In this episode of FAQ with AGIQ, we discuss the crucial aspect of selecting a contractor, and offer valuable insights on how to guarantee that you make the right choice.
Episode Transcription:
In this episode of FAQ with AGIQ, I'm going to talk about the importance of getting the right contractor and how to help ensure that you do. Given that we're an HVAC company, I'm primarily talking about mechanical contractor here, although we interface, of course, with the general contractor and a lot of the sub trades - electrical, for instance, on a regular basis. From a general contractor perspective, you're looking for an organization that has experience in the cultivation space that has built facilities like this before, but that has also done other large infrastructure projects. Think things like hospitals. These buildings are close to as complicated as building a hospital as anything else, and the amount of coordination that goes into these buildings is immense.
And so, you're looking for a contractor that is going to give you a realistic timeline. And buildings don't go up in in a matter of two months, it takes six or eight or ten. That is going to be able to give you a full project timeline, a realistic timeline, and manage all of the sub trades that are going to be involved in making your facility work.
From an HVAC contractor perspective or from a mechanical contractor. Again, you're looking for a commercial contractor who has worked with equipment like this before. Hopefully who has some experience in ductwork, in particular, but who is also contracted to provide your first year of service. That's very typical in the bid spec contracting world. It's less typical in the just install world. So, it's one of those things you want to make sure that is part of the contract between the mechanical and the general or between the mechanical and you, that the mechanical contractor is responsible for providing a service throughout the first year.
In doing so, you ensure that his goals are aligned with yours. If he's responsible for service through the first year, he has a vested interest in making sure that there's no service that's needed in the first year and that the install is done right the first time. He doesn't then get an opportunity to build you for services, say in the first year, or at least less so.
And that's a huge part of ensuring that your install goes well, your start-up and commissioning happen. Well, everybody is rowing in the same boat, in the same direction. When you've got good contracts in place, and anybody who box at that is probably a contractor that you may not want to get involved with. Frankly. Again, it's very typical in large infrastructure projects to have a mechanical contractor that that has service contracts built in with a year or two, or more. And having that is very typical. Anybody who box out it again, probably I might revaluate or I might ask for a second opinion.
That's going to depend significantly on local markets and a variety of other factors. But getting a contractor ultimately who's going to be your partner in success and has a vested interest in you succeeding as much as they do, is very important.
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