How Do You Make The Subs Answer The Phone?

atlas06

I am about to add an insert in all my contracts with the subs that they must call me at least twice a day and do a daily project report (verbal) or else it will be a breach of contract.

They just ignore the calls as soon as they get the first check.

The way I get around it, I use their workers' cell phones which they answer immediately (thinking there is a problem on site). I have always paid everyone within a week of completion of work and as soon as I get the money from the HO.

But they just wouldn't answer the phone. Do you all have similar problems? how do you deal with it?

Donedat

Do you answer you phone when the subs call you??? Maybe they are just flat busy and you just need to wait in line. Or maybe they just need some help setting time aside to return phone calls. My phone can just flat ring all day long. It rings when I am on estimates, when I am turning left in a busy intersection, when I am running loud equipment and even when I am at church. Many times I just have to rip it off and throw it in my truck so I can get some work done.

There is a dividing line between being a subcontractor and an employee. What you need is a few job foremans. They are the ones that can give you up-to-the-minute progress reports and they have the time to do it because that is what you pay them for.

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Mike Finley

Get new subs. Simple as that.

POOLMANinCT

you can't force anybody to listen to voice mail or call you, out of sight out of mind. nobody can hide from a text message... we use them all the time, simple & to the point. often times you only need to get 1 sentence to or from a guy.....smartphones are really making communication ez. evryweek seems somebody else picked one up..... great for daytime email quick short badabing.

as far as calling from their guys phone, I wpuldnt appreaciate a sneaky move like that...
granted doing what you must....

ray

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Ed the Roofer

What would the need be for a 2 times per day progress report and how much time do you take away from the subs schedule to conduct these interviews regarding 4 hour at a time progress reports?

Don't you trust either their reliability as to if they are actually on the job as expected, or are you uncomfortable with the anticipated versus the actual progress being made?

If you continue to use revolving subs, you will not gain confidence in their ability to produce a team-concept schedule and level of performance.

Take them all out to lunch and have a fruitive discussion desiring input as to what yours and their expectations are.

Get it on the table out in the open and it will not eat at you as much. Depending on the results of these conversations, you may have a better framework to base your speculations as to their motives are.

Maybe, they feel they are grown men doing the job performance as contracted for, and that they feel like school children, continually being requested to speak to the hall monitor or dean.

Maybe they don't like speaking with you, but like getting paid for the work they contracted for.

And, maybe they need to be replaced.

You can not determine that unless it is out in the open, otherwise you will be going through the same quandries, just with the newer replacement class of 2007.

Ed

send_it_all

Wow...well done Ed.

mdshunk

Talk about a micro-manager. Sheesh. What's your malfunction, or alternately, what's wrong with your subs that you feel you need a babysitting consulatation twice a day? You either need to calm down, or get a new batch of subs that know how to do their job without talking to daddy twice a day.

mahlere

maybe, just maybe, if all your subs do this to you, it's not a problem with the subs....just a thought....not making any accusations....just thinking out loud....just throwing it out for discussion....

roofwiz74

I'd find me a new GC.I'm not their employee.paying me to do the job I am qualified for why in the world would I need to go chit chat with some guy who wants me to start yesterday but pay in a week or so?
I go to the job if everything is there I start,if not I will call the GC tell him about it and ask when it will be there.Tell him when I will start,cuz now it's his fault the time schedule is screwed.I can't afford to sit around all day waiting on some drip,or ice and water.I just move the next job up and they have to wait.

most times I don't answer my phone cuz I am working.I let my voice mail get it then call back,on a break.I'm just as busy as you.
I just quit working for a GC that wanted me to reuse 30 yr old pipe flashings and cement chimneys and a few other things.
he acts like I'm the bad guy now.Wants a perfect roof but uses the bottom of the barrel materials.I'm not about that.
if you are having problems with your subs you might want to sit back and think about what kind of GC you are.High end wanting quality willing to pay,or unorganized crazed who's the cheapest type.
gotta be willing to pay for subs that want and will do good work,and you won't have to babysit.or you could keep messing with the rest.

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roofwiz74

"Maybe they don't like speaking with you, but like getting paid for the work they contracted for."

right on Ed.I'm not out making friends,I want the job done and check in hand.call me when another is ready.

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ch0mpie

Asking for two phone calls a day is no big deal. You have a right to it just don't go too nuts on your subs. I work on alot of jobs for city and state agencies, mostly DDC and DEP. They require all of there contractors to call in when they arrive onsite and when they are done for the day. They also require all contractors to have a representative onsite at all times with any subcontractors. All contractors and subcontractors are required to submitt written progress reports everyday. If this paperwork is not perfect it will be rejected and must be resubmitted.

dougchips

6 words that say it all.

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Cole

You know I have to agree with Mike, find someone new who is willing to work like you want them too.

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AtlanticWBConst

I'll answer things for them.....

THEY FIND YOU IRRITATING.

You are 'micro-managing' the job. I don't see the need for 4 hour progess reports unless you are moving along so fast that there are drastic changes every 4 hours, which is probably unlikely.
What are you worrying so much about?

Here's a tip....no one likes worriers, or nervous people, or control freaks. What people do, is they try to avoid them...

I pick up my phone for home owners that I am working for, but if that client asked me to give them progress reports every 4 hours on standard builds or remodelings, the price for the job would be going UP.

As stated already, if you feel that you simply must have these 'vital' progress reports, then hire someone who will 'obey' your every command....

Just my 2 cents.....

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Ed the Roofer

Just to add some more speculation to this post.

Title: "How Do You Make Your Subs Answer The Phone?"

Was this twice a day phone report discussed prior to the job being awarded to them?

Have they previously spoken to you about job progress, but found that the conversations diverted them from accomplishing and producing the results expected?

What length and detail of information are you requyiring from them on these 4 hour phone in reports?

If this was discussed and agreed to as a condition of the acquisition of getting the job, then some of mine and other responses have less merit.

If you are not confident in their punctuality and/or their adherance to the schedule agreed to prior to the award, or are not comfortable with their quality level of performance, then you should have a job site supervisor/project manager periodically dropping in to kick them in the azz to see if that is what is needed.

Or else, if they are completely out of performance and scheduling guidelines, dismiss them for lack of performance on the contract.

Be careful with this avenue, as a last resort, there is a proper legal procedure to follow to voice your dissatisfaction with the above matters and how to enable a change of subs to occur. Or, ignore the laws and guidelines, and do what most GC's would do anyway, tell them if so and so is not done by so and so period of time, then you will hire someone else at whatever cost necessary to bring the work performance up to snuff, and they will be backcharged the amount it costs to achieve this.

Or, just go out to lunch with them and resolve the issue and develop a good understanding of what you expect out of a good working relationship.

Ed

Mike Finley

Yep, Cole is saying it all.

It doesn't matter if it sounds like the guy is a control freak, a prima-dona, gay, hands-off type or whatever.

It's a deal between you and another contractor. If the sub-contractor agreement says you will wear pink pokka dots on my jobs sites, clean up after with a tooth brush and hand deliver me your wire scraps at the end of the job....

... the next side of the equation is the sub saying here is what I will charge you for doing all that....

... GC agrees... sub agrees... everybody signs on the dotted line... it's a done deal...

Sub does the work as required and performs per the contract...

GC pays for the work per the contract...

If the sub can't perform per his agreement, then he shouldn't be saying he will. Simple as that. If the GC finds the sub can't perform to his side of the agreement, find somebody who will.

GC is either going to find out he can't afford what it costs to get somebody to do what he wants or he will find somebody who will.

Everybody votes with their money in this country.

mdshunk

The OP said that it was not in his contract for them to do so, and he's frustrated that they won't. He needs to go pound sand until it's in his contract.

send_it_all

Once again Md states his point ever so delicately.....I live for his posts.

Ed the Roofer

Wait a minute!!!

He is calling from the job site already, because he is using the subs workers phones to contact the owner of the subcontracting firm.

What kind of job progress report is he expecting, if he is the one on the job site already, and is in communication with the employees of the subcontractor?

He would be in a better position to know the schedule and performance levels.

Do you require, as a part of your contract, that the owner of the company, remain on your job site exclusively? Are they to neglect acquiring other customers, ordering materials, scheduling other projects, doing management administrative duties, and going golfing if they have the opportunity and desire to do so?

If MD would not have just mentioned the Original Post, I would have neglected to read it more accurately.

Dude! What do you need to know from someone who is not even present at the job site?

I think, maybe the "sand" idea is sounding appropriate.

Ed

Mike Finley

It sounds like the employees aren't in a position of responsibility. It might be the owner or someone else who is the contact. That's totally understandable that if the employee is not the contact person to have to talk to whomever is. And just because you are staring at the work in progress doesn't mean that much. Some trades it might be pretty simple to see if something is done or not, others there can be tons of circumstances or open issues, what ifs and depends upon this or that... two trades might need to coordinate between each other to accomplish something before one of them can continue or even a third trade can start.

- nobodies ever dealt with a sub who had a crew of workers who don't speak much English and one person is the go-between? This is construction after all.

He said he is having the problem and is looking to insert verbiage to combat it and is asking how to enforce it or deal with with it once the verbiage is there.