General contracting in Nigeria means one company holds the contract for the whole job: it prices the work, brings each trade to site, supervises them and hands the finished work to you. FortevaWorks takes on projects directly as main contractor, with a named project manager on every site. Our office is at 2 Alh Hafusat Abdulazeez Street, Ogidan, Ajah, Lagos.
The scope of a general contract
As main contractor, FortevaWorks holds one contract with you for the whole job, so one company answers for every trade on site. We take on residential, commercial and industrial construction, and the renovation and remodelling of existing buildings, from apartment buildings to warehouses and factories.
The scope we take on covers civil and structural work, including steel fabrication, MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) work, FRP/GRP products, waterproofing and installation. The trades include our four specialist services: ACP cladding, epoxy flooring, waterproofing and water storage systems. Each one has its own handover test, set out under quality and safety checks below.
What we do. We inspect the site for free, write a detailed quotation with a technical drawing if you want one, supply the materials to the specification in that quotation, and email photos and video at each milestone. We offer design and build, where FortevaWorks produces the design as well as building it. If you bring your own design, we cross-check it against structural standards and refine it with you before work starts.
What you provide. Architect’s drawings, unless we design and build; building approvals and permits; site power and water; secure storage for materials; and site access. We mobilise workers to site when we receive the first advance payment. On a water tank, for example, we can build the cement base or the metal stanchion ourselves, or you can have it ready before we arrive.
What is excluded. A FortevaWorks general contract does not include finishing works or external works.
From site inspection to handover
A general contract runs on the same steps as every FortevaWorks job, with mobilisation tied to your first payment:
- Free site inspection. Every quotation starts with a visit to your site, at no charge.
- Detailed quotation. It states the specification of each material, the milestones and the timeline for your job, with a technical drawing if you want one.
- First advance payment, then mobilisation. We mobilise workers to the site when we receive it.
- Materials supplied to specification. The material in the quotation is the material we install.
- Milestone updates. Photos and video by email at each stage, and a written report every week.
- Final inspection and test. We test the work with you before handover.
Inside those steps, the contract itself runs in five stages: project planning and design; procurement of materials and subcontractors; construction and site management; quality control and inspections; and final handover to you.
The construction stages and milestones depend on each project, so they are agreed for your project and written into your contract.
We publish no durations. The time a general contract takes depends on many factors, so it is set in your quotation.
Supervision, reporting and milestone updates
A FortevaWorks project manager supervises your site day to day, signs off each stage and is your single named contact.
You receive a written project report every week, plus photos and video by email at each milestone, so a facility manager in Ikoyi can follow a site in Agbara or Abuja without driving to it. Updates come to you; you do not have to chase us.
If the job is delayed, the project manager tells you straight away, with the cause and the revised plan, then follows it up in the weekly report.
Our crews and our MEP partners
FortevaWorks crews carry out the civil, structural, waterproofing, FRP/GRP installation, ACP cladding and epoxy flooring work.
When a job needs MEP work, partners carry it out. We vet MEP partners on their registration and licences and their past work, and we use only partners FortevaWorks has worked with before.
Our project manager supervises MEP partners on site. Their work is tested before we sign it off: pressure tests on plumbing, and electrical testing on the electrical installation.
One rule in our quotation holds whoever does the work: the material in the quotation is the material we install, with no silent swaps to a cheaper product.
Quality and safety checks
During construction, quality control and inspections are a stage of their own. On civil and structural work they include:
- Reinforcement checks. The steel reinforcement is checked before each pour.
- Level and alignment checks.
- Structural engineer inspection.
On site, every worker wears PPE (personal protective equipment), a safety briefing is held before work starts, and a named safety officer is on site. FortevaWorks holds contractor’s all-risk and public liability insurance.
Before handover, we inspect and test the finished work with you. Each of our four specialist trades has a set test:
- ACP cladding. Every panel is checked for alignment and secure fixing, every sealant joint is inspected, and the joints are sprayed with water to confirm none gets behind the cladding.
- Epoxy flooring. Coating thickness is checked during application. After full cure, the floor is inspected for bubbles, pinholes and soft spots, and a pull-off test confirms the coating is bonded to the concrete.
- Waterproofing. Laps and joints are inspected first. Flat roofs and wet areas are then flooded and held for 24 hours while the space below is checked for leaks; walls get a water spray test.
- Water storage. The tank is filled to full capacity and left standing for 24 hours, then every panel joint and bolt is checked for leaks and the tank is checked to be level on its base. A rooftop tank is installed only with a structural engineer’s sign-off.
A general contract has no standard handover test. The test depends on your project and what you need from it, so we agree it with you for each project and run it with you before handover.
Documents at handover
You already hold three records before handover: the detailed quotation with its material specification, the technical drawing if you asked for one, and the milestone photos and video in your email, alongside the weekly written reports.
At handover you receive:
- As-built drawings, showing the building as it was actually built.
- Test records from the checks run during the job and at handover.
- A warranty certificate.
A procurement team can file these to show what was specified and what was delivered.
A general contract carries 6 months of free routine servicing, cleaning and checks, and 6 months of free repair of defects, written into the contract. The warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship for that period. It does not cover damage caused by misuse, neglect or natural disasters.
Where we work in Nigeria
We take jobs in 41 listed places, and only in those:
- Lagos and Ogun State: Lagos, Lekki Free Trade Zone, Ogun, Agbara, Abeokuta, Ota, Igbesa and Sagamu.
- South-west: Ibadan, Akure, Ondo and Ekiti.
- North Central: Abuja, Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa, Jos and Minna.
- North-west and north-east: Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa and Taraba.
- South-south and south-east: Port Harcourt, Trans-Amadi, Onne, Eleme, Bayelsa, Delta, Warri, Asaba, Benin, Calabar, Uyo, Owerri, Aba, Onitsha, Nnewi and Enugu.
What decides the cost
Four things move the cost of a general contract:
- Project size and complexity, from apartment buildings to warehouses and factories.
- Materials and finishes. Your quotation names the specification of each one, so you can see what you are paying for.
- Location and access. Where the site is, and how easily it can be reached.
- Subcontractors. Their availability and cost for the trades your job needs.
The price and the timeline both come in a detailed quotation, with a technical drawing if you want one, after a free site inspection. Payment milestones are agreed in writing, and we mobilise workers to the site when we receive the first advance payment.
To start, send us the site location, what you plan to build or renovate, and its size, using the enquiry form below. We reply within the hour. Office hours are 8:00am–5:00pm Monday to Friday and 8:00am–12:00pm on Saturday. Call or WhatsApp +234 8028347545, or email enquiries@fortevaworks.com.
A checklist for hiring any general contractor
Put these seven questions to every contractor bidding for your job, including us:
- Is the company registered? Ask for the CAC number. FortevaWorks is FORTEVA APEX WORKS LIMITED, RC 9883497.
- Will they inspect the site before pricing? Ours is free, and every quotation starts with one.
- Does the quotation name each material? Ours states the specification, and the material in the quotation is the material we install. For FRP/GRP tanks, sample panels are available during the bid.
- Which trades are their own crews? Ask for the list in writing. Ours are civil, structural, waterproofing, FRP/GRP installation, ACP cladding and epoxy flooring; MEP work goes to vetted partners we have worked with before.
- How will you know where the job stands? We send a written report every week, and photos and video by email at each milestone agreed for your project.
- Are payment milestones in writing? Ours are agreed in writing.
- What is covered after handover, for how long, and is it in the contract? Our general contracts carry 6 months of free routine servicing, cleaning and checks, and 6 months of free defect repair, in the contract.
Who we work for
We take general contracts from:
- residential estates and estate managers
- factories and warehouses, especially in Lagos and Ogun State
- property developers
- hotels and hospitals
- oil & gas facilities
- government agencies
- private homeowners
Procurement teams get a quotation, weekly reports and milestone records they can file. Main contractors can also bring us in as the specialist for cladding, flooring, waterproofing or water storage.