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Mar
22
Who is to blame for the chaos?
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It’s a while since I wrote anything in my Blog so I am here to make a point about a matter that is, I think, very important to both the contractor and the client. This matter, it appear, is a long going problem that we all need to be aware of and can be a benefit to all concerned in the construction industry as well as some very frightened and worried clients.
A complete disorder and confusion caused by overseas client sending money to Jamaican contractors to construct or repair their property. A state of order and reassurance is needed to put things right as soon as possible! The contractor and the client working as a team is all you need to do.
Do we need a Judicator?
I mean someone to watch over the funds. No, I do not think so! Contractors need to help the clients as much as they can and keep an accurate account of all transactions and the Clients need to do the same, after all it’s in everyone’s interest to get it right. Being worried about how your money is being spent has and will always be a problem here in Jamaica, why, because Jamaican contractors are not trusted by a vast amount of overseas clients. “I know someone who was ripped off by Jamaican constructors and I do not want that to happen to me”, that is the usual story. Yet some of the most beautiful Villas are built here without any problems. I do not wish to pass the blame on any one group, contractors or client, but I myself working as a Project Manager, still have problems in this area with clients and I give them pictures!Have a little trust!
I recently got involved in a repair project that has turned out to be a nightmare, why, because even though I broke the project into different stages, supply photographs etc, the client still insists on sending the money in three sometimes four payments for each stage, this cannot work! By the time the project is over you end up collecting twelve lots of payment for a simple repair job, can you imagine if I was building a Villa for this client. And if a problem occurs else where you are ask to use some of the funds from the project to do other work, crap! I am sorry to say but the contractor is put off from the work, interest in the project starts to wilt, and all confidence and enthusiasm goes out the window. Please have a little trust and follow the money, insists on pictures, evidence of the work being done and make sure your contractor can provide this before you start.Easer said than done!
Well that sounds simple; easer said than done I hear you say! Well I have to agree that it is easer said than done, but never the less it has to be done and only the Contractor or Project Manager can do it. In the real world we don’t always have trust, so funds for projects can be a nightmare to get right. The smaller builders and contractors who do not have the skills to use a computer cannot enjoy the use of programs that does it all for you. Yes, for those of you in the construction trade who did not know this you should also know that everything you could possible think of, a computer program can do it, from estimating to sourcing materials.
So, you don’t have a computer, if you can write you can do the same thing, it just takes longer.
The Clients position!
The client just wants to know that they will not be ripped off! OK I do not know how to stop the ‘contractor thieves’. But I know how to make it harder for them, follow your money.
Keep a Running Total…
Before work even starts you should have an idea of each stage of the construction, a cost for each stage and a plan of action. With this you send the money to the Contractor; keeping in mind we have not discussed why we are using this Contractor, which is a whole different chapter, who should make a record of it straight away. Anything taken from that amount must be written down and deducted from the full amount, in fact a ‘running total’. At any time you discuss with your Contractor about your project you can check how the money is being spent, simple! As long as you are getting what you paid for, to the highest standard, then you should not have a problem with your funds.The Chaos has to stop!
Sending bits of the money will not work, how can the Project Manager function with less funds, that’s how the chaos starts! It changes the plan of action for a start so the client cannot keep up, more money comes, its more than was needed for the last stage but less than the funds needed for the next stage. Chaos starts!The Project Manager position!
Keep it flowing with your Clients and it becomes easer. The long and short of it, most Contractors would very much like to have there names passed on to the clients friends so it’s not in the interest of any Contractor to mess up. By quickly filling out a simple small job tracking sheet every day (even if the job only took you a half an hour!), and at the end of the job comparing your tracking sheet expenses with your original estimate, you can quickly spot areas or trends that may be sucking dollars out of your pocket and fix them.It’s easy to lose sight when you are juggling many small jobs – all those balls in the air at once can be exhausting. But with just a simple small job tracking form, you can streamline your operations and increase your profit margins.
The wise Contractor will set up a ‘Project Fund’, where the remainder of the funds reside, but this is rare, so be careful how you send the money.
Sending Funds
As the client you have a good choice of how you send the funds, from Bank Transfer to Western Union so the sending of funds is not a problem. How you allow the Project Manager to use your funds is of utmost important to the client, so allow the Project Manager to explain the process at each stage of the work.Tip – Use JA Projects
If your Project Manager has a computer and can use a camera then you can register with us and we will give you a password and username that only YOU and your Project Manager knows. You can use the system anywhere in Jamaica, the world! Your Project Manager can upload photographs at each stage; you can both make comments etc… Try the System, click here – [DEMO]Val Barclay
JA Projects – Keeping an eye on your Construction in Jamaica.- val@japrojects.com
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