Bud Mahas Construciton, Inc.

Payment Request form - 101

2009-11-12T16:29:00.011-07:00

Arrggh! It's that time of month again! You work for 5 or 10 different general contractors and you gotta fill out 5 or 10 different billing forms and you have to worry about 5 or 10 different intricate idiosyncrasies of each of the generals - and if you make a mistake you don't get paid! How frustrating is that?!

Well, we are probably no different than many your other generals, but we are the only ones that give you some help in muddling through the process. And, if you make an honest effort at getting it right and at least get the form into us we won't hang you on a technicality. All we ask is that you send a payment request every month that you want to receive a check.

We use the same policy with our subs as the architects use with us: Send in a billing every month. If our billing is cut or changed we must send in another billing the next month to make up the difference. If we don't then we don't get paid.

Here is a quick run down of the what we look for on a completed payment request form. The steps detailed below mirror the steps outlined on your payment request form.

Step 1 - Show us the adjusted contract amount
All we need here is the original contract amount from the subcontract agreement you signed. Generally this number will be entered for you on the original payment request form we send to you with your contract. If you use our forms found online, you fill in the number - make sure it's the right amount.

Next, list approved changes. An approved change is one you have received from us signed by the project manager. You can also list change orders waiting approval. You most likely will not be paid for these but we will use the information to make sure they are submitted for approval.

Step 2 - How much are you billing?
A picture is worth a 1,000 words. So, here are 2,000 words on how to fill out this part of our form correctly.

Assume in month one you are billing $50,000. Your request should look like this:

Assume in month two you are billing $25,000. Your request should look like this:

Notice the job to date amount billed is $75,000. This is $50,000 from request #1 and $25,000 from request #2.

Step 3 - Sign the request
This part is easy because we don't require a notary. Just sign it, make sure your company name is shown and fax or email it in. Don't forget to provide supplier lien releases if requested to do so. If all these steps are taken care of properly, then you should be able to expect a check between the 20th and 25th of the month!

Did you get my fax?

2009-11-10T00:01:00.003-07:00

One of the more frequent phone calls we get, especially on bid days...very, very busy bid days... are folks wanting to know if we got their fax.

It's nice to get that warm fuzzy feeling from a real person that the fax came through. However, our experience is that every time a fax goes through on your end - it makes it through to our end. Unless of course it is sent to the wrong fax number.

Our Salt Lake office has two fax machines that each work great. The numbers are (801) 531-0314 and (801) 531-0319. If you really want to make sure that your information is received try emailing it. We will reply with a 'thank you' so that you know we received it.

General payment cycle...

2009-11-09T17:32:00.007-07:00

Here is a snapshot view of our general payment cycle. This is what you should be able to expect unless there is something unexpected or unusual as outlined below:

1. You do the work or supply the material to the job site before month end,
2. Fax or email a billing on our payment request form to the main office generally by the 25th of the month,
3. We prepare a payment request and send it to the owner,
4. You provide supplier lien releases if requested,
5. We both wait for the owner to pay our request,
6. We cut checks on the 3rd and 4th Thursday's of the month and mail the following day assuming the owner has paid by that time. We generally receive our money between the 20th and 25th of the month.

Examples of unexpected or unusual items that can slow the payment process down are:

1. We don't get your payment request before we prepare our billing,
2. The work isn't done for which you are billing or the materials billed are not there by the end of the month,
3. Insurance certificates have lapsed or have not been provided,
4. The architect rejects the work or material and cuts our draw for your portion to the owner,
5. Lien releases have not been received.

You can find all the forms required in this process on our forms and downloads page on our website.

Supplier lien releases - don't take it personal

2009-11-05T23:10:00.009-07:00

One time I was having lunch with a manager of a well established electrical contractor. The subject of nosy general contractors asking for lien releases from the suppliers of subcontractors was put on the table. I mentioned the many complaints that had been lodged against us for our policy of getting supplier lien releases.

He didn't even hesitate when he said "I love it when our generals ask for supplier lien releases!" I stared at him in disbelief for a moment - waiting for the laughter or the 'just kidding'. But he was totally serious. He said when his generals are asking for suppliers lien releases on a monthly basis he doesn't have to worry when he gets to the end of the job that he is going to have to come up with a huge chunk of change to pay off a supplier that his office manager forgot about. For him, it's a back door way to be assured that bills are being paid timely and they are not going to be upside down at the end of the job.

Our belief at Bud Mahas Construction is that when a job is run in the most efficient manner in the field and in the office, the owner will be satisfied with the product and all contractors involved will make the most money possible on the project.

So if you are expecting a payment and we ask for a lien release from your supplier, please understand we are trying to do all we can to keep the job moving. We think it's just good business - nothing personal.

We have lien releases and other forms available on our website. You can find more information on protecting your lien rights on the website of the Utah State Construction Registry.

So you want to be on our bidders list

2009-11-04T17:14:00.008-07:00

We get lots of phone calls from prospective subcontractors and suppliers who would like to be added to our bidders list. It is our subcontractors and suppliers that help us get work and so we are always on the look out for good, reliable subs and suppliers.

Though we do not maintain a formal list of bidders, we do have a tool on our website that enables interested parties to know what our bid schedule is.

If you would like to work for Bud Mahas Construction please bookmark our bidding schedule located on our website. We update the schedule frequently and it will generally reflect any and all projects that we will be bidding. If you see something you like you are welcome to send us a bid!