The hardest decision in a commercial interior project is firing a contractor mid-job. The second-hardest decision is recognizing when you should. Most failed projects gave clear warning signs in the first 30 days. Here are six early signals — and what to do about each.
1. The Schedule Slips in Week One
A GC that misses the first milestone often misses every milestone. The pattern is rarely random — it usually reflects undercapacity, overcommitment, or poor planning. Don't let "we'll make it up" slide. Insist on a recovery plan in writing within 48 hours of a missed milestone.
2. Subcontractors Aren't Showing Up
If you're seeing different crews each week or stretches of empty floor, the GC is losing control of trade scheduling. This usually means cash-flow problems with subs, scheduling conflicts the GC isn't managing, or a GC stretched too thin across projects.
3. Change Orders Arrive in Bulk
Multiple change orders submitted at once, often weeks after the underlying change, signal a GC who's pricing on the back end. Every change order should be priced before the work happens — not weeks later when the leverage is gone.
4. Communication Goes Quiet
Weekly OAC meetings should be predictable, attended, and substantive. If your GC starts missing meetings, sending substitutes, or providing thin updates, the project is drifting. Insist on consistent representation by named senior staff.
5. Quality Issues in the First Punch
If the early framing, drywall, or finish work shows quality problems, the pattern will continue. Quality compounds: rough framing makes finish work harder; bad finish work compounds into punch-list chaos. Address quality immediately or it gets exponentially harder to fix.
6. Safety Issues
OSHA violations, untrained workers, missing PPE, unsafe scaffolding — any of these signal a contractor without the operational discipline to manage your project. Safety problems aren't isolated; they reflect culture.
When to Fire and How
Firing a GC mid-job is disruptive and expensive — but less expensive than completing a failed project. Before terminating: document specific contract breaches, secure project records and as-built documentation, line up a replacement GC, and engage legal counsel on bond and warranty implications. An independent PM coordinates this transition while protecting the client's interests.
How to Avoid the Decision Entirely
Most "fire the GC" scenarios trace back to selecting the wrong GC in the first place. Structured competitive bidding, rigorous references, and an independent PM running the selection process prevent the problem before it starts.
Get help evaluating your current GC or selecting a new one.