Hiring a contractor

Choosing a commercial build-out contractor in Broward County

Broward has hundreds of licensed general contractors and a handful who reliably deliver tenant build-outs on schedule. The difference shows up in your opening date, not their brochure.

Non-negotiables

• Florida CGC or CBC license, verified. Check the license at the Florida DBPR portal (myfloridalicense.com) - active status, no open complaints that matter, and the qualifier's name matching the company you are hiring.
• Real insurance. General liability and workers' comp certificates sent from the agent, not photocopied. Landlords will require this anyway; ask first.
• Pulls permits in the city where you are building. A contractor who knows the Fort Lauderdale DSD counter, or Pembroke Pines', or Hollywood's, moves weeks faster than one learning the portal on your job.

What separates good build-out GCs

• Pre-lease budget help. The best contractors will walk a space and give you a realistic range before you sign - because it wins them the job honestly. Treat a GC who will not do this as a signal.
• A permit-expediting process, not excuses. Ask how they handle plan-review comments and resubmittals. The answer should be a system, not a shrug.
• Reference projects of your type. An office GC learning restaurants on your dime is an expensive education. Ask for three comparable completed projects and call the references.
• Superintendent continuity. Who runs your job daily, and how many jobs are they running? Build-outs die by neglect.

Red flags

• Bids dramatically below a competitive range - the difference shows up as change orders.
• "You don't need a permit for that." For commercial interior work in Broward, you almost always do.
• No written schedule, or a schedule with no permitting phase.
• Requests for large deposits before permit issuance.

How we suggest running it

Get two or three real bids against the same scope. Compare schedule and supervision plans, not just price. Verify license and insurance yourself. Then hold the winner to a milestone schedule tied to your opening date. Or start with our featured partner, Shiff Construction & Development, which has run commercial build-outs across Broward for decades and answers budget-range requests in 48 hours.