What a GC checks before awarding a sub, and where your website fits
Prequalification is a document, a relationship and a web search. The estimator's checklist, what each item is really asking, and the three things your site can do to shorten the list.
A general contractor awarding a subcontract is managing risk on behalf of an owner. The prequalification process is how they do it. If you understand what each item is really asking, your website can answer half of it before the form is sent.
The checklist, and what it is really asking
| Prequal item | What they are really asking |
|---|---|
| License and classifications | Can you legally do this scope? |
| Bonding capacity, single and aggregate | Can you be bonded for this job, with everything else you have going? |
| Insurance limits and additional-insured endorsements | Will your coverage protect us if something goes wrong? |
| EMR, three years | Do your people get hurt? (This is also a cost question.) |
| OSHA recordables and safety program | Same question, different evidence. |
| Project list, last three years | Have you done this scope at this size? |
| References | Will someone we trust vouch for you? |
| Financials | Will you finish the job and pay your suppliers? |
| Key personnel | Who will actually run our job? |
What your website can answer
Three of these should be on the site, publicly, in one place:
- A capabilities page with licenses by class, bonding capacity (a range is fine), insurance limits, EMR for three years and a summary of the safety program. Estimators bookmark this page. It makes you the easiest sub to prequalify, which matters more than being the cheapest.
- A project list by scope and size, with the GC or owner named where allowed. This is the single most-read page by anyone with a scope in hand.
- Key people, with years in the trade and projects run. A super’s name and photo on the site answers the “who will run our job” question before it is asked.
What stays private
Financials, references and the full safety manual. The site says “available on request” and gives a named person to request from.
The relationship still matters
A website does not replace a capabilities lunch with an estimator. It makes that lunch shorter and more likely to happen. It is also what the PM looks at after the lunch, when the bid comes in, before the award. Being on the list is the website’s job; winning the award is yours. What goes on an electrical contractor’s capabilities page.
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