The present-day subcontractor is the narrow-direction specialist who cooperates with general contractors according to the signed agreement. If you want to become a construction sub, it is better to explore the main responsibilities and rights at the very beginning. First, you need to get a license and prove your competence in the niche you are going to work.
It is better to start with the documentation that confirms your specifications and skills. Then, you can post some advertisements in the forums, social media platforms, and other construction web resources to spread the word about yourself. But first, it is better to get ready with your portfolio. Make some kind of presentation to show all your completed tasks and successfully realized works. Explore construction costing software for precise financial forecasting like conwize.io (click here).
A good idea is to find some recommendations from standing customers. Feel free to ask your neighbors, cousins, relatives, and friends about promoting you as a reliable subcontractor. Your first client may come almost immediately after such a scope of undertaken work. What comes next?
Find out more about your rights and insurance policies to protect your professional activities and profit. Your contractual regulations matter when it comes to some force majeure situations and any other cases not to be left with debts and a spoiled reputation.
Key Principles about Contractual Rights to Understand When It comes to Your Subcontracting Agreement
Remember that the main subcontractor’s right is to determine how much, where, and how you are going to work on the site. You should not agree with constant overtime to earn good money. Scheduling and deadlines should be discussed with your general contractor before the contracting agreement is signed. This is the right to control your work. And nobody can leave you without it.
For example, if you picked sides with the operation hours, all the work during other times should be well-paid or do not take place at all. If you are ready for the first scenario, be sure that this item is fixed in the agreement. Or you risk being disappointed with the zero compensation.
There are other subcontractors’ rights to take into account:
- The payment type: you can get rewards on a day-to-day basis, once a month, or at the end of the project when all the scope of work is completed.
- Labor legal background: all your protections can be found in the Department of Labor policies. All the DOL documentation is based on the labor laws to take into consideration. Be ruled by this legal background and find all the answers here.
- The contract terms: pay attention to the protections, responsibilities, and rights in case of the contract cancellation or breakage. Some general contractors have no items in the agreement according to these situations. You have a right to add the duties, rights, and protections for such a case.
- The copy of the original contract: it goes without saying that your task is to get the original document of your agreement with the GC. If the general contractor decides to add or annulate some agreed points, you will know about changes. If the GC does not inform you about some novelties in your relationships and the workflow, you can ask your attorney to prove the fact of the falsification of the contract.
Additionally, you have the right to timely payments, paid sick leave (more info), and fixed day offs. Do not forget about insurance which is the key responsibility of your employer. This is one more form of your protection that should not be left without attention.
Construction Insurance for Subcontractors – Yes or No?
If your GC avoids questions about insurance policies for employees, you need to ask your attorney about the following steps to do. You should know that there is special contractors’ and subcontractors’ insurance that covers all the items under the dispute. Note that the insurer works only with the certificated subs and GCs, so be ready to provide all the certificates that are taken into account for liability coverage amounts to be detected and signed.
You can insure your business yourself and provide the information about the insurance policy to your employer as well. Nevertheless, this protection should take place to avoid various pitfalls and unpleasant surprises. With the insurance, you can skip losses and protect your financial assets from the untrustworthy parties of the contracting and subcontracting agreement.
