Questions About Scope and Exclusions

Begin here, because this is where money is lost. A contractor who cannot list their exclusions from memory has not thought about them, and unexamined exclusions become variations. Ask for the list in writing and read it against the drawings.

Pay attention to the boundaries: external works, connections to services, temporary power and water, disposal of excavated material, and anything described as an allowance. These items are legitimate to exclude, but only if you know they are excluded.

  • What is excluded from this price?
  • Which items are allowances rather than fixed prices?
  • What information are you still waiting for from the designer?
  • Which specification decisions are still open?

Questions About People

Buildings are made by the individuals who are present when concrete is poured and tiles are set. Ask who those individuals are by name and role, how many other projects they are running concurrently, and whether they will change during your project.

Also ask who you call when something is wrong at seven in the morning. A single, named point of contact with authority to make decisions saves weeks over the life of a project.

Questions About Subcontractors

Most main contractors subcontract specialist trades, which is normal and often preferable. What matters is which trades are subcontracted, whether those firms have worked with the contractor before, and who is responsible for coordinating between them.

Waterproofing, MEP, and specialist joinery deserve specific questions. These trades cause the most expensive defects when they are procured on price alone or supervised loosely.

  • Which packages are subcontracted, and to whom?
  • Have you worked with these subcontractors before?
  • Who coordinates the interfaces between trades?
  • How are subcontractor payments handled, and does that affect my programme?

Questions About Change and Delay

Ask to see the variation procedure before you sign. Who can instruct a change, in what form, and how quickly will it be priced? Will work proceed before the price is agreed, and if so, on whose authority?

On delay, ask what events entitle the contractor to more time, how notice must be given, and how the programme is updated. A contractor with a rehearsed, unemotional answer has managed this properly before.

Questions About Money

The payment schedule should be tied to verifiable progress, not to the calendar. Ask what evidence accompanies each application, who values the work, and what retention arrangement applies until defects are closed.

Ask also what happens to your money if the project stops. Advance payments for materials should be matched by materials on site or by a bond, not by trust alone.

Questions About Finishing and Handover

Quality is decided in the last ten per cent of the work, and that is where under-resourced contractors fail. Ask how snagging will be recorded, who inspects, and how items are signed off. Ask whether commissioning of mechanical and electrical systems will be witnessed and documented.

Finally, ask what you will physically receive at handover: as-built drawings, warranties, operation and maintenance information, keys and access credentials, and a schedule of finishes for future repairs. A contractor who has this list ready has handed over buildings properly before.

Key takeaways

  • Exclusions and allowances are where budgets quietly fail.
  • Ask for supervisors by name and ask how many jobs they carry.
  • Read the variation procedure before signing, not after the first change.
  • Payment should follow verifiable progress, not the calendar.
  • A contractor who can describe handover in detail has done it well before.