Self-performed work is carried out by the contractor's own employees. Subcontracted work is assigned to another company. On commercial HVAC jobs, controls, test and balance, electrical, insulation, sheet metal and rigging are the areas most often subcontracted. Owners should ask who performs each task, because accountability, schedule, safety, warranty and communication all follow the answer.
- Neither model is automatically better. The question is whether responsibility is clear and the work is done by qualified people.
- Ask for a list of which tasks the bidder performs and which it assigns to others.
- Subcontracting adds handoffs. Handoffs affect schedule, safety coordination and who answers warranty calls.
- Electrical, roofing, structural and third-party testing are usually separate trades. The scope should name them.
- Davinci's mechanical, refrigeration and controls work is done by its own UA Local 250 crew with no subcontractors.
What the terms mean
Self-performed means the company that signed the contract does the work with its own employees, under its own supervision. Subcontracted means the signer hires another company to do a portion. Many contractors do both, and the right mix depends on the trade, the project and the contractor.
For an owner or bid evaluator, the label matters less than the answers behind it. Who is on the roof? Who do I call when something fails? Who holds the license for each task? A clear answer to those is worth more than a slogan either way.
Where subcontracting happens in HVAC
Few HVAC contractors perform every trade on a mechanical project. The table below shows where work is often handed off and what to ask each bidder. Practice varies by contractor, so treat the middle column as common, not universal.
| Task | Who often performs it | Question to ask a bidder |
|---|---|---|
| Controls programming and integration | Mechanical contractor's controls staff, or a controls vendor | Who programs and commissions the controls, and who supports them after startup? |
| Test and balance | Independent third-party agency | Is a separate agency required, who hires them, and how are their findings resolved? |
| Primary electrical, feeders and panels | Licensed electrical contractor | Who furnishes power to the equipment, and who holds that license? |
| Pipe and duct insulation | Insulation subcontractor | Who installs insulation, and is it included in your base? |
| Sheet metal fabrication and duct | Mechanical crew or sheet metal shop | Is fabrication in-house or outsourced, and where is the work done? |
| Crane and rigging | Rented crane truck coordinated by the contractor | Who coordinates the lift, and who is the permit and traffic contact? |
| Roofing and flashing | Roofing contractor | Who protects the roof warranty after curb work? |
| Structural review and supports | Engineer of record and structural trades | Who confirms the roof can carry the new load? |
| Refrigerant recovery and piping | Mechanical or refrigeration crew | Are certified technicians on your own payroll doing this? |
Five concerns that follow the answer
Accountability
When one company performs the work, there is one party to call. When several companies are involved, the signer is still responsible under most contracts, but resolving a problem can take longer if each party blames another. Ask how issues are routed.
Schedule
Each handoff is a point where a task waits. A rooftop swap that depends on a separate electrician, a crane and an inspector needs those pieces lined up. Ask how the bidder sequences them and who owns the schedule.
Safety
Multiple companies on one roof means multiple safety programs. Ask who coordinates site safety, how lockout and tagout is handled between trades, and how work areas are controlled around occupied spaces.
Warranty
Warranty terms come from the contract documents and the equipment manufacturer. Ask who answers a warranty call on each portion of the work, and whether the answer changes between trades. Do not assume. Get it in the proposal.
Communication
A single point of contact simplifies updates. Ask who your day-to-day contact is, and whether the people on site for each trade know the scope. For prevailing wage jobs, also ask how certified payroll covers every company on site.
Davinci's self-perform policy
Davinci's mechanical, refrigeration and controls work is performed by its own UA Local 250 crew, with no subcontractors. Rented equipment such as a crane truck is coordinated by Davinci and is not a subcontracted trade. The full statement is on the self-performed work page.
Davinci does not perform primary electrical service, feeder or panel work, structural work, roofing, or third-party testing and balancing. Where a project involves those, the scope should name who performs them, and the owner or GC should confirm the responsible licensed party before award.
That boundary is intentional. It keeps Davinci's own scope honest and makes the responsibility matrix easier to read. For commercial, union and bid projects, see bid projects and the about page.
How to evaluate this in a bid
- Ask each bidder for a one-page list of tasks marked self-performed or assigned to others.
- Compare the lists to your responsibility matrix, and resolve gaps by addendum.
- Check that every licensed trade involved is named, and that licenses match the work.
- Ask how schedule handoffs are managed and who owns the master schedule.
- Confirm who answers warranty and service calls for each part of the work.
- Confirm how safety coordination and prevailing wage reporting work across companies.
Bidder shall identify in its proposal each portion of the work to be performed by its own employees and each portion to be assigned to others, and shall name the licensed party responsible for each assigned portion. Owner may request updated information if assignments change during the work.
For more on building the scope itself, see how to write a commercial HVAC scope of work, and for hiring criteria beyond this question read how to choose a commercial HVAC contractor.