Encourage Your Members to Take the Back Charges Survey

Back charges are one of the most common cost and risk issues on HVAC and sheet metal projects, yet there is almost no real guidance on how they actually play out in the field. Most of what exists is legal commentary written after a dispute has already gone sideways, which does little to help contractors recognize the patterns or manage documentation before things escalate. SMACNA is commissioning an applied research paper to change that, capturing how back charges actually happen on active projects, what triggers them, how contractors respond in real time, and which documentation practices hold up when a charge is challenged.

We ask that you share this survey with your member contractors. Please ask them to take a few minutes to fill out the survey here. The data collected will help SMACNA develop solutions and tools to assist our members in managing this ever-present risk.

If you have any questions about the survey, please reach out to Travis Voss at tvoss@smacna.org.