choosing a contractor in india: what we look for and why

the contractor is not a vendor. they are a collaborator who will either protect or destroy three months of design work in four months of construction.

the quality of a completed interior is determined as much by the contractor as by the designer. the most precise drawings in the world, executed by a contractor who does not understand them or does not care, produce a poor result. conversely, a good contractor with average drawings will produce something better than a poor contractor with excellent ones.

what most clients use to evaluate contractors

most clients evaluate contractors on two criteria: price and previous work photographs. both of these are inadequate.

price tells you what the contractor is willing to do the job for. it does not tell you how they will manage cost additions mid-project (all construction projects have additions). it does not tell you whether their rate includes adequate labour, adequate material, and an adequate margin — or whether it assumes you will pay for shortfalls later.

photographs tell you what the space looked like in a photograph, on the day the photograph was taken. they do not tell you what the space looked like six months later. they do not tell you what the working relationship was like.

our contractor evaluation rubric

documentation literacy

can they read our drawings? do they understand what is specified and what is deferred? a contractor who cannot engage with documentation cannot be held accountable to it. we assess this by reviewing a drawing with them in the first meeting and asking specific questions about it.

subcontractor relationships

a contractor is as good as their subcontractors. who does their tile work? who does their electrical? who does their painting? we ask for names, and we check them. a contractor with established relationships with reliable subcontractors is a significantly lower risk than one who assembles a team per project.

site management

we visit an active site they are running. not a completed site — an active one. how is the material stored? how is the waste managed? who is the site supervisor and how do they communicate? is the site clean? a contractor who runs a clean site runs a disciplined site.

communication

do they respond to messages? within what timeframe? are they direct when there is a problem, or do they wait for the client to discover it? the communication pattern in the evaluation phase will be the communication pattern in the project.

the contractors we work with

over the course of our projects, we have developed relationships with contractors in delhi, gurgaon, noida, and beyond whose work we trust. these relationships are one of the practical benefits of working with us. start a project and we will discuss who is right for your scope.