The area for trades and craftspeople
A clear scope and a fixed payment day
Ancora is not a middleman but a contractor with its own design staff and its own site team. We deliver through a closed pool of trades, and we do take new crews into that pool. The three complaints we hear most in this trade: the scope is vague, payment drags, and decisions come late. We give a written undertaking on all three. In return, we write down what we expect from you with the same clarity.
Our pool is closed. Once you are in, the work comes in turn and the payment goes out on the day.
Our undertaking
The four undertakings we give you
01
A written scope
What you will do, with which materials, to what dimensions and to what extent — all of it in the contract. The quantity schedule is annexed. There is no “that was included too” argument; work outside the scope is priced separately in writing.
02
A fixed progress-payment calendar
We measure the work on the 1st and the 15th of the month, approve it the same week, and pay within [X] working days. The dates don’t move. That lets you plan your own side around them.
03
One contact, quick decisions
The project manager is the single decision point. A question you raise from site is answered within 24 hours. We don’t let your crew stand idle waiting for a material approval — because that wait costs you.
04
A steady flow of work
A firm that performs well gets work in turn. The pool is closed: there is no race to find the lowest price again on every job. Once you are in, the relationship continues.
Expectations
What we expect from you
- Insured workers and complete social security registration. At every progress payment we ask for a no-outstanding-debt certificate. Unregistered workers don’t come on site — that is not negotiable, it is a legal requirement.
- Site safety rules: hard hat, safety boots, working-at-height equipment. If a breach happens a second time, site access is withdrawn.
- Daily clean-up. You clear your own rubble at the end of the shift; the building’s common areas are handed over clean every evening. A neighbour’s complaint stops the job, and that costs us both.
- Sticking to the programme, and early warning. Tell us about a delay risk when you see it, not when it happens. Early warning is never punished; a silent delay is.
- No work without approval. Extra work done without a written variation form is not paid. This rule protects you too: work that is in writing is not disputed.
- No direct price negotiation with the owner. You can talk technically; commercial discussions go through the project manager.
Documents
The documents we ask for
- Tax certificate and trade registry record
- A social-security no-debt certificate
- Employer’s liability and general liability insurance policy
- A contractor’s licence or vocational qualification certificate, if you have one
- Three jobs you completed in the last two years (address, value, contact)
- Site crew numbers and an equipment list
- Your unit price list for your discipline
- Bank account and invoicing details
Pre-qualification is renewed once a year and applies across all projects. Your documents are used only for the assessment and are not shared with third parties.
Joining
Joining the pool: three steps
- 1 · Application formDiscipline, capacity, references and documents15 minutes
- 2 · References and a site checkWe call two of your references and, where possible, visit a finished job of yours5–10 working days
- 3 · A trial jobThe first job is given at a small scale; if the result is good, your place in the pool becomes permanentThe project duration
Measurement
How performance is measured
At the end of every project you are scored on four headings: on-time delivery, quality rejection rate, safety breaches, and communication. The score decides whether the next job is yours.
And we show you your score. A score kept secret improves nobody.
Application
Application form
We come back to applications we consider suitable within five working days.
Handbook
The trade handbook
We email you the document that sets out how we work, our payment calendar and what we expect on site.
Let’s meet on site.
Let’s work together on one job and both give it a try. If it goes well, we call you for the next one.