Writing a Letter to a Subcontractor

Hi Sagar!

I got your letter to a subcontractor, which I have reproduced over here:

Dear Sir,

We would like to inform you that, we cannot accept the irresponsible attitude shown by your supervisory staff towards the progress of work and the safety rules at site.
As you know, we are already behind schedule and are trying hard to catch up with the recovery plan, so manpower cannot be wasted by lack of proper supervision.
And in a letter issued previously we had clearly instructed you that the proper use of Rest area is to be ensured and no labour or staff should be seen idling or sleeping in any other area.
Despite all this, the attached photo shows a person supposed to work on a cable tray sleeping on it (!!) there by accumulating to the delay and creating a safety hazard for self.
This shows the level of supervision (or rather the lack of it) prevalent at site.
The seriousness of the matter is further increased by the fact that this photo was taken by Electrical Field Superintendent from Client.
This cannot be left unseen and (My company Name)  demand (Sub Contractor Name) site management to take immediate disciplinary action by issuing a two-day salary less suspension for the supervisor.

i must admit that this is quite a forcefull letter. It follows the pattern of a letter of complaint, though I am inclined to put it in its own class, a class I would call a letter of reproof or reprimand!

What follows are my suggestions; but it is not a must that you should follow all of them.

Seems to me that you would be using company stationary or paper to write this letter to the subcontractor that you have hired; therefore your address would not be an issue here. However, you still have to ensure that the recepient clearly knows who has sent him the letter. It is obvious from the authoritative tone of the letter that it is coming from the manager or someone in high office. For him to take it seriously, it has to be made clear to him who has sent the letter.

If, on the other hand, you are not using company paper, with the company logo and address already printed thereon, you have to indicate the recepient address and your address following one of several patterns that exist. This page here contains the styles that you could use:

Formal Letter Styles

Good, let us get into the nitty-gritty.

Remember how important the first paragraph is. Just by reading the first paragraph, the subcontractor should get the point. He should know what the letter is about. If you do not clearly expose the issue in the first paragraph, the recepient might misunderstand, and what is worse, might treat it as not important and not give it the attention he should.

Clearly paragraph your work, with each paragraph focusing on one area or thought. Keep the first paragraph short and straight to the point. Your aim should be to jolt your reader, the irresponsible subcontractor, to his senses just in the first paragraph.

Here is how I suggest you should write your first paragraph:

We would like to inform you that we cannot accept the irresponsible attitude shown by your supervisory staff towards work and safety rules at the site. We are calling for an immediate change on your part, failure to which we will take stringent action.

Straight to the point, isn't it?

I am certain this would awake the subcontrator, especially because of the part where you threaten to take action should change not be effected.

Remember, you should aim to be unambiguous. Believe me, the simpler your language, the more effective it would be.

Let us move on to your next paragraph: Here's my proposed paragraph two:

As you know, we are already behind schedule and are trying hard to catch up with the recovery plan, so manpower cannot be wasted by lack of proper supervision. And in a letter issued previously we had clearly instructed you that the proper use of the Rest area is to be ensured and no labour or staff should be seen idling or sleeping in any other area.

Fine. This paragraph is focusing on one area, that is reminding the subcontractor that no manpower should be wasted; and as can be seen, this letter is a follow up to a previous one.

Let us see how we can bring in the third paragraph.

Despite all this, the enclosed photo shows a person supposed to work on a cable tray sleeping on it! This irresponsibility not only contributes to the delay but also creates a safety hazard for oneself. This clearly highlights the level of supervision (or rather the lack of it) prevalent at site. The seriousness of the matter is increased by the fact that this photo was taken by the Electrical Field Superintendent from the Client!

Note that I have changed 'attached photo' to 'enclosed photo'. 'Usually, in the case of business letters or formal letters, photos and other such documents are enclosed and reference is made to such enclosures at the end of the letter. I have shown this below in the image of your letter.

And now, the concluding paragraph of this letter to a subcontractor.

This cannot be left unchecked and (My company Name)  demands (Sub Contractor Name) site management to take immediate disciplinary action by issuing a two-day salary less suspension for the supervisor.

I love your concluding paragraph. It puts a perfect end to the letter by proposing a course of action, which is appropriate for a letter of such a nature. I would rather add the following if I were you:

If no action is taken in this direction, we will hire another contractor and relieve you of your services. We look forward to your full cooperation.

Excellent!

Now, before you seal off your letter, remember the complimentary close:

Since you started with 'Dear Sir', You should end it with 'Yours Faithfully'.

Remember also your designation (or Job position) and reference to the enclosure.

Let us now piece your letter together and see how it should appear. Here is my proposed structure:

That's about it, Sagar.

Your letter is a briliant and efficacious piece. With my suggestions, I am sure you came make it even better.

All the best!

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