Virtually every decision-making process these days starts on the web, whether you are making a choice for personal or professional reasons. As you get started in search of the right commercial HVAC contractor, use the web to your advantage to get an overview of who is available, what kind of rates they offer, etc. You might want to make a list of the various options you find in your area just to keep things straight. It should only take a matter of minutes to collect a healthy list of viable candidates.

Staying on the web, the next step is to check around for reviews of the businesses from past customers. Which contractors on your list have a good reputation, and which seem to have more than their share of complaints? You don’t want to make too much of just a couple of bad reviews, as that can happen to even excellent contractors, but a pattern of complaints certainly is a problem. Use this stage to narrow down your list of options.

At this point, you may be down to a few contractors, so it’s time to get a little more information. One thing you will want to check for is the appropriate licenses and insurance. Don’t accept any excuses on this point. If a given contractor is not fully licensed, or doesn’t carry professional insurance, just cross them off the list and move on. You need to make sure you are working with a legitimate business and checking for licenses and insurance is standard procedure in this industry.

When you feel like you have done all of the homework you can do on your own, it’s time to bring your remaining contenders in for a meeting to discuss the project at hand. At this point, you will have the chance to talk specifics, work through any issues the project may be facing, and establish a firm quote. Through the process of meeting face to face, you may be able to get a good sense of which contractor is right for the job.

Yes – you want to get a good rate for this project. No – you should not make your choice solely on the matter of cost. What you are looking for is a good value, where you blend a fair price with experience and knowledge. Think about it this way – if one of your contenders is willing to work for far less than the rest, there is probably a reason for that discount price. Plan to pay a fair rate to work with a quality team and you should be happy in the end.