Once we assign work to contractors for specific work we usually think it’s contractor work and don’t usually monitor labours. It’s a big mistake we do.
Specially in buidling construction contract work.
When we started our house construction we thought in a similar way and never worried whether contractor laborer working or not for a few months. After few months into starting our house construction work, we started realizing we are doing wrong and started watching laborers work because we are paying the building contractors based on the number of laborers he used to send to work.
Did you know what was the result we payed for this mistake?
Increase in our budget.
We discussed ₹240 per sq feet (₹24,000 for 1 Chadara in 2018, 1 Chadara = 100 Square feet) at the end of our building construction we paid our building contractor ₹270. So, for just a 2-floor building we paid around ₹1,05,000 extra. This all happened because we didn’t bother whether laborers working or not. And our contractor also not monitoring any laborers as well so because of such negligence we paid such extra amount.
In most cases, the contractor won’t be always available on-site during construction activity. Some contractors manage laborers very well, but unfortunately, that’s not always the case. So make sure to pick the right contractor who is efficient to manage labor very well or else you are the only one who is going to pay the bill.
No matter what rate you discuss with contractors, contractor always collects payment based on a number of laborers they used to send for your work, and after at the end of project completion, they calculate as per their rate, and if you have to give any remaining payment then they will collect, if they have to give any payment, then you cannot ask them.
That’s how it works.
So my suggestion is, make sure you monitor labor activity without thinking it’s the contractor’s job. If the laborer is not working you are the loser, not the contractor.