Projects in the HVAC industry require the utmost care when it comes to risk management because so many things can go wrong. As a contractor, you are guaranteed to be blamed for almost anything that goes wrong. Because of that unfortunate reality, you should go the extra mile when it comes to managing the risk in your HVAC projects. Protecting your business and your livelihood should be at the forefront of everything you do before getting into any client relationships.
One bad client could sink your business and your reputation. That dangerous reality necessitates careful risk management in all phases of your project development. There should be essential guidelines you follow to help you minimize the chance of anything going wrong when working with specific clients. Because HVAC projects can be so complicated, you should always do things by the book to ensure that nothing negative falls on your shoulders.
Do Research On the Client
One of the first things you need to do when doing HVAC projects is to look deeply at the potential customer. You need to analyze who the client is and how they respond when things go wrong. You need to look back at projects they have done in the past, as that can give you a good view of how easy or difficult, they are to work with. This step is significant because it can save you a massive headache by avoiding a client that could potentially become a liability in the future.
The worst thing you could do is to do a good job and still not get paid. Having this research completed is a crucial step because it will help you take the jobs that fit your specific business. Many contractors only focus on the monetary value of a job. However, this is a massive mistake because the headache you get from working with certain clients will never be worth the money you make.
On top of that, it is most likely that you wouldn’t even make any money because the client could ask for a refund after things have been completed. You might even end up in legal disputes because you did not take the time to vet clients successfully.
Assess Your Own Capability Honestly
Conducting an honest assessment of your capabilities is crucial when conducting client research. Don’t be greedy because you only focus on the dollar signs the project might potentially pay out. You should look at whether this client and project will be a fit for your specific skills. If not, it might be better to refer this client to someone you know and trust. This can make the client trust you more. They will see that you are willing to give up work because you are honest.
If you are bidding on a project, you might want to avoid going ahead when you see that it isn’t going to work with your skillset. Being truthful in this step will save you a lot of time and effort because you don’t want to start a project and end up doing a bad job. This is another way many contractors ruin their reputation for money.
Get a Construction Bond
Some HVAC projects will require a construction bond. This is a critical step in general because it gives you more authority in the industry. Many people will only trust you after you show them that you have a construction bond. It is also great because many government authorities will already require that contractors have construction bonds in place before they can bid on any project. It protects you and opens you up to a huge world of contracts you would not be eligible for before.
Meet All Regulatory Standards
You will inevitably need to comply with many American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards and codes when working on HVAC projects. It is critical to do everything right here because you don’t want to be blamed for problems in the future. As long as you maintain these standards, you can point to that fact if you are blamed at a later date. On top of that, the standards ensure that contractors follow the best practices when doing this type of work. These have been time-tested to ensure that things are done in the best way possible.
You could have problems in the future if your client gets blamed for a regulation you did not follow. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains certain emission standards, and your client would then be at fault when you finish the job. Obviously, they would then file a lawsuit against you, causing problems for everyone in the process. Avoid issues like these by strictly adhering to all known standards.
Choose Subcontractors Wisely
As a contractor, one of the biggest risks is choosing subcontractors to work on your project. A bad subcontractor can be the difference between a good or bad reputation. Because of that, you need to research subcontractors as well as you would your clients. The great thing about choosing good subcontractors is that they will want to work with you in the future again. It means your future projects will be more straightforward because you will both have built a great relationship that you can rely on. You each will make more money, and the results will be better for the client.
Go With Reliability and Efficiency
Reliability and efficiency are the two traits that clients love the most in HVAC projects. No one likes knowing the HVAC system broke down again, but they also don’t want to pay massive energy bills because the HVAC system is not as efficient as it could be. By focusing on efficiency, you put yourself ahead of the pack when building HVAC projects. The issue is that many contractors try to use cheap systems for the project because they want to pocket the difference. It is much better to deliver value for clients when they don’t need to constantly call you because the system broke down again.
Go the Extra Mile When Servicing
Going the extra mile when doing servicing is also crucial to risk management for HVAC projects. It positions you as the excellent contractor that does more without being paid extra. It means that clients are less likely to complain about issues.
There will always be risks when working with HVAC projects. However, you can follow these simple rules to minimize the chance of anything going wrong in your future endeavors.
