The Kilometre Club

Inspiration comes in many sizes, small and large. Team Canada’s performance at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was inspiring on large scale. Obama’s inauguration speech was inspiring on the grandest scale. But, it isn’t always epic events that motivate.

Rosalie, my six-year-old daughter, attends a great school. Her Principal has implemented some solid programs; music appreciation over the PA system, “All School” conga lines, Popsicle Fridays with proceeds to a good cause, Gala events for the parents, Adirondack Chair Charity Auctions (chairs decorated by the students) and many more. 

My favorite event is the “The Kilometre Club”. The students, kindergarten through grade seven, run laps around the field before school. Parents and Teachers volunteer to monitor. Four laps around is the equivalent of a kilometer. Individual classrooms track the student’s progress. Over time as the kids hit milestones (fifteen kilometers, twenty-five kilometers . . .) they receive ribbons.

Rosalie loves “The Kilometre Club”. Rain or shine, she runs, with or without her friends. My wife watches and sometimes, with our two other kids in tow, runs along. Jen and I encourage Rosalie; but we have never “pushed” her to run. On her own, Rosalie sets a goal, “Dad, tomorrow, I am going to run two kilometers” and then she goes out and hits the goal.

The fact that Rosalie is leading her class means nothing to her. I say, “Wow, Rosalie you are the top runner in your classroom . . .” she shrugs it off “ You are beating the boys!” is met with a roll of her eyes. Rosalie runs on her own accord, pursuing her own goals. Pure internal motivation coming from a six year-old, how wonderful!

My young daughter has reminded me of an important life lesson: external motivation is fleeting; lasting and powerful motivation comes from within.  Live you own life, you own dreams and pursue your own goals.

Go Rosalie go!

Beyond Price and Quality Part Five: The Tough Questions

So, you have successfully tendered your project, it’s time to award the job.  Your two lowest prices are within two percent of each other. How do you decide? Conduct an interview with both contractors and ask some questions:

1. When will you start and finish the project? Red Flag: if the start and finish dates seem unrealistic, they probably are. You are dealing with a contractor that tends to overpromise and miss on service commitments.
2. Who from your firm will oversee the project?
3. How will you communicate updates, changes and any issues as the project unfolds?

Most importantly:

     4.  Why should I choose you over the next contractor?

     5.  What is your competitive advantage?

Those last two questions are the deal breakers. If you don’t receive a succinct answer you are most likely dealing with an average firm. A contracting firm that is going to provide average service and a frustrating experience.

If you were to asked a Wolfgang representative those tough questions, here is what you would here:

Why should I choose Wolfgang Commercial Painters over the next contractor?

• Accountability: We keep our commitments. When we say we are going to start at 8AM, we do.
• Teamwork: We work together towards shared goals. Our office, sales, and operations staff works together to deliver a great experience for you, the customer.
• Open: We are open to new ideas, learning and feedback. If you are unhappy, let us know and we will respond quickly.
• Win/Win: We operate so that all stakeholders win. The customer, suppliers and Wolfgang must win in order to achieve a truly successful project.

What is Wolfgang Commercial Painter’s competitive advantage?

• We offer Professional Color Consultations to help settle on a color scheme.
• We offer a “Start and Finish” guarantee.
• We offer online Job Blogs to ease communication while the project is ongoing

Before you award your next project ask some tough questions. It will help you choose the right firm for the job.

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.