Most pad problems aren't caused by bad equipment or bad operators — they're caused by things nobody settled before the machine showed up. Here's the list worth running through, whoever you hire.
About the building
Is there a pad spec? If a builder or engineer specified dimensions, elevation, and compaction, the dirt contractor should build to it and the proposal should reference it. If there's no spec, ask what standard the contractor works to and get it in writing.
Where do the doors face? Approach grade matters — a shop door facing uphill needs the apron thought through now, not after the concrete.
About the site
What's the finished elevation? "Above the surrounding grade, with ground falling away on all sides" is the answer you want, with a number.
Where does the water go? Not "away" — actually where. Toward the ditch? The draw? If the answer is vague, the drainage wasn't designed.
Are utilities located? Missouri 811 locates the public utilities for free before digging. Private lines — the water line to the barn, the old septic lateral — don't get located by anyone unless you remember them. Walk your own memory of the property before work starts.
Can trucks get in? Imported rock and fill arrive in heavy trucks. If the drive or a culvert can't take them, sort that now.
About the money
Is the price itemized? Strip, cut/fill, compaction, imported material with quantities, finish grade — separate lines you can read and question. A single lump number hides whatever it wants to hide.
What happens if conditions change underground? This is the big one. Rock in the cut, soft pockets, buried debris — how does the price change, and who decides? The answer you want: work stops, you see the problem yourself, and you approve a written change order before anything continues. If the answer is "we'll work it out," that means the final bill will work you out.
Why I'm giving you the list
This checklist is how Triple M runs every pad job anyway — walk-through first, itemized written proposal, locked price, written change orders. Use the questions on me, or use them on whoever you hire. A contractor who answers them easily is a contractor you can work with.
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A compacted, properly graded pad your shop, barn, or barndominium can sit on for decades.