10 Tips for a Successful Pre-Start Meeting

A lot of people don’t understand the need for a pre-start meeting, and how important it can be.

If you want to avoid any problems or delays down the road, then you should schedule a pre-start meeting with your main contractor before signing off on the contract.

We recommend scheduling this meeting as soon as possible after agreeing to a price, and before signing the contract. It will allow you to go over all the details and clarify any questions that might arise during construction. By clarifying these things before work begins, there will be no surprises or misunderstandings further down the road, which could lead to costly delays in construction time!

Pre-start meetings are an important part of the construction process. Pre-start meetings allow contractors to go over all the details and clarify any questions that might arise during construction. It also helps make sure that there are no surprises or misunderstandings down the road and keeps everyone on the same page from day one!

Pre-start meetings are especially important if you are working with Main Contractors. Pre-planning is the key to success when it comes to pre-start meetings. Pre-plan your meeting, be prepared, communicate clearly and keep everyone on track!

1 - Agree the duration of your work

The duration of the work including the various sections is usually agreed upon by both parties before commencement. Ensure you get this in writing to understand what you're committing to. Pre-start meetings are a great opportunity to re-iterate the overall start and finish date and have an understanding of the expectations on labour levels from both sides.

2 - Agree the payment terms

The payment terms of the contract are usually agreed upon early on if they'll be an issue at all. It is important to have this in writing so that there are no surprises later down the road. The earlier in this process you agree on them, the better leverage you have.

3 - Ensure the LAD's are accurate and not excessive

The liquidated damages amount must be in line with the value of your work. If there are any discrepancies, get them clarified immediately. It is better to be safe than sorry!

Make sure you are evaluating all of the work you are expected to carry out under your contract. Keep in mind anything outside the scope of this is not included and will have an effect on the price, time frame or both.

4 - Main Contractor Discount relates to contract works only

An important thing to discuss with your Main Contractor is that they have a discount on contract work only. You should agree and ensure it's noted that discount will not be taken on any variations or daywork over the original contract sum.

5 - Discuss your CVI confirmation of verbal instruction process, make sure you have one

Find out if your confirmation of the verbal instruction process can be used. Ensure you have one in place to avoid any confusion when the work is completed.

Having a process for your verbal instructions is a necessity to ensure all changes are recorded and you don't end up completing additional work without getting paid for it.

6 - Ensure everyone understands the attendances you will provide and who is responsible for what

In any good contract, both parties should understand the responsibilities of each party. This will include attendances i.e. who will be responsible for plant, scaffold, cleaning up, loading out, rubbish removal, lighting etc.

There should be a clear line of responsibility for any risks included in the contract or related to it. Avoid any confusion or dispute by ensuring this is understood before signing on the dotted line!

7 - Variations (Contract Instructions) who can issue one and what is the change management process

Get clarity about who is allowed to issue any contract instructions. You will also need to agree upon a change management process. This will ensure that any changes are communicated and recorded so there is no confusion or disputes later down the road. Make sure there is a clear set process that everyone follows when it comes to issuing contract instructions if anything changes. This will avoid any confusion.

This should also be communicated to your site team and those responsible for each site.

8 - Always get your labour daywork rates agreed (hours and material, plant overhead & profit)

During your pre start meeting daywork rates, plant & materials can often be overlooked and the main contractor can skip over them. This allows you to include fair rates for daywork and removes the need to discuss at a later date. If this is not agreed upon, it could lead to disputes down the road since there is no one standard price for daywork.

Often agreeing the % uplift for any additional materials or plant is forgotten or over looked and these items can add up when they are not communicated beforehand.

Remember, this is a pre-start meeting so everything should be in writing and agreed before you sign off on the contract!

9 - Discuss your tender qualifications - what will be included/excluded in the order. From there you can assess the risk to your business

Discuss your tender qualifications in full with the main contractor to determine which of these will be included/excluded in the subcontract order. From there you can assess the risk to your business. This is important because a main contractor may look to include unqualified items in your contract resulting in you not being able to claim for them.

For example, if your Tender Qualification requires others to provide the design in full to allow specialist materials to be ordered, ensure the Main Contractor understands this. If the design is not signed off by all then delays may occur.

10 - Never sign the Pre-Start Meeting minutes, until you see the full subcontract order

Never sign the meeting minutes until after you have read and accepted the subcontract order.

At this point you've been through all the points above and reached an agreement on what should be included, and agreed the items being excluded. Once you have agreed to the suborder, make sure both parties are in agreement with any changes. When this has been confirmed, get your signature on the minutes before moving onto anything else!

Finally, follow up with a letter or email to summarise what was discussed and agreed upon during the meeting.

Review and implement everything above

Pre-start meetings are an important first step in any construction project. Pre-start meetings allow you to go over the details of your contract, clarify questions that may arise during construction, make sure there are no surprises or misunderstandings down the road and ensure that everyone is on the same page from day one!

These pre-meetings should be detailed discussions about what you're happy to include or exclude under each subcontract order. You must also review other items like labour rates (normal hours and material), plant &; materials charges, % uplift for additional materials/plant etc.

Pre-start meeting minutes should always be signed off by both parties before you move onto anything else. It's best to follow up with a letter summarizing everything discussed at this point if necessary.

I hope you will join me for my next article when I provide tips for subcontractors. Pre-start meetings are just the first step in a successful construction project and I hope this article gave you some ideas on how to handle yours!

If you have any specific questions or would like to chat about your pre-start meeting, please leave a comment below. Use the contact form on the blog if you would rather speak to me directly.

To find out more information and tips to make your project successful then read our article 10 Things for Project Successful and More Profit