[CyberFonic]

I have dealt with contractors that are on-time, get work completed on schedule and those that are late, if they even turn up, unreliable, late on finishing and often require remedial work after hand-over.

In my experience, most contractors come from a trades background so they have never learnt the principles of effective business management. The reliable ones seem to have an intuitive sense for what their clients expect and how to satisfy their needs. The unreliable ones think that all they need is their trades skills.