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6 Factors To Consider When Choosing A Supplier

The 6 most important factors to consider when selecting a supplier for your project

Whether you’re taking on a project as a commercial construction PM, a DOT contractor, or a residential homeowner, you’ll most likely work with a third party or supplier at some point. Third parties like suppliers, vendors, contractors, subcontractors, or consultants are often key components in the overall success of a project.

The stakes are high when the responsibility of choosing a third party, more specifically a supplier, falls on your shoulders. We believe the following factors to be the most important when selecting which supplier might be best for your project.

1. Do the supplier’s goals align with your own?

It’s important to question your supplier’s mission, values, goals, and company culture when assessing whether or not they could be a good fit. When a company’s values align with your’s, it’s typically a good indication that the partnership work well. Differences in overall mission, values, goals, and culture could potentially lead to conflict somewhere throughout the project.

2. Is the supplier experienced?

Question whether the supplier has experience and what type of experience they have. Is it industry related? When a supplier is experienced, it’s usually a good sign that they also have expertise–expertise that will add value to your project and make everything run smoother.

3. Does the supplier claim to be flexible?

When it comes to construction projects, there are numerous uncertainties and changes that come about which requires flexibility on every party involved. A supplier’s ability to work with you, maintain flexibility, and respond to change is crucial. Do keep in mind that while it’s easy for a supplier to make a claim, reviews and past work often say more about how a supplier operates.

4. What type of product or service quality does a supplier provide?

Do some deep digging to understand the quality of the product or service the supplier provides. It should be obvious that your supplier’s quality will have a direct impact on your project overall. Again, refer to reviews and past work for a true picture of a supplier’s quality.

5. Will the supplier bring value to the project?

Each of the previously mentioned factors contribute to the overall value a supplier brings to your project. Does the supplier’s reputation for being experienced, flexible, and providing quality resonate with how you want your project to be perceived? Assess the value the supplier might bring to your project and then make your call. Remember that a supplier who brings strong value comes at a price.

6. All things considered, is the supplier’s cost fair?

Finally, with all things considered, is the cost the supplier is charging fair? Do you feel as though their product or service and their total cost of opportunity is truly worth it? And does that cost match up with your budget for the project?

Still don’t feel confident in your ability to select a great supplier? Find more helpful advice when it comes to selecting a third party supplier or contractor here.  

For over 60 years now, we’ve been a trusted supplier of ready-mix concrete. We’ve met the needs of some of the areas top commercial and residential builders and DOT contractors.

In need of a ready-mix supplier? We created a checklist that guides your concrete supplier to create the best ready mix for your project. Once you’re able to pinpoint the best supplier for your concrete project, download our list and get started.

concrete supplier
2019-02-11T10:34:25-04:00

Concrete Basics: Essential Ingredients For A Concrete Mixture

Concrete is and has been for thousands of years, a very popular building material.

Made up of just a few basic ingredients, concrete is the most widely used man-made material on the planet. Humans use more concrete than all other building materials combined.

So what is concrete exactly?

What goes into the most commonly used building material?

Concrete is a mixture of cement, air, water, sand, and gravel–it’s as simple as that!

Not exactly. The typical concrete mix is made up of roughly 10% cement, 20% air and water, 30% sand, and 40% gravel. This is called the 10-20-30-40 Rule–though proportions may vary depending on the type of cement and other factors.

Now let’s discuss each ingredient and the important role they play in your mix.

Concrete mix ingredients and their important roles:

Cement

Though cement makes up the smallest percentage of the mixture, it’s an essential ingredient in concrete. Cement serves as the glue that keeps everything else together. It’s also what allows the ready mix to harden once it’s placed. There are five different types of cement depending on what kind of concrete you’re looking to make:

  • Type I is used for most residential work
  • Type II is used in moderate sulfate conditions
  • Type III is used in climates where freezing is a risk
  • Type IV is used for special orders like industrial placements
  • Type V is used in extreme sulfate conditions

Types I and II are the most widely used residentially in the United States due to the relatively moderate climates we experience here.

Air and Water

For a mixture to be effective, some amount of air entrainment (tiny air bubbles) is needed in the concrete. Air-entrained cement ensures that excess water has a chance to expand when it moves through the freeze-thaw cycle. These air bubbles, however, must be microscopically small or else the ‘entrained’ air will turn into ‘entrapped’ air which leads to shrinkage and cracking.

Amongst all of the other essential ingredients involved in creating a mixture, water tends to have the largest impact. As a rule of thumb, the more water that you put into the mixture, the less strength the hardened mixture will have. Shrinkage and cracking are also probable when too much water is involved. Excess water will eventually evaporate out of the hardened concrete, causing the concrete to shrink and eventually crack.

An ideal amount of water can be measured by water to cement ratio, which should vary between .4 and .6. The higher the ratio, the weaker the concrete. A good way to test the solubility of your concrete is to perform a slump test. This will help to determine whether or not your mixture contains too much water.  

Gravel and Sand

As you can see, gravel and sand aggregates make up about 70% of the mixture. This high percentage makes the mixture more economical–as gravel and sand are both stronger and more cost-effective than the cement. A good ready mix will include proportionate amounts of both large (gravel) and small (sand).

The reason for this is that the gravel makes up the majority of the ready-mix and the smaller sand particles do a good job of filling in any extra spots that could otherwise be filled by unwanted air pockets.

Well there you have it, the ingredients that combine to create the most widely used building material in the world–concrete. As you can see, each ingredient and its ratio impacts the final ready mix’s quality and type. It’s important that you get the best ready mix for your specific job. That’s why we’ve created this Ready Mix Checklist to help you and your ready mix supplier create just what you need. Download your Ready Mix Checklist now.

Concrete supply co mixing truck in front of plant
2019-02-11T10:32:10-04:00