What Makes Up A Great General Contractor?

One of the greatest assets of a quality General Contractor, or any building contractor for that matter is a
clear clarity of purpose. Without a purpose, or without a target, efforts are inefficient, success is
unverifiable, and team members flounder and waste time not knowing exactly what they should be
focusing on. For any Contractor to survive today in this risky economy, clarity of purpose is extremely
necessary, and even though the market may not be clear as to what area of construction will be
profitable, there are some basic tools which need to be in any contractor’s toolbox in order succeed and
have clarity wherever the market may lead. A successful contractor needs to develop, incorporate, and
maintain three basic skill sets in order to survive. Those skill sets are: Construction, Communication, and
Controls. Sounds simple and obvious, but unfortunately, for many remodel or new construction
contractors, it’s not so simple. To most, the element or skill set of “Construction” may seem a no-brainer
for one wanting to make it in the competitive field of construction contracting. Yet, many times, and much
to the dismay of the client, the lack of construction skill by a Contractor only becomes apparent after
much money has been spent. It’s usually after the project is finished and things begin to fall apart or leak,
the unsuspecting client only then finds out the Contractor had limited expertise and knowledge of proven
construction methodology. Truly successful, long-term construction companies all bear the same distinct
mark and feature, they all have a quality management team carrying a collective high level of experience
in the building trades, and especially with a journeyman’s skill level in basic carpentry. One cannot
emphasize how critical it is in understanding basic building concepts, project scheduling, and materials
use and application. While I know some construction companies which are run by managers or
“estimators” who have never actually hands-on built anything of substance themselves, somewhere within
the “successful” company, someone has to know first-hand how things are built in the real world. Just as
any skill, construction knowledge and expertise can be improved by use or training. Getting out of the
office and into the field with some actual hands on time or even observation works wonders for stagnating
construction knowledge and skills. Simple training like reading periodicals of handbooks, taking classes,
or attending seminars or conferences needs to be an ongoing commitment and priority of the company if
one wants to stay on top in these uneasy days. The element of “Communication” also seems obvious as
a critical Contractor skill, but it is often one of the most understated, most underrated, and most under
skilled tool in the toolbox. When the ability to communicate clearly, quickly, and authoritatively is lost, a
once busy quality Contractor over time becomes a has-been contractor just trying to hold its head above
water. Simply and bluntly, one of the main reasons a company loses its edge and competitiveness is that
a company becomes (or was) poor at communicating (and listening), which in turn causes them over time
to become known by projects marked with confusion, misunderstandings, wishy-washy direction and
promises, and declining performance and quality. All of these issues of course translate into wasted
money and cost overruns.
While a great “Construction” skill set might have gotten a building contractor in the door of the building
trade and marketplace, and helped them produce some stellar quality projects, the lack of
“Communication” skill will eventually and silently catch up to them . Lack of communications skills will de-
rail anyone over time into a second place status, and force them into a state of expending great energy
and monies constantly looking for new clients and new locals who have not experienced or “heard about”
their confused management team, or their less than stellar project history. The third element of a
successful Contractor is “Controls” or systems of monitoring, tracking, risk management, communications,
project and quality control, evaluation, etc. In the “old days”, believe it or not, a house was actually built
without computers, without cell phones, without email, and without high-tech methodologies or gadgets
and yet still had quality, durability, and profitability. Today, modern contractors have no excuse. Modern
contractors have at their disposal a vast array of technological tools to assist them as the projects get
more complex, as construction schedules get more compressed, and as material and labor costs
skyrocket while the Client’s money gets tighter and tighter. Controls are not necessarily technological,
but new technological tools must be a part of the contractor’s tool box if he wants to be competitive and
relative. Computerized estimating, budgeting, tracking, communication, scheduling, and invoicing are but
a few of the teckie new tools one needs to even “look” competent in today’s marketplace. Controls are
also simple things like an experienced and solid project manager who excels in people skills while without
mercy, keeps his foot on the gas, constantly monitoring the gas gage. Keeping control of subcontractors
and their scopes of work, keeping control of the schedule, and keeping control of the information
exchange is absolutely a skill set any Superintendant or Project Manager must have and use. Another
area of control - the control of project quality (QC) will only rise to the level of the expectation and
experience of the General Contractor, and unfortunately, some contractors have limited or no experience
with high-level quality or finish, and thus expect and allow less quality construction to be performed and
accepted. If one wants to compete in the construction field where the ability to deliver top of the line
“award-winning” quality finish projects is a pre-requisite for even being considered to look at a project,
one has to have the experience in order to know what level top design Architects and Clients are looking
for, in order to be able to deliver that quality on time and budget, and to have at least some kind of
portfolio to provide just to get into the door of consideration. Controls, or the abilities and tools to control
the various aspects of projects from safety to accounting are invaluable and the more control tools in
toolbox, along with the skilled use of such are a necessity if one wants to be a Contractor who has a great
long running reputation. Without controls, the project will speak for itself, and speak loudly this Contractor
may be a great carpenter, but a lousy businessman or reckless and loose keeper of the Clients time and
money.