How to Vet a General Contractor
A short, practical guide for owners who have never hired a GC, and for those who have, but never felt confident about it.
Selecting a general contractor is one of the most consequential decisions in a construction project, and it is often made with the least amount of structure. Owners rely on personal referrals, reputation, or the lowest number on a spreadsheet (sometimes all three, sometimes none) and hope the choice holds up when the project gets difficult.
There is a better way. It is not complicated, but it takes discipline. Below is the framework we walk owners through when they are preparing to select a GC.
1. Look at the team, not the firm. A general contractor's name on the wall means very little. The people who will actually run your project, the project executive, the project manager, and the superintendent, are the firm you are hiring. Insist on meeting them before selection. Ask what other projects they will be running at the same time as yours.
2. Ask for a project that went badly. Every experienced GC has one. What matters is how they describe it: with defensiveness, or with clarity. A firm that can walk you through a difficult project honestly is a firm that will walk you through your difficult project honestly.
3. Separate price from cost. The lowest bid is rarely the lowest cost. Look at how a GC has structured their preconstruction estimate, how their contingencies compare to the market, and how many of their historical projects have finished within the estimate they provided. Precision at the beginning is worth more than a low number.
4. Understand their subcontractor bench. A GC is only as good as the trades they can bring to your project. Ask which key subcontractors they intend to use, and whether those firms are available in your project window. Availability is a real constraint, and it changes the math.
5. Understand how they service their warranty. There is no such thing as a perfect project or product. In the first year there will be issues that arise and need addressed. How will they service those? Ask who owns warranty response after turnover, how quickly they commit to responding, and how they handle a subcontractor who has moved on to the next job.
6. Talk to their references, but not the ones on the list. Ask for a client whose project ran into trouble. Ask for a subcontractor who has worked with them for years. Ask for a designer who has completed multiple projects with them. Those conversations tell you more than the reference sheet ever will.
A general contractor selection is not a procurement exercise. It is the beginning of a two-year relationship in which trust will be tested. Choose accordingly.