Me too, Me too May 19, 2021

I’ve been thinking of starting a ‘movement’ for sub-contractors along the lines of the ‘me too’ campaign.

I’m just fed up with being bullied by main contractors.

When negotiating removal of Japanese knotweed from sites we make it quite clear that the material in which the Knotweed is growing must be tested for contaminants. The testing has a cost. This cost must be picked up by the client.

Any hazardous waste that is discovered must be paid for at higher rates. This is clearly stated in all contract details, pre start meetings and subsequent paperwork…. yet every time we come across this type of issue …we get a smart-arse quantity surveyor saying …. ‘it’s a fixed price lump sum fee …’

So they try and bully us into absorbing this cost in our price.

Bullied on scope of works, bullied on contract details, bullied on payment terms, bullied into aftercare packages at no costs …. then bullied by them not paying on time.

Don’t even start me on Christmas payments. Let’s be honest if you start a sub-contract in November and are due a payment in December you might as well not put it on your cashflow till February.

The downside is that this then just gets passed on to our suppliers.

We cannot be expected to pay tens of thousands of pounds to our muck away contractors up front on projects …. when we don’t get paid for 60/90/120 days after submission of invoices.

Why do we put up with this?

I’m having works done on my house at the moment and the majority of the suppliers are asking for 50% on order, then a further 25% on delivery with the balance on fitting.

Seems reasonable to me?

So why… oh why …do we put up with the payment terms forced on us by main contractors.

Just say ‘no’.

Mike C