Expert tip Oliver Girharz - There is a clear sequence when building - read here:
Building in Mallorca: The award
Before the actual construction of a property can even begin, it is a long and sometimes arduous journey. In order to approach the project in a structured way, it is divided into 5 project stages: from project preparation (basic evaluation), planning of the property by suitable architects and specialist planners (design and execution planning), preparation for execution (tendering, selection of contractors), through to execution itself and project completion (handover). In today's report, I would like to discuss the selection of the executing company or companies, how to proceed and what you should bear in mind.
The bill of quantities
A bill of quantities (BOS for short) should always be the basis for requesting cost estimates. In principle, the bill of quantities should be drawn up in great detail and describe not only the quantities (masses) but also the qualities (materials) so that no cost increases and discussions regarding prices and execution are to be expected during the construction work. However, when it comes to quality, professional preparatory work is required, preferably including well-organized material sampling by the client himself, and preferably BEFORE the work begins. Three or more cost estimates should be obtained in order to achieve good comparability of the work offered. The evaluation of the cost estimates is based on a comparison and should be carried out by a professional, whereby as many points as possible should be examined point by point. The same cardinal mistake is made time and again: only the total sum is used in the valuation without comparing the individual unit prices with each other. This is where the devil is in the detail, as even low prices can be a sign of calculation and/or interpretation errors in the service description. The award recommendation should also always be preceded by a personal discussion with the provider in order to identify misunderstandings in the interpretation of work and materials in advance, and not just during the construction work itself.
The award
Depending on the complexity of the construction work, you should consider whether the work should be awarded to a general contractor or whether it might make sense to award the contract individually. Both options have advantages and disadvantages, although these are obvious. With a general contractor, there is usually only one point of contact, whereas the biggest challenge with individual contracts lies in coordinating the individual companies. From a legal point of view, the same also applies to possible warranty claims. The advantage of awarding individual contracts lies in the expected quality. The general contractor itself usually subcontracts individual works of individual trades. The cheaper these services are purchased by the general contractor, the higher the contractor's profit. Unfortunately, this approach is often at the expense of quality.
Before finally signing the building contract, you should ask for references, speak to former customers and also check the availability of the company. Due to the current good order situation on Mallorca, it is often not easy to find good companies, as the good companies in particular are sometimes fully booked for months. I can only advise every prospective carpenter not to choose a contractor based solely on the offer price or for reasons of sympathy, but to take all the underlying facts into account.Oliver Girharz
The author is a managing director
of the engineering and
Project management b¸ros
Matrol Servicios y Peritajes SL
