Roofing 101: Roles & Responsibilities of an Installation

Any roofing project involves four major partners: the building owner, design professional, roofing contractor, and primary materials supplier. In order to produce the smooth, quality installation that each partner desires to promote long-term benefits, the specific roles and responsibilities of each partner need to be defined and maintained. In order to help ensure a seamless roofing system installation, below is an outline detailing the four essential partners, as well as their specific roles and responsibilities.

Partner 1: Building Owner

The primary partner (Partner 1) is the building owner. The role of the owner is to provide Partner 2 with “his” needs, expectations, and wants. The owner also provides the authority to Partner 2 to enforce the contract and distribute the funds at the appropriate increments. The owner’s needs, expectations, and wants must be known and understood by the other partners. (Note: If Partner 1 does not engage the services of Partner 2, the roles and responsibilities for both Partner 1 & 2 are one.)

Partner 2: Design Professional

The design professional can come in the form of either an architect, engineer, or roofing consultant. The design professional’s role is to take the owner’s directions and replicate them on paper and then ultimately signed into a contract. Partner 2 has the responsibility and authority to enforce and amend the contract, making certain that Partner 1’s needs, expectations, and wants are met.    

Partner 3: Roofing Contractor

For this discussion, Partner 3 is portrayed as a roofing contractor, but it is possible that he or she is a general contractor whose roles and responsibilities are broader in scope, but similar to those of the roofing contractor. The contractor’s role is to provide the materials, equipment, and personnel to complete the given contract. The contractor is also responsible for fulfilling the contract as written or amended via the design professional. In addition, the contractor is responsible for advising the design professional on improvements that, in “his” professional expertise, will fulfill the owner’s needs, expectations, and wants more adequately. 

Partner 4: Primary Materials Supplier

The fourth partner is the primary materials supplier, which in this discussion, is defined as the roofing material manufacturer. Partner 4’s role is to provide the materials in quality and quantity to allow Partner 3 to complete the contract provided by Partner 2 to meet Partner 1’s needs, expectations, and wants. Sounds simple, right? Partner 4 is ultimately responsible for manufacturing, supplying and/or distributing the materials that meet or exceed the project requirements as presented to them. 

Maintaining the roles and responsibilities is critical for fulfilling the needs, expectations, and wants of Partner 1, as Partner 1 is responsible for writing the checks, which then filter the dollars to each of the other partners. If these roles and responsibilities are swapped, reversed, or un-fulfilled, the success of the project is jeopardized. The appropriate lines of communications and enforcement of these roles and responsibilities will make for a smooth and relatively seamless project completion.