04/08/2026
Here’s a true story that happens on repeat in Nigeria:
I’ve managed projects from the first excavation right through to the finishing stage. Then, without prior discussion, unfamiliar subcontractors suddenly arrive on site.
I ask: “Who are you here with?”
Subcontractors: “The client asked us to install the kitchen.”
“We’re here for the tiling.”
“We’ve come to install the wardrobes.”
The issue isn’t that a client wants to engage a specialist subcontractor. The issue is when they’re introduced outside the project’s agreed management structure.
Without a proper onboarding process, those subcontractors often see the client: not the main contractor, as the only person they answer to. As a result, instructions issued to protect the programme, maintain quality or coordinate other subcontractors are sometimes ignored because they believe their contractual relationship is solely with the client.
That is usually where the problems begin.
The programme slips.
Coordination breaks down between the different subcontractors.
Rework increases.
Costs escalate.
Site harmony disappears.
Ironically, when disagreements later arise between the client and that subcontractor, the main contractor is often expected to step in, resolve the dispute, recover lost time, coordinate replacement subcontractors and still deliver the project on schedule.
