and if the company is not covered you will be fitting the bill. We carry $5 million in commercial liability insurance.

WCB – another type of insurance. This insures the employees should an accident happen onsite. Have you heard about the problem former premier Gordon Campbell is facing where an uninsured individual died at his cabin? It can happen to anyone! Again, we are insured and in good standing with WCB.

References – ask for some. Ask for addresses where you can verify work. If there is any hesitation by the company look out! Ask for ours, we will happily provide references.

Ability – are they able and experienced in the work that is being quoted? If not, you may be quoted a lessor price but in the end it may cost much more. A great quote by John Ruskin is “It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money — that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot — it can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.”

Just some things to think about when looking for a qualified contractor.

We look forward to working with you!

Ryan