The arrogance of general contractors who think, “We can just pass the troublesome work off to subcontractors”
This happened at a construction site for a general contractor where I used to work. I was in charge of construction management, and my job involved reviewing plans for upcoming construction projects with my supervisor and preparing the necessary documentation, such as progress inspections.
At that time, based on a suggestion from the site crew, we decided to adopt a certain construction method. During the project, we discovered that the design did not fully align with on-site conditions in some areas, which required us to revise the construction plan. As a result, I went to the subcontractor to request revisions to the updated drawings.
Then, the boss said the following to the subcontractor.
"Since this is required for the as-built drawings, please make sure to include it in the cross-section drawings as well. Also, please enter it into the earthwork calculation sheet."
There are about 30 cross-sectional drawings. Since each drawing contains four or five cross-sections, the total number of working cross-sections amounts to about 150.
Naturally, the representative from the subcontracting company was reluctant. While he responded that they would “certainly” make revisions to the structural drawings and development drawings, he countered that cross-sectional drawings and earthwork calculations “were not within our scope of work.”
In the end, however, the subcontractor relented, and they agreed to make the necessary revisions to the cross-sectional drawings and earthwork calculations. My boss acted as if it were only natural, but I felt terribly sorry about it.
If things continue like this, our subcontractors will cut ties with us.
We’ve had to ask subcontractors to prepare documentation for these projects before, and they’ve usually agreed readily, saying, “We’ll take care of that!”
However, they refuse to do any work that goes beyond the scope of their core duties. This is because, even for subcontractors, expenses just keep piling up without any actual revenue coming in.
Furthermore, since field work is done during the day and revisions to drawings and quantities are made during breaks or after work is completed, the physical strain is also significant.
If you're willing to cover the costs, they might be more likely to take on the job, but if you try to force it on them, they'll eventually refuse.
There will undoubtedly come a time when someone tells us, “We won’t be doing business with your company anymore.”
Just as general contractors handle the client's work
The reason for this lies in the changing role of general contractors.
General contractors have an enormous workload. Recently, they have even come to handle tasks that should be performed by government agencies. For example, it is now standard practice for site supervisors to prepare bid drawings and quantity takeoffs, as well as documents for construction change orders.
Strictly speaking, this is the client’s responsibility; the general contractor’s role is to draw up a construction plan based on the design drawings and change orders, and to carry out the construction work on-site.
However, if we are required to prepare order drawings and documents for construction change orders as well, it could lead to chaos on-site. We already have a full plate with our regular progress management tasks, planning for future construction work, reviewing construction methods, organizing photographs, preparing reports, and so on; if we are also forced to take on the government agency’s workload, we will run short on manpower.
When that happens, general contractors tend to adopt the attitude of “Let subcontractors handle whatever they can!” Just as numerous projects were once outsourced from public agencies to the private sector under the directive—or was it a decree?—“Let the private sector handle whatever it can!”—something similar is happening now.
Because they outsource all their work to subcontractors, the technical capabilities of general contractors are declining.
In line with recent trends, even major general contractors are facing a labor shortage. However, rather than simply lacking people, they feel there is a shortage of “people who are truly capable” and “people who approach their work with passion.”
When I was working at a well-known general contractor, I saw several people who said, “I’ve never seen anyone compromise so easily.” They were just going through the motions, as if to say, “Well, I guess this is good enough.”
Even when something wasn’t clear, they’d just brush it off with a “Oh, well,” and when it came to quality control, they’d settle for “This is good enough,” without seeking any further improvements or enhancements. As a result, they often ordered the wrong materials or drove foundation piles into the wrong spots at certain construction sites.
Furthermore, the quality of the construction management documents we received was poor—or rather, we didn’t receive any at all. It was to the point where even when we reached out to them, they still didn’t provide them.
There are many people who simply pass along documents received from subcontractors to clients without checking them. The growing number of people who cut corners like this may also be one of the factors contributing to the unfair shifting of work onto others.
General contractors need to adopt the attitude that, “It’s about time we started doing what we’re supposed to do ourselves!” This isn’t just for the company’s sake—it’s for their own sake as well.
Lately, I’ve been hearing from various sources that the skill level of engineers at general contractors is steadily declining. It’s only natural that this would happen if they keep unfairly shifting the workload onto subcontractors.
First and foremost, I want you to use your own mind and hands. It’s only by doing things yourself that you’ll gain experience, improve your skills, and earn the trust of others.
