Contractors that go against the grain. 8

I'm sure a many of you have had the pleasure of working with construction contractors that are not very happy (to say the least) for some reason or another.

How do others handle the "in-your-face" type contractors that just never seem to let up when the tension is high, or when they just don't get their way? Similar to what some NFL coaches put the referees through.

I've known some engineers that join right in on the yelling match when pushed so far, while others deal with it differently, such as simply walking away from them. I understand a lot of it has to do with your personal temperament, personality, and your company's policies--just curious what you are all like.

I would like to hear some stories and methods that you have found that work best for you for handling the combative or "hard-nosed" people.


L.P.H.

 

[DaveVikingPE]

My best experience was reporting that steel members supporting a catwalk had been installed backwards. The steel contractor was REALLY mad at me. All I said was, "they're in backwards. What can I say, Charley? They'll support only half the load." Then I showed him the plans. He walked away quietly. The design A-E (I was a third-party inspector at the time) had to deal with it and they did, etc.

1. First of all, always make sure that your plans do, in fact, communicate your intent. Good plans and specs, competantly and professionally put together are worth a thousand times their weight. Remember: a rod-buster builds a beam like you would build a plastic model - he sets out the shop drawings, often times on the ground right next to him and goes from there. Good, readable shop drawings will make his job a lot easier and the work better.

2. Secondly, have a lot of meetings with the contractor(s) and establish a good working relationship before construction beings and during. Send your BEST people to the site as regularly as possible. And make sure they dress to get dirty - even if they're like Ph.D.-S.E's or something. Don't be afraid to pick up a shovel if you want to see, for example, what's under all that dirt piled up over where a steel embedment should be...

3. When confronted by a boisterous, obnoxious contractor, stick to your guns and know what you're talking about. Chances are, he is losing money fast and the best way for him to recover his losses is by bullying you into making a change that will save him money. The construction business is hard work and dishonest people in it make it even harder. Being human, we all have personality quirks. But we really do have to get along. If you control the purse strings, remind the contractor of this - but not in front of his workers. Let him know your concerns and most of all let him know that you want and expect a quality product. Talk like an adult and when you catch something that's wrong, tell him to fix it, don't harp on him.

4. If you're working with union people, by gosh, complain to the president of their union that you are getting lousy work. Things will change rapidly on the job site. If you're working with non-union people, fire them.

5. If non of that works, make sure you employ resident engineers and inspectors (also engineers) who lift weights and can intimidate with their looks. Having a beard helps.

My mom never taught me this, but apparently a lot of mom's have told their kids that "you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar." My own experience is that if you want to catch flies, the best thing to use is fresh dog excrement. If you want to give your contractor a good reason to hate you, get in his face. If you want to have his workers laugh at you and goof off, be a "nice guy." If you want them to work for you, make them understand that you are serious about getting them to do a good job for you and back it up with professionalism.

 

[TheBlacksmith]

All good points. People do disagree - it happens.

1) Establish a working relationship before there is a problem. It helps to be seen as another human, not just an obstacle.

2) Take it inside, whatever, away from the workers. He needs to save face and ego causes more problems than anything else does.

3) Goes for you too, if you're wrong, ADMIT it. Makes the next battle easier. (See #1, being a human.)

4) Don't be intimidated. If a mistake results in injury, damage, or death, this confrontation will pale in comparison to what you'll be up against.

Blacksmith

 

[RDK]

One thing that I have noticed is that the in your face types usually don’t get very far. They appear to be in the smaller contractors or in the commercial sectors. (At least that is my limited experience.)

In large industrial projects there just doesn’t seam to be many of the unprofessional types who survive. I think that it’s because this sector is more concerned with a good project rather than with the absolute lowest initial cost. Invited bidding lets you get away from those who you simply do not want to work with.

I always make sure that the contract gives me the right to remove any contractor personnel that I consider unfit to be on the site. If the boilerplate includes this OK if not I see that it is written into the contract somewhere. I seldom remove anyone (but will in a heartbeat if necessary), just having that threat is usually sufficient.

In order to do this you have to have the secure backing from the owner because it can be you leaving the job if the owner sides with the contractor. (I’d consider leaving anyway if an owner overruled me and it undercut my ability to deal with the contractor. I’d definitely think twice before accepting additional work from that owner.)

If the individual is a principal or owner of the construction company, removal will result in the company not being able to perform. This could be a threat to the project and would have to be a factor in your decision.

While removing the individual is a last resort, my favourite way of dealing with them is every time they raise the volume I simply turn it down. They yell, I speak softly, they scream, I barely whisper. The ruder and more belligerent they get the more polite I get. What I never do is give in to them. If you are right just stick to your position in as professional a way as possible and soon they will realize that this type of behaviour is unproductive and become easier to deal with.

This tactic is what the psychologists call “extinction’. What it does in the short term is increases the behaviour until the lack of reinforcement causes a change in the behaviour, you just have to expect it and get through that phase.
Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com