Last month, we looked at defining the scope of a commercial project well, to help improve the likelihood of success of a commercial project.

This month, we’re moving on to Step 5 on our ‘Roadmap to success’ for commercial projects.

 

STEP 5: OBTAINING THE QUOTES

Choosing the right builder for a project is a very important step in the process. You’ll be glad to learn it doesn’t have to be difficult. You should treat selecting a builder like you would recruiting a new person into a business. We recommend a three-stage process.

This step in the Roadmap involves obtaining a number of quotes. We recommend that you get at least two, preferably three, quotes from reputable builders that you feel you can work with.

Selecting suitable builders

The first stage when choosing who to work with is an initial screening.

Remember that old saying, “Go with your gut instinct”? It holds true here too. Set up a face-to-face meeting, if possible. Afterwards, pause for some reflection. Think about your initial impression of the builder or company when you first got in touch. When you did meet, did the builder turn up on time? How did they interact with you? How responsive are they when you contact them?

All of these things are good indicators of what a builder will be like when working with you on a project.

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Show them around

After the initial screening, bring in your preferred builders to see your building and start to get a feel for the job. Here are some important tips to help you get the most out of the quoting process.

• Take the time to show your quoting builders as much as possible and provide them with as much information as you can.
• Encourage the builders to ask questions. Their ability to do so shows they are thinking the job through. If a builder asks a question that you haven’t got the answer to, take the time to find out the answer so you can provide them with an accurate response.
• Provide every builder with the same information. For example, if one asks a question the others didn’t ask, it’s best practice to provide them all with the same information anyway.

Set a date for the quote response

Give the builders a decent amount of time to draw up and submit the quote. While you might be in a hurry to get things going, the more rushed the builder is, the more likely they are to just “provide a guestimate”. It is in everyone’s best interest to have ample time to compile and calculate a quote. We recommend allowing two weeks, although depending on the complexity they may need four weeks.

Provision of a quote is the first real test for your builder. Did they submit the quote on time? Was it thorough? Is it accurate or just full of allowances and provisional sums?

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Keep quotes comparable

As you will be comparing the quotes, it is ideal if each quote is broken up and laid out in the same way. The best way to ensure this is to provide each builder with a template with the costs broken into logical sections, for them to use when compiling their quote.
This will also be useful later down the track when the builder is making progress claims.

You can find us at:

Head Office (AU)
7/121 Newmarket Road
Windsor QLD 4030
www.core4service.com.au
hello@core4service.com
1300 267 333