Before you select any Houston landscaping and drainage contractor, you should do a bit of homework. Before deciding on a contractor, you have to ensure that the contractor has the required skills and equipment and possesses adequate insurance to indemnify you against any accident taking place during the execution of the project at your premises. This is how you may proceed:

References

Having prepared your list of likely service providers for this job, ask for their portfolio, listing the jobs they have carried out, especially in you areas. Try visiting one of their sites, while it is raining or soon thereafter to see for yourself the quality of their workmanship. This should give you a fairly good idea of their competency to handle your job. Look to the possibility of talking to some of the old clients of this company to inquire if the project was finished within the agreed time and budget and if the customers were on the whole satisfied with the services provided by the contractor.  Remember, you require the most competent contractor, not necessarily the cheapest one. You certainly don't want to face any drainage or legal problems after the completion of the project.

Bids

You should get minimum of three quotes in writing from different providers. Moreover, you should ensure that you have understood the contents of the bids and the differences therein. A higher quote doesn't necessarily mean that the contractor is going to make more money. You'll appreciate that the quality of workmanship, materials and the reliability of the company make it worthwhile to pay a better price. And remember, ultimately you get what you pay for.

Insurance

A very important criterion for finalizing your Houston landscape drainage contractor is the insurance policy they have. In the absence of the contractor having workmen compensation or general liability insurance, you are liable to be held answerable for any mishap occurring during the execution of the contract at your premises. Safeguard your interests and insist on checking the insurance policy of the contractor. Reputed contractors would understand why you are insisting for that and shall be happy to show you the relevant papers. Those lacking this essential document will persuade you to believe it is unnecessary. Avoid dealing with such contractors.

Skills Needed

It is not unusual for companies mainly engaged with landscaping work to claim that they are experts in preparing drainage systems too. Make sure the contractor has the requisite skills and qualifications to undertake drainage work. The contractor should be aware of the depth at which the pipes must be laid and spacing required between two pipes. Further, how do they plan to divert excess water? They need to provide an appropriate outlet. Certainly, they can't divert that water to your neighbor's yard and create complications for you.

Supervision and management of site and equipment

You should know if the Houston landscaping and drainage contractor will depute any supervisor while the project is under execution. If so, how frequently he will visit the worksite? Will they keep working on the project without any interruptions, except those caused by inclement weather?  You should also know who should be contacted in case you have any problem or question. You also need to ensure that the contractor has all the necessary equipment available at his end.