2. Choosing Well from the Beginning Once all the responsibilities and any dangers involved have been determined, it is important to establish the level of experience, knowledge and vital skills required. It has been estimated that approximately 3.4 million employees in the US have been incorrectly identified as independent contractors instead of employees. Before work begins, documentation should be secured, recognizing their self-employed status. Can any of your contacts in the same business recommend certain contractors who have carried out an impressive, similar job? Looking at informal networks used by others in the company, they may be aware of some of these contractors and perhaps observed their work. It is important for all the right questions to be asked, deciding how much evidence is needed, e.g. how much experience they have in this kind of work and the number of references needed. A suitable number of inquiries should be made, depending on the complexity of the job and any dangers involved. 3. Communication and Inspection Over Time If one contractor has been successful in a former position and is likely to be hired again, it is important to build a friendly and honest relationship over time. Establishing a form of trust makes it more likely that they will reveal any small accidents or problems that have occurred. Bullying is a problem that could make them unlikely to work there again. It is important to be available to contact most of the time to discuss any of these problems. It shouldn’t be expected that a friendly relationship can be built unless the contractor is valued and treated as part of a team. How much important work has been done? If the job is not being performed in the style discussed, or not going as planned during the chosen time-period; there may be important changes to make or advice to be given. Relevant supervisors should be regularly consulted, mentioning any problems they might have detected and providing consistent information on the job involved. 4. Correct Use of Software 
It is more expensive and labor intensive to monitor and examine any problems and their possible improvements through a paper-based contractor management system. One of the most important benefits of using contractor management system software is the ability to constantly record the work being carried out by each contractor. Any e-mail alerts can be sent as a reminder of a certain contract milestone to everyone involved, days in advance. Over time, the contractor management system can create a record of different problems occurring and any warning signs, that will be recognized in the future. These records can be used to establish a history of ‘what if’ scenarios as well. Staff can be trained in reacting to specific problems raised to everyone online, knowing the important steps to take. 5. Learning from Mistakes Any mistakes made in a current contract, especially through health and safety performance should be recorded and learnt from so that they can be considered in the next project. For example:- How successful was the created plan?
- Problems occurring which could have been prevented with a change in planning.
- Did the contractor manage to reach the requirements agreed upon?
- Any health or safety problems occurring but not considered at the beginning.
