5 Things You Should Ask Your Contractor About Quality

How Do You Define Quality in Construction?

The definition of quality in construction varies from project to project, but a broad definition of quality in construction includes completing a project on budget and on time, with minimal issues to be discovered once the project is in use. 

Many contractors have a “quality program” that outlines an approach that defines and ensures quality across the board or on a specific project.

What’s a Construction Quality Program?

A construction quality program is a systematic framework that establishes quality standards and project objectives. It helps ensure that all phases of design and construction meet defined standards and build specifications and comply with regulations and building codes. 

5 Questions to Ask Your Contractor About Quality

To understand what quality means to your construction project, you and your contractor should talk about the project expectations and how you both define quality in terms of the specific project. 

Here are five questions to ask to make sure you have the right contractor:

1. What does your construction company mean by “quality”?

Depending on who you ask, the definition of quality will vary. Management guru Peter Drucker describes quality as “not what the supplier puts in,” but rather “what the customer gets out.” The Six Sigma process defines quality as “the number of defects per million opportunities.” Economist and industrial engineer W. Edwards Deming said quality makes “costs go down and productivity go up.”

Through discussion, you can discern whether quality is something embedded in your contractor’s process and culture, or something tacked on as an afterthought. It pays to find out before you sign a contract.

2. What’s the source of your company’s most significant quality issues, and what are you doing to minimize issues?

Every construction project has potential “quality” issues. In highway construction, for example, common issues include a lack of consistency and flatness on a finished roadway. A contractor should be able to explain potential issues that could have a large bearing on your project. They then should be able to spell out the proactive steps they take to eliminate or minimize issues.

3. How are your safety and quality programs linked?

Experience shows that quality and project safety go hand in hand. The safer the job site, in most cases, the better the quality of the finished product. A contractor that focuses on safety also focuses on excellence in other areas, such as cleanliness. Additionally, a contractor with a strong quality program significantly reduces the rework needed on a project. The less rework, the fewer opportunities for accidents and injuries.

Effective safety programs employ many of the same tools that form the foundation of a quality process. Safety and quality programs require the project team to define expected results and make plans necessary to accomplish them. 

4. How will your company’s quality program work with ours?

There is no shortage of construction quality management programs to choose from. Six Sigma, Total Quality Management and Lean Techniques are just a few. While these examples originate from manufacturing programs, they share common goals of process improvement and waste reduction while increasing efficiency and customer satisfaction. You and your contractor don’t need to employ the same approaches, but it’s important to align on the principles behind each other’s quality programs and find commonalities. 

5. What value does your quality program offer me?

Contactors with long-standing quality programs often document the value of their programs. By tracking their work processes, they identify and eliminate systemic issues.

For example, a contractor that provides value by building mockups may benefit from a reduction in rework. You also benefit from the mockup by receiving a building that requires fewer change orders, functions better and experiences fewer problems over its life. While a mockup is an upfront investment, it will save you from unexpected costs later in the project.

Related Content: 5 Things to Ask Your Contractor About Mock-Ups

Quality in Construction Starts with a Quality Contractor

Hiring the right design-build firm or construction company for your commercial project is the first and best step to getting a quality result. Here are a few more things to look for to find the best contractor:

6 Tips to Help You Find the Right Contractor for Your Project

1. Find a contractor with a quality program that offers complete coverage. Look for a comprehensive construction quality program that spans all phases of the project.
2. Take a collaborative approach. Your contractor’s construction quality control should integrate with your quality program and definition. It should also accommodate the chosen construction delivery method.
   • At McCarthy, our collaborative delivery works well with a variety of methods, including hard bid, CMAR, design-build, P3, IPD and more.
3. Understand the difference between quality control and assurance. Construction quality control and construction quality assurance sound the same. Think of construction quality assurance as proactive processes designed to prevent problems and defects. Consider construction quality control as the process by which defects are identified and corrected. Seek both preventative and responsive quality assurance for your project.
4. Find a contractor with a quality control plan. These plans typically include quality standards, roles and responsibilities, inspections, checklists, processes and requirements.
5. Look for a builder with safety and quality control in construction. If your contractor doesn’t have a focus on safety with quality, competing priorities on the jobsite can lead to lost time and compliance problems.
6. Seek a contractor with a construction quality management certification (CQM or CQM-C). Even if your project isn’t a government contract, a builder with a CQM certification is a green flag.

Ensure Quality Control in Construction Projects with McCarthy

Hiring a contractor who integrates quality and safety into everything they do will save both time and money. It creates a project with better functionality and fewer problems over a longer lifetime. At McCarthy, our comprehensive quality program spans all phases of every project for better outcomes every time. Contact McCarthy today to learn how our programs can benefit your next build!