Frequently Asked Questions for Mechanical & Industrial Contractors

• Industrial Contractors install, maintain & repair manufacturing, processing & recycling facilities in numerous industries such as consumer products, chemicals, paint & polymers, food & beverage, life sciences, pulp & paper, packaging, building materials, pharmaceuticals & cosmetics, life sciences, energy, technology, aviation & aerospace, recycling, water treatment & agricultural. The best industrial contractors carry a U Stamp & R Stamp for fabricating & repairing pressure vessels.

Your mechanical contractor should the following at minumum:

• an active Air Conditioning & Refrigeration License issued by the state where services are performed. In Texas the licensing authority is TDLR (Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation) https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/
• an active Responsible Master Plumber license issed by the TSBPE (Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners) https://tsbpe.texas.gov/

• Full Time OSHA 500 Safety Director
• EMR ≤ 1.00
• 100% On Site Competent Supervison with at least OSHA 30 certification, First Aid & CPR Training

General Tradesman Qualifications:

• OSHA 10
• Aerial Lift Training
• Forklift Training
• Fall Protection Training
• Confined Space Training
  • Trademsan that are trained, licensed or certifiied as appicable
  • Plumbing
    • Journeyman License, Tradesman License or Apprentice Registration as applicable
  • Welding
    • Weld Procedures (WPS) for Carbon Steel Pipe, Stainless Steel Pipe, Structural Steel, Etc.
    • Welder Performance Qualifications (WPQ’s) for all company welders
  • Millwrights
    • Training in Rigging by NCCER or another reputable training provider
  • Full Time Quality Control /Quality Assurance (QC/QA) Director

• You can verify an Air Conditioning & Refrigeration license by going to https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/LicenseSearch/

• You can verify Responsible Master Plumbing Licenses by going to https://vo.licensing.hpc.texas.gov/datamart/selSearchType.do

• Lump Sump Contract/Hard Bid/Fixed Price
• Cost Plus Contract
• Time & Materials Contract
• Unit Price Contract
• Guaranteed Maximum Price Contract (GMP)
• Design-Build Contract
• Integrated Project Delivery Contract

• Lump Sum Contract: Contractor agrees to complete the project for a predetermined, fixed price.

Advantages:

• Cost control for the owner

Disadvantages:

• Project Design must be ≥ 90% complete for contractor to provide an accurate lump sum bid
• Limited flexibility for project changes
  • All project changes that affect the cost or schedule will necessitate a change order

• Time & Material Contract: Contractor is paid based on the actual labor & materials used to complete the project.

Advantages:

• Great solution when the project scope hasn’t been fully determined or documented prior to project start
• Flexibility to accommodate changes & unforeseen conditions
• Can save the contractor & customer money on small projects. The cost of visiting the job site, developing a scope and creating a hard bid saves the contractor & customer at least $1,000 on a small projects

Disadvantages:

• Final cost for customer isn’t known upfront