Your painting contract should include a rundown of all services provided during the job. It should be specific about the timelines, protections and what to do if other issues arise.

After getting a few quotes and consultations from different industrial painting contractors, interviewing and auditing the contractors and their past work, you are ready to pick the industrial painting service provider for your project. The first step of this process is to draw up the contract.

The contract will outline the provided services throughout the job, as well the products to be used. In addition, the contract should feature clauses about safety and what to do if any problems arise.

5 Steps for Choosing an Industrial Painting Contractor

Before you can even get to drawing out a contract, you need to choose an industrial painting contractor for the job. Follow these steps to find a contractor for your next industrial painting project.

Before you can start looking for industrial painting services, you must appoint a project manager or operations manager to the project to help create a budget and establish a timeline for the project. These people will also serve as the contact point for the professional contractors.

1. Set your Budget

The first step is to determine your budget and what you are allowed to or are willing to spend on the painting project. If you have done a similar project before, you should have an idea of how much it will cost. However, if you are unfamiliar or have a very unique situation or project, it may help to get feedback from people in the industry or from contractors to determine your budget.

2. Set a Timeline

The next step is to set your timelines for the project. These timelines include both a date that the project needs to be completed by and also deadlines for selecting the contractor.

3. Create a Bid Document

The bid document will help your potential contractors understand the scope of the project and will help them see what types of materials are needed. Part of this may include meetings about the project or walkthroughs of the facilities to give potential contractors the time to ask questions and see the project themselves.

4. Have a Bidders List

The next step is to create a bidders list of accredited industrial painting contractors for the job. Look for credentials from NACE International and from the Society for Protective Coatings. These organizations set standards for those affiliated with them, meaning these contractors are committed to high standards set by larger governing bodies.

Also look into the safety of each contractor and their insurance claim history. You may also want to look into their past work and past clients.

5. Select the Contractor

The final step is to select a contractor for the job. Review all the bid responses and select the one that most fits the scope of your project. 

Select a contractor that has been communicative and easy to work with throughout the process. 

What an Industrial Painting Contract Should Contain

Now that you have selected an industrial painting contractor, it’s time to dive into what the contract should contain.

Executive Summary

The first part of the contract is the executive summary. All this section is a rundown of the contract and it will explicitly state the two parties involved in the contract. In addition, it should provide information about each party. It should include address and contact information for both parties, as well as the names of the parties involved. The executive summary should also include the credentials, licensing, insurance and worker’s compensation of the hired contractor.

Scope of Work

The contract should also include a detailed report of the project and what is to be included in the project. The scope of work should include what is being painted, the types of surfaces to be painted, square footage information where applicable, any prep work that needs done, repairs or pre-treatments that are required, details about the warranty and how they plan to protect equipment and items in the room.

This breakdown needs to be extremely detailed and specific. This section should also include who is responsible for the prep work.

Product Information

The product information section outlines the exact products that are to be used over the course of the project. It will include primers, joint compounds, brands of paints, finishes, stains, the paint colors, sealants, and any specialty coatings used.

Essentially, this list contains information about all products and tools that are expected to be used during the project. The product information section also outlines information about cleanup and who is responsible for it.

Cost Estimate

The final part of the contract is the cost estimate. This should be extremely detailed and be fairly close to your original quote, with additional information and pricing for any final details that have been added. 

Always ask questions about this part, especially if the cost breakdown is not transparent. It should list the amount of paint needed, with the price, as well as any additional expenses for special equipment.

The cost estimate should also include a detailed timeline of the project, with a set end date and a payment schedule.

Double check and reread every part of this section. Make sure nothing is overlooked, missing or added.