Making Life just that much easier
Irrelevant as to if you are just starting out in the building game, or if you have been around for a while, it is an epic idea to have a toolbox of documents ready to go… alongside your real tools!!!!
Here is what I think you should have at the ready at all times to make your life easier……
1.
A document outlining the different types of contracts, how they work, and what the edges of them are. If you are stuck with this keep an eye out on this infohub… if I’m in the mood I might even write one for you!
2.
Actual copies of the contracts in the doc mentioned above, have them ready as templates. Either have a suite of your own created, or use the ones provided by the associations you belong to. Have them pre-populated with the generic info about your business so they are nice and easy to fill out when you are getting someone to sign on the dotted line.
3.
A copy of your insurance certificates…… we keep these handy all the time. Seems a bit counter intuitive, but if you care enough to get insurance, then you care enough to want to make sure you don’t have to use it! Providing copies of these docs as part of your sales pack can be quite a nice touch and shows some serious professionalism. Diarise as each renewal comes through when you need to update your toolbox with this bit of gold.
4.
These are just a few ideas….. but I know having a system like this works as I use it myself! A bit of sweat setting it up is totally worth it in the long run and helps you feel on top of things even when you are crazy busy! Payment claim forms and variation forms…… templates of these need to always be at the ready. They don’t need to be complicated, but they do need to be formulated and accurate.
5.
If you don’t do it electronically….. have time sheet form templates handy. Make sure you are asking guys to fill them out according to the tasks completed so you can back cost the labour easily. If they are a contractor to you, make sure they understand they have to do this too and have it written into the contract you have with them. Tracking contractor hours is just as important as employee hours so you know where your own average labour constants fit.
6.
Employee and contractor contracts are a must – I would definitely have a suite of these created for you by an HR expert. They should be bespoke to your business again, and include things like confidentiality and restraint of trade. DON’T have guys just start on jobs without one of these babies signed.
7.
A templated sales doc including your tender letter template is SO important. You don’t want to have to re-write these each time, and you definitely want them to always look schmick. Make sure the tender letter template has every tag in it you can possibly think of… and just delete the ones you don’t need each time. Have this put together by a friendly graphic designer so it looks good, and when you present it to someone (if it isn’t in person) DON’T send it to them in an editable format, PDF it!!!!!!!