The right way to hire a commercial general contractor comes down to four checks: licensing and insurance, a real project process, references from repeat clients, and a clear plan for handling change orders. Skip any one of these, and you are gambling with your budget and your timeline.
What Does It Actually Mean to Hire a Commercial General Contractor?
A commercial general contractor is the single firm responsible for turning your drawings and budget into a finished building. They coordinate every subcontractor, permit, and inspection. Hiring one is not like hiring a vendor. You are hiring the team that carries the risk for your entire project.
Most owners start this search by asking for a bid. That is a mistake. A bid tells you a price, not whether the firm behind it can run your job without burning through your budget in change orders.
Why the Lowest Bid Rarely Wins
A low number on paper often hides gaps in scope, thin subcontractor relationships, or a plan to make up the difference in change orders once you are locked in. The bid matters, but it should never be the only thing that matters.
Step 1: Confirm Licensing, Insurance, and Local Registration
Texas does not issue a statewide license for general contractors. That puts the burden of vetting on you. Texas does regulate specific trades, though: electricians and HVAC contractors need a license through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and plumbers are licensed separately. A qualified GC should be able to name every licensed sub on your project and hand you proof without hesitation.
Did You Know? Because Texas has no statewide GC license, anyone can legally call themselves a general contractor. Your city’s permit registration and each subcontractor’s trade license are often the only real screening tools available before you sign a contract.
Many Texas cities, including Round Rock, require GCs to register through a local permit portal before pulling permits. Ask your candidate for their registration number and confirm it directly with your city’s building department, not through a screenshot the contractor sends you.
Pro Tip: Request a certificate of insurance naming your company as an additional insured, and call the insurance carrier directly to confirm the policy is active. A five-minute phone call catches problems a PDF cannot.
Step 2: Vet Their Process, Not Just Their Portfolio
A portfolio shows you finished buildings. It does not show you how a firm actually runs a job. Ask any candidate to walk you through their process phase by phase: preconstruction and feasibility, design coordination and permitting, site mobilization, vertical construction, and closeout. A firm that can name specific roles and people for each phase has done this enough times to have a real system.
At Aday & Associates, that means Estimating Director Russell Hirsch and Preconstruction Manager M’Kensie Aday are assigned before a permit is ever filed, and named field superintendents run each phase of vertical construction. We mention that not to boast, but because it is the level of specificity you should expect from anyone bidding your project. If a candidate cannot tell you who does what on your job, they likely have not thought it through yet.
Pro Tip: Ask to see a real budget line-item breakdown from a past project of similar size, with names and dollar amounts redacted. A firm with a real process will have one ready. A firm without one will stall.
Step 3: Vet Client Relationships, Not Just Reference Lists
Any GC can hand you three happy references. The better question is whether past clients came back for a second project. We have built four locations for Andy’s of Central Texas across four different municipalities over five years, and that kind of repeat business tells you more about trust than any single testimonial can.
We have also been hired mid-project. One automotive client, McSpadden Automotive, brought us in during the middle of their permitting process with drawings that were still incomplete. We built that project on schedule. Ask any GC candidate how they have handled inheriting a project already underway. If they cannot give you a specific example, that is worth noting.
Questions to Ask a Past Client Directly
- Would you hire this team again for a second building, not just this one?
- What happened the one time something went wrong on the job?
- Did the final invoice land close to the original budget, or far from it?
Step 4: Understand How They Handle Change Orders and Communication
Every commercial project runs into conditions nobody planned for: soil surprises, an unexpected existing structure, a scope change you requested yourself. What separates a strong GC from a weak one is not whether change orders happen, but how they are handled.
Did You Know? Uncontrolled change orders are one of the most common reasons commercial projects finish over budget. A documented process, with written pricing, owner approval before work starts, and an updated budget log, protects you far more than a verbal promise to keep costs down.
Ask who your actual point of contact will be once construction starts. On a well-run job, that is usually a field superintendent who is on-site daily, backed by a project manager who handles budget and schedule. If a candidate cannot tell you who picks up the phone when you call, plan on doing a lot of chasing later.
Step 5: Interview Them Like a Business Partner
By this point, you have enough information to run a real interview. Treat it like hiring a partner, not accepting a quote.
| Question to Ask | What a Strong Answer Sounds Like |
| Who is my main point of contact during construction? | A named superintendent and project manager, not “our office.” |
| How do you price and approve change orders? | A written estimate and owner sign-off before work begins. |
| Can I contact three clients who rehired you? | Specific names and projects, offered without hesitation. |
| What happens if we hit an unexpected site condition? | A documented process, with an example from a past job. |
Red flags worth walking away from include a contractor who resists naming subcontractors upfront, pressures you to sign before you have reviewed a written contract, cannot produce an insurance certificate on request, or refuses to connect you with a past client. A firm confident in its own work will not flinch at any of these requests. Firms that have earned membership with a trade body like the AGC Texas Building Branch have generally agreed to standards around safety, quality control, and professional development, which is one more data point worth checking.
If you are still deciding between a traditional general contractor and a design-build delivery model, the vetting questions above apply either way. You are still hiring a team to be accountable for your outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I ask a commercial general contractor before hiring them? Ask about their licensing and insurance, their phase-by-phase process, and how they handle change orders. Then ask for references from clients who hired them more than once, since repeat business is the strongest signal of trust.
How do I check if a Texas contractor is properly licensed and insured? Texas does not license general contractors statewide, so confirm their city permit registration directly with your building department. For licensed trades like electrical and HVAC subs, verify status through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
How much does it typically cost to hire a commercial GC in Texas? Most commercial GCs do not charge a separate fee to hire them; their cost is built into the project bid. Get written, itemized bids from two or three firms before comparing.
How long does the hiring and vetting process usually take? A thorough vetting process, including reference calls and license checks, usually takes two to four weeks. Rushing this step is one of the most common mistakes first-time owners make.
What are red flags when interviewing a general contractor? Watch for reluctance to name subcontractors, pressure to sign before you have a written contract, or an inability to produce proof of insurance. A qualified GC will welcome these questions, not avoid them.
Ready to Hire a Team You Can Trust?
Hiring a commercial general contractor is about vetting a business partner. Check the license and insurance. Ask about the process, not just the price. Call the clients who came back for a second project, and find out how they handle problems before you need to find out the hard way.
Ready to find your contractor? Contact Aday & Associates for a free consultation and project estimate, and talk with our project management and field team about what your project needs. If you already have a GC of record and want an independent second opinion, our construction management services are also available as a standalone engagement.