QUALITY:
 
1 – Has the contractor received proper instruction regarding how to do the work?
2 – Do working conditions allow for safe and productive work?
3 – Are internal controls effective?
4 – Is staff support sufficient?
5 – Is housekeeping evident?
6 – Does our firm have a good history with this contractor?
7 – Are this contractor’s funds and hours properly accounted for?
8 – Does the contractor operate with a set of guidelines?
9 – Is/was work in progress (WIP) observed by someone from the client’s firm or a trade professional?
10 – Is the scheduling of work sequenced ok?
11 – Does the contractor’s staff hold regular meetings internally? Externally with firm?
12 – Is the contractor’s schedule easily updated?
13 – Is the contractor required to pass any official certification process?
14 – Contractor had to meet pre-qualification (vetting) standards to work on this project?
15 – Did your firm visit similar projects by this contractor before hiring them?
16 – Did the contractor make any illegal substitutions (e.g. material, unqualified people)?
17 – Are/were unit prices anticipated?
18 – Are change orders sent for executive oversight, agreed to and signed-off by all concerned in advance?
19 – Does/ did the contractor permit auditors reasonable access to their site?
20 – Can the contractor’s design integrate all required component parts?
21 – Have field audits uncovered sub-standard/non-functioning/or dangerous products, services or practices? (Yes = Bad)
22 – Vendor moves quickly to correct problems?
23 – Firm moves quickly to address problems?
24 – Do contractors have access to “sensitive” areas/ databases/ resources? (Yes = blue)
25 – Are contractors vetted and removed from bidding for dishonesty recent criminal activity?
26 – Firm maintains a severe violators watch list? (Yes = good)
27 – Does contractor own/ operate its own lab and submit unsupervised test results to PM for review? (Yes = blue)
28 – (If relevant) Can this small contractor scale up quickly enough to meet the required service demand schedule? (No = bad)
29 – (If relevant) Must this small contractor procure a large number of subcontractors to meet the required date? (Yes = blue)
30 – Does contractor specialize in the work described in the project’s request for proposal? (No = blue)
31 – Does PM/ SM have access to the contractor’s primary/ secondary facilities? (No = bad)
32 – Do testing people consistently perform protocols? (Yes = good) Do they only perform properly when they know they are being observed during quality assurance audits) (Yes = bad)
33 – Does PM/ QA have the technical expertise to properly assess defects and mistakes? (No = bad)
34 – Must PM/QA over rely on contractor/ vendor expertise? (Yes = blue)
35 – Are key contractor, project management and consultant people on-site during the project’s initial transition phase? (Yes = good)
36 – Does SM/ PM monitor contractor quality for:  Proper wage payment, turnover, large numbers of personnel hired on short notice?
37 – Does contractor have sufficient liability for a project of this size and scope?
 
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PERFORMANCE:
 
1 – Are overhead costs properly applied – and only to straight time?
2 – Is scope creep occurring?
3 – Is the contractor making timely delivery of deliverables?
4 – Do frequent field changes have to be made to accommodate contractor flaws?
5 – Does the contractor’s interface work with this project?
6 – Does the contractor receive any needed technical support from the project team?
7 – Does the contractor experience frequent equipment failures/ shortages that adversely affects the project?
8 – Does the vendor/ contractor know the business?
9 – Does the contractor know alternate equipment that can also support the project?
10 – Does our firm have a positive oversight history with this contractor?
11 – Is the contractor absorbing project costs (possible future problem, if yes)?
12 – Does this contractor meet its commitments?
13 – Contractor received legal complaints/ violations during this project or similar ones?
14 – Contractor has a record of many past violations? (Perhaps require coordination with compliance group to develop effective solutions before allowing contractor to bid)
15 – Contractor uses this project as a loss leader, hoping for other business from my firm?
16 – Pricing is based on written specifications?
17 – Contractor pays its subcontractors on time for work that was honestly performed?
18 – Contractor can get the required parts?
19 – Contractor’s system is easy to maintain?
20 – Contractor will support product after delivery? (No = bad: Possibly consider terminating project). Can/ will/ (is) vendor support(ing) the project 24/7? If only 9 to 5 (then blue)?
21 – Contractor received specifications before the project began?
22 – Contractor reviewed specifications before beginning the project?
23 – Contractor is complying with the specifications?
24 – Contractor is working its staff on weekends?
25 – Contractor is penalized if deliverables are sub-standard?
26 – Contractors are paid hourly? Are subcontractors NOT paid hourly but by production? (Yes = opportunity to push workers to work faster and longer, possibly affecting quality and safety)
27 – Contractors are cooperative with the project team?
28 – Have contractors/vendors who were supposed to be removed from employment on the project still working on it, under other circumstances?
29– Firm observes daily supervision of vendor’s staff actually performing the work?
30 – Change control process in place and working?
31 – Contractor is allowed to charge firm its costs plus a fixed fee, despite poor performance?  (Yes = Bad)
32 – Are contract/ contractor raises built into the project’s contracts? (Yes = blue)
33 – Are/ were qualified project staffers vetting bills that contractors submit?
34 – Did contractor personnel receive PM training and or certification before being assigned to the project?
35 – Complies with project’s procurement rules?
36 – Complies with government mandated procedures/ regulations (where applicable)?
37 – Does PM hold contractors accountable when they do not comply? (e.g. stop/ reduce payments, etc)
38 – Are contractors required to make performance improvements?
39 – Has/ does contractor provided the metrics that they are contractually required to provide?
40 – Is all work performed only after written contracts have been approved? (No = bad)
41 – PM requires/ implements regularly recurring progress reports and meetings to monitor vendors’ performance? (No = bad).  Did the meetings occur?
42 – Does PM conduct no-notice/ short notice surprise visits at contractor headquarters and worksites? (No = bad).  Is PM/ QA staff denied access to any site? (Yes = bad)
43 – Do personnel understand how to perform basic instructions/ tasks related to the job? (No = bad)
44 – Does contractor operate with broad authority and limited oversight? (Yes = bad)
45 – Does contractor attempt to circumvent procedures by using “off-the-books” workers? (Yes = bad)
46 – If a contractor is terminated for poor performance by any group within the firm, is this information communicated to the entire firm? (No = bad)
47 – Does contractor subcontract work to subcontractors without proper authorization? (Yes = blue)
48 – Is/ was/ has contractor personnel provided safety training before beginning work? (Yes = good)
49 – Does contractor have prior experience with the technology/ product/ service? (Yes = good)
50  – Were/ are contractor personnel compelled to use unsafe equipment? (Yes = bad)
51 – Does contractor have sufficient personnel needed to do the work, if they win the contract? (Yes = good)
52 – Do all purchases require written bids to be submitted, first? (No = bad)
53 – Are there any recurring issues that PM/ team has repeatedly failed to address? (Yes = bad)
54 – Does purchasing/ PM have the names & addresses of the contractors who bid on the work? (Yes = good)
55 –  Did someone review the bids, side by side to verify completeness and accuracy? (No = bad)