Body of Proof: Finding the Truth Among Turn-Key Industrial Contractors

With tightening budgets stressing already thin profit margins, minimalist architect Mies van der Rohe’s “less is more” is becoming a tenet of planning for project stakeholders. Let’s talk about how a true turn-key industrial contractor can help you meet the challenges of your next project.

The Subs Problem

A typical industrial contracting project is awarded to a general contractor, with various pieces of the project handed off to subcontractors. And even within subcontractors, individual phases of the work are frequently further subcontracted.

The result is a recipe for project delays, missed milestones and cost overruns.

She Said, He Said

Remember the Telephone Game where you start with a message and then discover how that message changes by the time it’s been passed around the room? That was fun when we were kids—not so much on a jobsite.

Reliable communication helps facilitate good project outcomes. The more people involved in your project, the greater the likelihood of missed or misunderstood communications.

But You Can’t Start Now

The workflow on an industrial contracting project can be likened to a great symphony. And, just as a symphony requires each instrument to play its part exactly on time, nothing destroys the flow of a job like having subs who show up to work in the middle of another sub’s activity.

The Paper Tiger

Project paperwork is incredibly complex by nature. Adding multiple subs means more invoices to process and extra documentation of every project phase. Inevitably, there’s a markup on the work of every subcontractor. And those markups dig into your already tight profit margins with each additional sub.

Let’s take a look at how true turn-key industrial contractors tackle these issues and more.

One Isn’t Necessarily the Loneliest Number

Imagine replacing your overflowing project contact list with a single phone number. Because a true turn-key partner provides you with a single project manager to cover your project from start to handoff, you only need to communicate with that one person. “One call does it all,” to quote a favorite line of late-night marketers.

Now consider that single project manager coordinating the flow of work on your project. Because she knows what needs to happen and when and she knows her team’s capabilities and in-house resources. No phase of your job is going to be delayed or stalled by workflow issues. Bonus points if her teams are cross-trained so they can help with work outside their specialties.

If a single contact is great, imagine working from a single contract. Which translates to a single budget with known costs before work begins, and means a single payment trail. And less likelihood of scope misses.

Questions for a Potential Project Partner

Is the quote you’re evaluating from a true turn-key contractor? Here are a few questions to help make that determination: 

• Are all of the people working on your project your partner’s direct employees?
• Will your partner rent equipment for your job or do they own it?
• Does your partner maintain an in-house tools and supplies inventory large enough to complete your project?
• Can your partner provide five company references and example projects that demonstrate they are a true turn-key contractor?
• How many people from each trade will your partner be using on this project and will they be sub-contracting any of these trades out?

The Sum of All Things

One contact. One highly capable team. One contract and paper trail.

Now that’s powerful.

Have you considered the benefits of a true turn-key project partner? Discover how Lee’s Power of One turn-key solution can save time and money on your next project.