Builders help
Materials handling on site
The customer buys their own materials. Your role on materials is coordinating timing, taking receipt of deliveries, checking quantities and condition, and contacting suppliers if there's an issue.
The customer holds the supplier relationship. Your role is the on-site side of materials.
Steps
- Coordinate delivery timing with the customer's procurement so materials arrive in line with the build programme. The materials tracker is the shared view.
- Take receipt of deliveries. Be on site or have someone there. Check what's arrived against the order paperwork.
- Check condition. Boxed items in particular — open and inspect for damage, missing parts, or wrong items. Note anything immediately, before installing.
- Store materials safely. Lockable, dry, and protected from site activity. Don't expose stored materials to weather, dust, or footfall they aren't designed for.
- If there's an issue, the customer contacts the supplier. Tell the customer what you've found; they raise it with the supplier under their own supplier relationship. If you've spotted the issue, send photos to the customer so they can pass them on.
What you don't do
- Don't unilaterally accept damaged or wrong items assuming you'll work around them. Flag and document at receipt.
- Don't replace items yourself without going through the customer and the supplier. The supplier's warranty applies; bypassing it complicates the customer's path.
- Don't bear the cost of supplier mistakes. If the supplier sent the wrong item or a damaged one, that's between the customer and the supplier — not your problem to absorb.
When the customer needs guidance
Customers buying their own materials sometimes hit decisions where your view is useful — what fits, what works, what's compatible. Share your view honestly. The customer ultimately chooses, but your input often shapes the choice.
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- Reporting progress and challenges