Hiring the right contractor is crucial for every project, but never more so than when trying to get the right underground boring contractors. The global directional boring market is exploding and is expected to reach nearly $15 billion by 2022. There are more directional drilling contractors than ever out there, so how can you find the right one?
Leverage Experience and Cost
Some of the most experienced underground boring contractors will also be the most expensive. The ones offering the deepest discounts, though, may not have the expertise that you need. While price is always an important consideration and sometimes it’s possible to get a great deal with a thoroughly competent newcomer, it’s also important not to get stuck with endless problems that can arise due to inexperience in the field. Seek out contractors with some experience even as you try to save costs.
Check Licensing and Bonding
You would think that if someone was offering their services that you could assume they are licensed to work in your area. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous people in every profession across the world. It’s important that you determine whether or not any underground boring contractors you’re looking at have all the right licensing to work on your project. It’s also important to make sure they have the right insurance to keep both their own employees, and your project, safe for the duration. They need to have liability insurance, workers compensation, and proper bonding.
Don’t Move On Without a Contract
Make sure you have a contract in place and signed by both parties before anything happens. Contracts can really never be too detailed about who is responsible for what, what penalties and liabilities adhered to either party, and what options for mediation and arbitration are required in case of a dispute. Even if you’re not sure of everything that you want yet, you should have a basic agreement to work together that covers everything that you do know so far.
Find Out Experience Levels
It’s important that you find out the experience level of the company will be doing the work for you, but you also want to know about the experience of the individuals you will be doing your directional drilling. While it’s always fine to have some new people on the team who are in the process of learning, they need to be overseen by competent and experienced professionals to know exactly what they’re doing and are ready for the unexpected.
Find Out Exactly What You’re Responsible For
Need to make sure that this is crystal clear right from the beginning and that everything is laid out in writing. What exactly are you responsible for and what are the timings for everything?
Check Their Financial Status
You want to be looking at underground boring contractors who are set up with a positive cash flow and moving forward. The last thing you want is for your payments to be going to pay off enormous debts from the last job. That means that your job will likely go into debt and in the end you may be on the hook for your contractor.
Ask For (And Check Up On) References
It’s important that you get a list of references, and not just two or three. anyone with lots of precision directional boring experience should be able to point you to quite a few satisfied clients. In fact, they should be able to give you a list from which you can pick and choose and find out for yourself the quality of workmanship behind all the underground boring contractors that you’re considering.
Check Local Reputations
Anyone who’s been in business for a while has a reputation. The longer they’ve been in business in a single location, the better the chance that they are offering quality service. Take a look around your area and find out who is recommended. If the contractor has just opened up into your area, find out where they started and consider looking there for important reputation clues that can help you decide whether they are the contractor you want to work with her not.
To take advantage of all the directional drilling can mean for you, make sure you’re getting the right underground boring contractor.