Due Diligence for Selecting Music Festival Contractors.

The music festival industry relies on the services of multiple contractors to run their events and there are numerous suppliers to choose from. The contractor supplies essential services that enable a festival to take place, so their reliability and service need to be exemplary. What due diligence can organisers conduct to ensure they select the best contractor to meet their needs.

Assigning a contractor to perform a service is a key part of organising a music festival because it means organisers do not need to make large capital investments. In addition, they do not need to employ teams of qualified individuals as the skills already exist with contractors. Typically, contractors are used for staging, lighting, backline equipment, toilet facilities, site security and fencing for example. Auditing requirements often mean that festival organisers must obtain at least 3 quotations from potential suppliers before assigning a contact. The due diligence process should form part of that tender process. 

Financial Audit. 
Ask shortlisted contractors to supply their latest audited accounts which can be double checked against official records combined with a credit rating check. This ensures that the contractor is financially stable and will not be running into financial difficulty at crucial times during a festival. In addition, it's also worth checking the profile of company directors for previous legal difficulties, court judgements and insolvency notices for example. 

Testimonial Credibility and Proven Experience. 
Many contractors post customer testimonials about their services but these need to be backed up with customer references where possible. Ask the potential contractor to provide details of case study work on previous or existing contracts to demonstrate their capability and suitability. Additional ad-hoc checks with industry peers or searching press coverage can help build an overall picture of the contractor's reliability and quality of service delivery. 

Legality Licensing and Certifications. 
Every business has a legal requirement to have public liability and public indemnity insurance so check that a potential contractor has current up to date coverage. Contractors should be correctly registered as a bonafide business entity which can be checked with regulatory authorities on company status. A festival site contains numerous dangers and hazards, so contractors need to show evidence of their health and safety compliance and risk assessment methodology. For specialist work like rigging, electrical and vehicle operations the contractor needs to provide evidence of the correct certification for contracted staff. Request evidence of the contractor's equality, diversity and anti-harassment policies as well as demonstrating that all their staff have the right to work in the jurisdiction the festival is located. In some cases, organisers could ask for evidence of the potential contractor's environmental policies including ethical sourcing, waste management and emission reduction initiatives. 

Terms and Conditions. 
Selected contractors will need to provide a commitment to delivery of services on agreed dates with financial penalties for late or poor work. Provisional terms can also specify KPIs (key performance indicators) and expected communication protocols to ensure smooth running of the event’s logistical operations. 

Selecting the best contractor that can deliver a quality service in a timely manner is essential to prevent delays and in extreme cases event cancellation. Many music festival contractors suffered financially during the coronavirus pandemic and there has been consolidation in the sector, fortunately most surviving contractors are now stable and reliable. 

For festival organisers planning their next events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

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