As you begin your search for a general contractor or owner’s representative for your next commercial project, a big decision you’ll have to make is whether to hire a local firm or a large national contractor. As an established South Florida firm with more than 20 years of experience in the industry, we’re naturally a bit biased to going local, but we have good reason to back up that claim. Let’s take a look at some of the key differences between hiring a local contractor versus a national one.

Familiarity with local permitting rules and regulations

One of the ways your contractor works with you to ensure timely completion of your project is to make sure the permitting process goes seamlessly. As your on-the-ground experts, your local contractor will be familiar with all the unique building, political, and economic demands of your area, including the numerous nuanced building permit requirements depending on which county or municipality your property resides. Moreover, they’ll have the local contacts and established relationships a national firm simply can’t sustain.

Established relationships with qualified and experienced subcontractors

Like elsewhere across the country, South Florida is experiencing a skilled labor shortage, which is translating to increased construction costs and greater demand for specialty labor workers. The best subcontractors are running tight schedules and will only choose to partner with trusted GCs they can count on. Local firms have these established relationships and also understand the value of securing the right subcontractors for each job.

Cost-effective use of budgetary spend

When hiring a national firm to complete your commercial project, a big portion of your budget gets eaten up by travel expenses. This includes travel not only for the project manager and construction leads, but the firm may also end up bringing in entire teams of subcontractors from all parts of the country to work on the job. In terms of effectively spending the project budget, this can be costly. Not to mention, the local economy is not benefiting in the same way when outside workers are brought in to do the job.

If you’re looking for a local general contractor you can trust to complete your next commercial build, get in touch. We’re happy to answer all of your questions and help you understand the unique building requirements of South Florida.