The role of the Civil Contractors is to construct roads, bridges and revetments, repair streets, parks, airports etc.
The basic requirements for these types of construction are simply having the right equipment like excavators, dump truck loaders, bulldozers etc., that can be used effectively in undertaking these projects. You must hire an experienced contractor who has all the necessary assets for this type of work. There are several civil contractors, but you should choose among them according to their capacity to do your job at a good price.
Tips for choosing a civil contractor
A well-organised firm is better than one which possesses incomplete or out-of-date equipment. A contractor with poor machinery cannot complete his contract within a given time frame unless he works overtime or takes subcontractors on board.
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Look if they have the necessary equipment
You should not choose a civil contractor who has obsolete equipment, because it is always beneficial to have new machinery that may stretch for many years together. This saves you the trouble of buying them every year. It is advisable to go for machines with low working hours to they give reliable service throughout their life cycle.
Please check whether the Civil Contractor (CC) you are hiring has all such essential equipment and can provide such services as:
The constructor should possess necessary tools like mechanical excavators, bulldozers or loaders etc., dump trucks or rollers, backhoes, graders, road pavers, water carts, compaction equipment, compressed air gadgets (hammers), concrete-pump trucks and so forth.
The professional should possess a huge fleet of different types of vans, trucks and trailers to transport equipment and materials from one job site to the other. Some contractors also provide contract labour services when needed; you may ask for this service too when hiring them.
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Check out for the experience
You can find out whether the contractor is experienced in that particular line of work by inquiring about their past projects. For instance, if he does a water purification project, then he must be familiar with working on sewage networks. Experience in road-building is important because it requires knowledge in grading, compaction and bituminous surfacing.
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Look for a contractor’s license
A contractor’s license is mandatory. Check whether the contractor you hire has such a license and ask him to show it to you (he may not carry it all the time).
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Must be an accountable person
The Civil Contractor must be an accountable person; he should be able to file weekly reports on his job sites. The contractor must regularly report to you the progress of work, so do keep in touch with him. He is required by law to send a report within two days after a fatal incident takes place at your site or if any worker is injured during work hours.
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Know about their training
All contractors have certification from accredited training colleges for their workers, often as part of their license conditions. Please check this too before making your choice as this shows commitment towards quality service delivery.
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Check whether they have bonds
It is quite important to check whether the contractor has insurance and bonds. The contract must cover work on your site till completion and all materials used there; hence, preventing you from being held liable for anything happening related to the project.
Conclusion
The civil contractor you hire should provide such services as excavation/trenching (digging) for laying cables, sewerage works, construction of ponds etc. They can erect scaffolding if needed for this purpose; they may also backfill trenches once their task is done. Which means filling up and levelling trenches and covering them with concrete slabs whenever required by the client. Proper care should be taken while working in excavations, especially under low hanging power lines. You must inform the contractor in advance about any power lines near the area where excavation is to take place.
