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Control Your Re-Roofing Experience
A roof replacement project on your facility does not have to be an unpleasant experience. However, incomplete bid documents and an inexperienced contractor will absolutely guarantee an unpleasant and costly process.
To have a near-seamless re-roofing experience, an owner must take certain steps to ensure a positive outcome both before and after the bidding process. As covered thoroughly in two previous entries, establishing a clear scope of work for bidders will help better guide the process from start to finish, and following a well-thought-out pre-qualification process to weed out any ill-prepared, underqualified contractors will both make a tremendous difference in your project’s outcome.
To summarize scope of work: the owner’s designer or consultant must present bidding contractors with a complete set of bid documents, vetted prior to issuance to bidders. Among multiple items detailed here: The bid documents should include the owner’s expectation of:
- an experienced job site supervisor provided by the contractor
- professional behavior by contractor’s crews
- quality workmanship
- a neat, orderly job site at all times
- a commitment by the contractor to minimize disruption to the owner’s ongoing operations
The bid documents prepared by the designer must be job-specific and not just a “boilerplate” set of specifications. All drawings—roof plans, details, etc. must be job-specific and employ accurate identification of roof-top conditions. Failure to fulfill this responsibility could lead to extra expenses for the owner.
To summarize pre-qualification: bidding contractors should be put through a rigorous process to determine if they are pre-qualified to handle the scope of work the owner is pursuing. This includes a “pre-bid” meeting as well as an evaluation of the bidder’s documents, references, and proposals and other items outlined thoroughly here:
- a list of the contractor’s recent projects of similar nature and scope to the one the owner currently contemplates
- resumes of the contractor’s proposed job site supervisor and other key employees
- Certificate of Insurance confirming proper levels of coverage for workers’ compensation, general liability, auto and excess coverage, and more.
Taking these steps and others detailed here and here are key to the owner’s control over the project and can set them on the best path to a good experience.