What to Look For in a Contractor's Capability Statement
The Document That Tells You Who You Are Hiring
Choosing a contractor is choosing who to trust with one of the largest investments you will make — and the single most useful document for making that choice well is the firm’s capability statement. A good one is not a brochure. It is a structured account of who the firm is, what it is legally and professionally qualified to do, and what it has actually delivered. Knowing how to read it is one of the most valuable due-diligence skills a building client can have. Here is what a credible capability statement contains, and what its absence tells you.
What a Credible Capability Statement Contains
Legal and classification status
A real firm states clearly that it works to Ghana’s building regulations (L.I. 1630) and the Ghana Building Code (GS 1207:2018), and shares its contractor classification. Classification governs the scale and type of work a firm is recognised to undertake — a serious contractor will tell you theirs without being pressed.
Professional registrations
Building projects of any size require registered professionals. Look for stated input from architects (GIA), engineers (GhIE / Engineering Council) and quantity surveyors (GhIS) on the projects that require them. A firm that cannot name the professional bodies behind its work is telling you something.
A real track record
Vague claims of “many years’ experience” are easy to make. A credible statement names a founding year — Contractors Ghana has been building since 1980 — and points to actual completed projects of comparable type and scale to yours, with the ability to substantiate them.
How they cost and how they stand behind the work
A serious firm describes how it builds a budget — through a measured Bill of Quantities, not a guessed per-square-metre rate — and how it warrants its workmanship in writing. The honesty of the costing method tells you a great deal. Material prices move (cement roughly GH₵85–130 a bag, iron rods around GH₵6,300–11,000 a ton), and a firm that pretends it can give you a precise price without measuring your design is not being straight with you. This is the discipline behind our Estimating & Procurement and Construction Cost & BoQ services.
The Red Flags
Some signals should make you slow down before signing anything.
- No classification or registrations named. A firm that will not state what it is qualified to do may not be qualified to do it.
- A per-square-metre price offered up front, no BoQ. A real budget is measured against your design. A confident round number is a warning, not a convenience.
- Pressure to start before the building permit. Skipping permits — including EPA permitting (L.I. 1652) where required — exposes you to a stop-work order. A firm that suggests it is cutting a corner with your money.
- A “cheapest price wins” sell. We do not lead with “cheap,” and you should be cautious of anyone who does — the lowest number is often the one that doubles on site.
- No written warranty. If a firm will not put its workmanship in writing, ask why.
The Questions to Ask
Read the statement, then ask directly:
- What is your contractor classification, and can I see it?
- Which registered professionals will work on my project?
- Will you prepare a measured BoQ before I commit?
- Can I see a completed project of similar type, and speak to that client?
- What does your written warranty cover, and for how long?
A firm comfortable with its capability statement answers all five without hesitation.
Ask Us for Ours
Contractors Ghana has designed, built and managed residential and commercial projects across Greater Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi since 1980 — and for diaspora clients building from abroad. We will share our capability statement and classification on request, because a firm that stands behind its work has no reason not to. See how we deliver a managed build under Building Contractors in Accra and Design & Build.
Request a capability statement or consultation: +233 23 063 0030.