Why We Sometimes Use Subcontractors (And Why It Benefits Our Clients)

I get this question more than you’d expect: “Do you do all the work yourselves, or do you use subcontractors?” It’s a fair question, and I’d rather answer it honestly than dodge it.

The short answer is: sometimes we do use subcontractors. And I’m going to explain exactly when, why, and how we handle it – because I think once you understand our approach, you’ll see why it actually works in your favor.

When and Why We Bring In Specialists

Seattle Surface Cleaners started as a commercial cleaning company focused on the services I knew inside and out – janitorial work, pressure washing, graffiti removal. Over the years, clients have asked us to handle an increasingly wide range of work. Window washing at height. Specialized floor coatings. Large-scale pressure washing projects that need multiple crews running simultaneously.

Here’s where I have a choice. I can either try to be everything to everyone – hiring for every specialty, buying every piece of equipment – or I can be honest about what my team does best and bring in proven specialists when the situation calls for it.

I chose the honest route.

Some jobs genuinely need equipment or expertise that goes beyond what we keep in-house. A 15-story building exterior isn’t the same as a ground-level storefront. Certain surface types – polished concrete, epoxy coatings, delicate historical masonry – require technicians who work with those materials every day, not once a quarter. Bringing in someone who does that work as their primary specialty gets you a better result than having our crew figure it out on-site.

How We Vet Our Subcontractors

I don’t hand off work to just anyone. Every subcontractor we use has been through a vetting process that I personally oversee. Here’s what that looks like:

Insurance verification. Before anyone sets foot on a client’s property, we confirm they carry General Liability, Workers’ Compensation, and Commercial Auto coverage. We ask for certificates, not just verbal confirmations. If their coverage lapses, they don’t work with us until it’s reinstated.

Past work review. We look at their portfolio. We talk to their other clients. We want to see consistent quality over time, not just one good project. If someone’s been in business less than two years or can’t provide references, they’re not ready to work under our name.

Trial period. New subcontractors typically start with smaller jobs so we can evaluate their work quality, communication, and reliability firsthand. We don’t throw a major client project at someone we’ve never worked with before.

The bottom line: If they don’t meet our standards, they don’t come back. I’ve ended relationships with subcontractors who delivered work that didn’t match what we promised the client. It’s happened, and the decision wasn’t hard. Our reputation is worth more than any single contractor relationship.

What This Means for You as a Client

From your perspective, not much changes when we bring in a subcontractor. You still get:

One point of contact. You call us. You email us. You deal with Seattle Surface Cleaners from start to finish. You don’t have to track down a separate vendor, chase invoices from multiple companies, or explain your property’s needs to someone new every time.

One invoice. We handle the billing. You get a single, clear invoice from SSC regardless of who performed the work.

One company standing behind the result. If something isn’t right, you come to us. We don’t point fingers at the subcontractor. We fix it. That’s the accountability piece that matters most, and it’s non-negotiable.

We manage the coordination, the scheduling, and the quality control. We set expectations with the subcontractor before they start, we check in during the work, and we inspect the result before we consider the job complete. You shouldn’t have to manage that process yourself – that’s what you’re hiring us for.

Being Upfront About Costs

I’ll be straight with you: when we coordinate subcontractor work, there may be a coordination fee included in the project cost. I’d rather tell you that directly than have you wonder about it later.

That fee covers real work on our end. We’re managing the project – vetting the contractor, coordinating schedules with your property team, overseeing quality, handling any issues that come up, and guaranteeing the final result. It’s project management, not a markup for doing nothing.

Most of our clients find the value is worth it. The alternative is sourcing your own subcontractor – which means verifying their insurance yourself, managing their schedule, being on-site to check quality, and having no recourse if the work isn’t up to standard. We’ve had clients come to us after trying that route, and the consensus is pretty consistent: they’d rather pay a coordination fee and know the job is handled.

We also always provide the full project cost upfront in our estimate. No hidden fees, no surprise add-ons after the work is done. If the scope changes during a project, we discuss it with you before any additional costs are incurred.

Why This Approach Actually Benefits You

Think of us as your single vendor for commercial property maintenance across the Seattle area. Instead of managing relationships with a pressure washing company, a graffiti removal specialist, a window washing crew, and a janitorial service separately, you work with one company that handles all of it.

When we bring in a specialist, it’s because that specialist will deliver a better result on that particular job than if we tried to handle it ourselves. That’s not a weakness – it’s an honest assessment of how to get you the best outcome. The companies that claim they do everything in-house are either stretching the truth or stretching their capabilities.

We’ve been operating this way since I started SSC in 2017, and it’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to grow our service offerings without compromising quality. Our partnerships with the Broadway BIA on Capitol Hill and other Business Improvement Areas across Seattle depend on us delivering consistent results – whether that’s our own crew or a vetted partner doing the work.

Our Promise

Whether the work is performed by our W-2 employees or by a subcontractor we’ve vetted and selected, the standard is the same. The quality expectation doesn’t change. The accountability doesn’t change. Your experience as a client doesn’t change.

We stand behind every job. Period.

If you have questions about how we handle specific services, or if you want to discuss a project and understand exactly how we’d approach it, get in touch. I’m always happy to walk through the details. Call us at (206) 503-3712 or fill out our contact form – we’ll get back to you within one business day.