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Good communication between general contractors and subcontractors is essential to a successful project. Without a clear project plan and defined agreements, you won't get far. Plans become much stronger when discussed in person.
Despite a well-prepared project plan, real-world implementation often brings complex challenges, especially due to miscommunication and documentation issues. A lack of personal contact and time for consultation increases the risk of errors and delays. Fortunately, digital tools can streamline this process, allowing you to focus on the core of the project.
How? You will read it in this blog!
Working with a diverse team of subcontractors and suppliers
As a general contractor, you collaborate with many different specialists, each with their own area of expertise. The project plan outlines each stakeholder’s timeline and role. This might sound like a solid start, but experience shows that things often become more complex in practice.
Miscommunication is one of the biggest issues. A small mistake in an email or failure to properly communicate changes can quickly lead to delays. Moreover, various parties often work with different and outdated document versions, which easily results in errors. With all the paperwork, there’s often little time for the conversations that can prevent these issues.
Further, dependencies between these parties play a major role. If one subcontractor is delayed, the entire project can stall. Add some unforeseen circumstances like bad weather or supplier errors, and the project risks going off track, often with high costs as a consequence.
All these factors make collaboration in construction challenging. Fortunately, there are tools available that streamline the process, reducing administrative time and allowing you to focus on what truly matters: the project itself.
Collaboration in the procurement process
At 12Build, we refer to the procurement and estimating phase of a project as the sourcing process. This process involves procuring the services and materials necessary to carry out the project. It starts with scheduling and requesting quotes from specialists and suppliers, followed by agreements on delivery times, prices, and responsibilities. While this may appear well-structured on paper, real-world execution is often unpredictable. Dependencies within a project plan can create situations that are difficult to manage or estimate.
Without fast communication and clear consultation, projects can quickly fall behind. This is where the importance of personal contact becomes evident: direct communication ensures that problems are resolved quickly and keeps everyone aligned.
Personal contact as the basis of collaboration
Personal contact and good communication help address errors or incorrect assumptions early on and flag potential issues before they reach the construction site. Additionally, personal consultations strengthen collaboration. Everyone knows their role and expectations are clear. Trust is built through real conversations, not through emails.
And let’s be honest, how often has a quick call made all the difference?
Digital tools as a catalyst for personal contact
It may seem contradictory to expect more personal contact when choosing a digital tool, but in practice, it’s actually digitalization that makes personal contact possible. Why? Because digital tools reduce administrative tasks, leaving you with more time for meaningful conversations. McKinsey research supports this: where it used to take weeks to estimate a project, it can now be done faster and more efficiently.
A sourcing platform helps general contractors efficiently find and select the right subcontractors and suppliers for their projects. It brings supply and demand together, allowing you to quickly request, compare, and select the best quotes.
Instead of spending time manually searching for suitable parties or endlessly emailing for documents, a sourcing platform centralizes everything in one place. You gain access to relevant information, including portfolios, reviews, and past projects of subcontractors, streamlining the process and enabling you to enlist the right professionals faster.
Traditionally, estimators can spend days requesting quotes from subcontractors. With a sourcing platform, you, as a purchaser or estimator, can work on construction projects more efficiently, leaving time for personal conversations and other essential matters.
Want more time for real conversations?
12Build is the sourcing platform for the construction industry, offering powerful tender, bid, and supplier management functionalities. Additionally, 12Build provides a high-quality marketplace, allowing you to find specialists in every niche and expertise. This enables you to not only work faster but also build stronger, lasting partnerships with the right professionals for each project.
Want to see how the 12Build platform works?
