7 Challenges of Contractor Management for Industrial Projects

Contractor management can potentially become a logistical nightmare – but it can be avoided

As an industrial manager, overseeing a large-scale project or refurbishment in a factory or warehouse can be a daunting task. Aside from the initial design and planning phases, there can be significant challenges in sourcing and managing multiple contractors for your various trades, each being a specialist in their chosen industry. While this approach will bring expertise to various areas of the project, it comes with its own set of complications and plates to spin. 

Read on to explore seven key challenges you might face when managing multiple contractors for large industrial projects – and how, more importantly, to avoid them. 

1. Bad communication

It’s never a good sign when the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. When you have multiple trades on site, who may be doing work at the same time in similar areas, it’s crucial that all contractors know of each other’s movements. There’s little point in expertly planning a project, only to then arrive on site and find that another contractor has already cordoned off the area for their own work. 

Solution: It’s always best to co-ordinate your contractors centrally, either with a Project Manager, consultant, Health & Safety Manager or equivalent. Someone who can collate different contractor’s comings and goings and act as the go-to person for everyone on site. Regular updates from contractors to said Project Manager should be encouraged, so that everyone is on the same page when it comes to progress or potential delays which could interfere with another’s work. 

2. Co-ordination and scheduling conflicts

As above, there’s nothing more inconveniencing than arriving to site only to find that your work area is already occupied by another contractor. When multiple trades are on site, or when trades are dependant on another to finish their work before they can start theirs, any delay in the chain could cause the whole system to come crashing down. 

Not to mention, having multiple contractors for different aspects of the project can make it difficult for all to have the availability for when they’re needed. 

Solution: Start and finish times of different contractors should be planned and coordinated well in advance to ensure your trades are available for when you need them. Every company’s start and finish dates should be clearly stated to avoid timeline conflicts. 

3. Consistency and levels of quality

Maintaining the same high level of quality across all aspects of a project can be difficult with multiple contractors on site, especially trades who you may not have worked with before. Each team may have its own standard and practices, which could lead to discrepancies. This is especially true if one trade, let’s say an industrial painting contractor, is dependant on a plastering contractor doing a decent job so that they can start their work. 

Solution: While it may seem obvious, contractors should have their completed work signed off for quality by the customer or Project Manager. That way, the next contractor on site won’t be delayed by sub-par standards of the previous work. Another solution is to, where possible, hire a contractor that offers combined services so that you know you’re getting the same level of quality across the board. 

4. Health & Safety challenges – and keeping contractors accountable

Of course, the highest priority on any industrial site is Health & Safety. When multiple contractors are under each other’s feet, this only increases the risk of an accident or injury. If there’s a near miss on site, it can be challenging to attribute responsibility and therefore result in finger pointing and delays. 

Solution: Avoid the old saying, too many cooks in the kitchen. If you can reduce the footprint on site at any one time, do so. Ensure that every contractor you hire produces strict RAMS for their work and, more importantly, sticks to them in practise. 

5. Managing costs

Any large scale industrial project is going to come with a hefty amount of investment, and this isn’t helped if multiple trades are needed to complete different specialist work. This, of course, comes with a price tag. 

Solution: Hiring contractors who offer multiple combined services may be able to offer competitive prices for ordering a bulk package. Not only could you get a great deal, but a single contractor also has many other benefits and value, such as consistent quality levels, easier logistics, shortened onboarding times, and having a single point of contact for any and all communication. 

6. Project delays

With multiple cogs needing to turn simultaneously, it can only take one delay for the whole project to be set back. There can be a lot of risk if every contractor is depending on others to finish their work on time so they can start their part of the project. Needless to say, this causes endless hassle, grief and frustration on site. 

Solution: Having a clear project management timeline that’s understood by everybody is essential. There needs to be clear communication and contingency plans in places so that every team can keep moving forward with their work. Ideally, industrial managers should consider reducing the amount of contractors on site, preferably with those able to deliver different services you need, so that you can streamline operations. 

7. Disputes between contractors on site

In an ideal world, every team would arrive to site and get on with their work harmoniously. However, contractor disputes can be an unfortunate reality in many industrial projects. They can arise from various issues such as changes to scopes of work, quality issues, project delays, communication breakdowns and unrealistic expectations. These obviously cause bad feeling on site and creates a toxic working atmosphere. 

Solution: To save yourself stress and frustration down the line, only partner with companies that have strong reputations and work ethics; make sure you trust their quality of work and professional conduct. It’s also smarter to reduce the amount of teams you have on site at any one time, to reduce finger pointing and “he said she said”. You can do this by partnering with experienced, quality companies that can offer multiple services under one roof. 

Our team at Kingfisher Industrial Services offer comprehensive industrial cleaning and painting services, allowing us to handle multiple aspects of your industrial project. By partnering with us, you can avoid many of the challenges associated with managing multiple contractors on site while still benefiting from our expertise in various areas of industrial cleaning and painting.