By Shauna Krause, President, Capitol Services
Does it, or doesn’t it? That is the question to get us going! The answer will likely surprise you. To test or not to test often depends on where you want to sit. And finally, how does one qualify experience credit for licensing without telling the boss? All that and more as I assist contractors with issues…
Q: Does a Joint Venture count against the 3-firm limit for a Responsible Managing Officer (RMO) to be the Qualifier under CA B&P Section 7068.1(a)?
Our client is the RMO for three different firms as allowed by Section 7068.1. One of his companies for which he is the Qualifier wants to enter into a Joint Venture for a large project. He wants to know if he needs to disassociate from one of his three firms in order to enter into the JV; meaning, would this new JV count against the 3-firm limit? I reviewed Section 7068.1(a)(2) and there seems to be an inference that a JV is contemplated as an “additional firm” as one condition to being a Qualifier for an additional firm is when it is a joint venture with the first company for which the person is already a Qualifier. Seeing this leads me to think a JV would count against the 3-firm limit.
A: No, a JV does not count against the 3-firm limit. From the licensing perspective, a JV does not have a direct Qualifier, but rather it is made up of licensed entities, each which have their perspective RME’s/RMO’s. The idea behind the 3-firm limit is to not spread one individual too thin so to speak. A qualifying party is not directly employed by the JV, they work for the company they are qualifying for which may also be a part of a Joint Venture. Because the company they are qualifying enters into a JV, the individual is still responsible for the same RME/RMO duties for their company.
Q: You helped me last year when my Dad, who was the Qualifier on our CA license, passed away. You assisted me with replacing him on the company license without needing to sit for any exams. We also have a NV license I haven’t updated yet. We don’t do much work there, but just in case something comes up I’d like to do the same thing on that license. Can you help with that as well?
A: I can assist you with updating the license, however the NSCB does not have an option for an individual to replace an existing Qualifier and Waive the exams based on working for the company for a certain number of years. You would be required to document your experience in the form of experience/reference forms and take both the Trade and Business/Management exams. Let me know if you would like to proceed.
Q: I would like to obtain a contractor’s license for myself. I understand I need to have a contractor verify my experience. I don’t want to tell my current employer that I’m getting my license, or risk that other contractors we work with would tell my boss if I asked for their sign-off. Is there any way around that?
A: It doesn’t have to be your current employer who verifies your experience. It doesn’t even have to be a contractor for that matter. It just needs to be someone who has first-hand knowledge of your experience, so a fellow employee, a long-time customer, or anyone who knows directly of the work you’ve done.
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While knowledge is power, knowing where to go for the answers is half the battle. Get expert assistance immediately when you call 866-443-0657, email info@cutredtape.com, or write us at Capitol Services, Inc., 3609 Bradshaw Rd, Ste H, #343, Sacramento, CA 95827. Search past columns at www.cutredtape.com