Beyond Price and Quality Part Four: The Job Walk

One of the keys to a successful construction tender (request for bids) is an effective job walk. More often than not contractors are asked to view a potential site on their own without a project manager to explain the details of the job.  Asking contractors to view the site independently may seem the like easiest route to receiving proposal? But, without a proper job walk you will get large spreads in pricing because contractors will inevitably bid on different scopes of work.  Scope confusion and varying pricing, doesn’t sound effective? Avoid the headache, invest a little time and conduct a proper walk with your potential contractors.

Here are some tips:

1. Schedule a specific time for the job walk. You will not need more than one hour. Invite all four contractors to attend at the same time.
2. Use email to invite, it is easier than phoning. Request confirmation of attendance from the contractors via email.
3. Invite four contractors, so if one doesn’t show, you are covered.
4. Hand out your tender package to each contractor based on your budget quote. Review the basic specification and scope, your areas of includes and excludes and the submittal deadlines.
5. Set the key expectations: Submittal dates (two weeks), time frame (deadline for start and finish) and any unique requirements.
6. Walk the entire site with the group. Encourage clarifying questions. Now is the time to answer questions and get the entire group on the same page.
7. Red Flag: If a contractor calls with multiple questions after the job walk, it is a red flag that they do not communicate well and they will have a hard time meeting your specific needs throughout the job.
8. If an important change in scope occurs at the job walk send out an addendum to all bidders via email to keep everyone on the same page.

There you go, a few simple steps to achieving an effective job walk. More to come . . . 

Beyond Price and Quality: Part Three

Since our inception in 2004, Wolfgang Commercial Painters has been involved in over three thousand construction tenders. Many of the projects were tendered effectively and some were not.  Projects that are tendered ineffectively start off on the wrong and inevitably go over budget. Here are the “classic mistakes” that we have seen repeated over and over:

1. No job walk:

Contractors are met on site to review the project individually (if at all) as opposed to a group walkthrough. Resulting in a scheduling nightmare for the property manager or building owner and scope confusion.

2. Jobs tendered to late in the season:

You will get your best price if you tender a project in the winter. Tender in late spring or summer and you will pay more.

3. No deadline set for submission:

Contractors are left to submit their proposal at leisure. Drags out the tender process. Jobs end up being awarded in peak season when capacity is lower and in the end the jobs take too long.

If you are about to tender a construction project avoid the aforementioned mistakes and you are well on your way to a successful project!

More to come . . . 

Beyond Price and Quality: Part Two

One of the keys to a successful construction project is setting the correct expectations with your contractor. With potential employees you set expectations during the job interview and with potential contractors you set expectations during job tender.  Get your service expectations on the table early and you will avoid a lot of conflict with your contractor down the road.

Here are three key expectations to set during the tendering (bidding) process:

Submittal dates for tender closing

Set a firm deadline for contractors to submit their quote. By doing, you will avoid having chasing down the contractors for their proposal. Two weeks is ample time for a contractor to prepare his bid and submit. If a firm misses the deadline, eliminate them from the process

Deadline for start and finish

Construction projects are notorious for dragging on and on. Nip this one in the bud, by giving your contractors a deadline for starting and finishing the job. Discuss the deadlines with your contractors during the tender process and settle on a realistic timeframe. If a contractor can’t make the deadline don't hire them.

Your unique requirements

Do you have specific tenant concerns that your contractor needs to be aware of? Does your contractor need to coordinate with other trades on your site? Do you have specific work schedules or security procedures that need to be followed? What ever your specific needs are, table them during the tendering process to avoid frustration down the road.

Set the right expectations early in the process and you are well on your way to hiring the right contractor for your job and in the end, a successful construction project.

More to come . . . 

Beyond Price and Quality: Part One

Recently, at a local trade show, I taught a seminar on tendering construction projects. The purpose of the seminar was to help building owners and property managers choose the right contractor for their construction projects. In other words how do you hire a firm that can deliver on all your needs not just price and quality?

The workshop went well and many people have been requesting information. So, over the next few blog posts, I will share some of the seminar content.

One of the keys to tendering a project successfully is to eliminate the construction firms that cannot deliver on your needs. How do you do that? How do you rank contractors before they have done the job?

Here are three “Red Flags” that can help you separate the good from bad:

1. If contractor calls with multiple questions after the job walk, they do not communicate well and they will have a hard time meeting your specific needs.
2. If they can’t bid accordingly and submit their proposal “off” scope they are not organized enough to handle your project professionally.
3. If the start and finish dates seem unrealistic, they probably are. You probably are dealing with a contractor that tends to overpromise and miss on service commitments.

Don’t take these mistakes lightly. The submittal process is the easiest part of a construction project. If your potential contractor can’t listen and seems to be overpromising, eliminate him or her from the process. By doing so, you will save some serious headaches down the road.

More to come . . . 

Update on CCSVI

My mother is back from LA and her CCSVI procedure. The surgery had an immediate impact on her vision, the “MS Fog” lifted and her flexibility seemed better. Balance and other internal issues remain unchanged. The surgeon suggested that the full impact of the procedure wouldn’t be felt for a few months. So, we are monitoring her symptoms with fingers crossed.

The clinic my mother used is performing thirty CCSVI procedures per week (seventy five percent of the patients are Canadian). Our hotel had at least eight CCSVI patients.  Unbelievable!

We learned a lot about CCSVI and I wanted to share in hopes of clearing up some confusion:

• CCSVI (Chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency or constricted veins) is believed to be a disease separate from MS.
• The CCSVI procedure helps symptoms directly associated with CCSVI not necessarily MS. Many CCSVI and MS symptoms are similar. CCSVI may be part of the reason why MS develops? There seems to be a bit of “chicken or egg” debate brewing.
• The CCSVI procedure is a vein angioplasty. Balloons are inserted via catheter into the constricted veins, inflated to stretch the vein, and then “deflated” and removed.
• At our clinic, stints are used in only three percent of patients.
• The idea is that the inflated veins promote better blood flow and therefore relieve some CCSVI symptoms.
• Prior to the surgery you must have an MRI specifically an MRV (which follows a very strict protocol) to review the health of your veins. In my mum’s case her jugular veins were completely collapsed on one side. You should receive a DVD of your MRV along with a DVD of your surgery showing the improvement in blood flow.
• The procedure is not perfected by any means. Veins are like elastics, they have memory, once stretched they want to revert back to their original form. To that end, many patients experience a re-occurrence of their symptoms, as their veins revert a few weeks after the procedure. The ultimate “cure” may be vein valve replacement.
• Advancement’s are happening with every procedure. Surgeons have now learned that inflating the balloons to the extent of tearing the inner lining of vein helps reduce the chance of the veins re-collapsing.
• The MRV cost twenty five hundred dollars and the CCSVI surgery costs eighty five hundred dollars.
• There have been many miraculous stories associated with CCSVI along with many disappointed patients.

I can offer no scientific data on CCSVI. My family is learning as we go just like the rest of you. Hope the information helps and good luck to anyone who is considering the procedure.

Can’t Please Them All, Doesn’t Mean You Shouldn’t Try!

Here was an unsolicited email response to our latest “Start and Finish” guarantee radio spot:

Good morning

After hearing another one of your radio ads on the Peak (I think) I thought I would write in and give you an unsolicited opinion.

First of all, let me say that it’s good to see that the BBB doesn’t have any complaints filed against you in the past 36 months, and also your high rating.  That automatically puts you ahead of about 75% of the painters out there.

As far as your radio ads go, they make me laugh when I hear them.  I think your intent is good, but your offer falls short for a couple of reasons.

A refund offer of 5% is nothing.  5% is not even a decent discount for a large job when negotiating the price.  So, to offer a 5% discount if the job isn’t finished on time is like McDonalds giving you a free apple pie if you order $20 worth of food.  It’s something, but it’s essentially nothing.  The reason it doesn’t mean anything to me, and makes me snicker, is because in almost every single instance of hiring a contractor (be it for commercial or residential purposes), the result has been the same- a HUGE inconvenience caused by jobs that are not done properly or completed on time.  Everyone I know has gone through exactly the same thing.  We recently had some contractors finishing a retail store for us, and the owner of this company showed up at our office within 30 minutes of the job being finished demanding to be paid.  We told him that as soon as we could inspect the work on the following day, we would be happy to pay him.  The next morning at 8AM he was on the phone to us, yelling and screaming, saying we were going to rip him off and not pay.  Do you know why that was?  Because upon inspection, there was a lot of the work that needed to be redone as it was done poorly.  Had we have paid him up front, or before checking the work, we would never have seen him again.  Unless it was a family friend that was hired, I have never had an experience, or known of an experience with someone using a contractor that turned out well.  Turned out well meaning the work was done properly, and on time.

Tell me, what good does a 5% refund do if you are dealing with a contactor that buggers off for days (or weeks or even months!!) at a time, leaving your home or business in a state of chaos?  I have known people that have lived in situations like that.  A job that should have taken literally a week took almost 6 months.

So, while I appreciate the sincerity of your ads, in a world where you may be the exception to the rule, your 5% back offer falls flat.

If you really are true to your word- as I suspect you may be- why not just say something like:

At Wolfgang Commercial Painters, when we give a client our word, we keep it.  Your job will be finished on time, and on spec. Period.  If it’s not, we will correct it IMMEDIATELY. 

As I said, an unsolicited opinion.

Have a great weekend,

Our Sales Representative, George, responded immediately:

We appreciate your feedback and it will be considered.  I would like to have you as our customer from now on so that your hassles may be minimized. Please read through our information package and call me so that I can learn about what you do and some of your potential needs.

Sincerely,

George

You never know, one day, because of George, our frustrated consumer may hire Wolfgang and give us a chance to prove our sincerity. Either way, I am glad that George is on our team!

Burger Fridays

We try to have fun at Wolfgang and I think this one speaks volumes. From our Operations Team:

We are at an epic moment in Wolfgang's history! Using the brain trust of Wolfgang Commercial Painters, we are embarking on the most aggressive research to-date. If done right, we may influence every man, woman and child in the Lower Mainland. As only the Wolfgang team can, we will resolve to discover, beyond a reasonable doubt "who makes the best burger in the Lower Mainland".

Greg

Researcher - Wolfgang Burger Division 

Check out our Burger blog at http://wolfgangburgerfridays.blogspot.com/. If you have a burger joint that we should check out, let us know.