Going into my first maintenance supervisor position I was pretty nervous about a lot of things. How was I going to deal with the staff that had neglected so much over the previous four years, was I capable of coordinating everything a 264 unit property needed, how hard was the budget going to be, and the list just went on and on. One thing I thought I was ready for was the 750k capital improvement project the owners were implementing. With all the experience I had writing bid specs, estimating, and coordinating crews for new home build I thought that was the one thing I was going to be good at. Boy, did I have some learning to do.
The property I was at really didn't have a clue in where the capital improvements money should go. I had my ideas but, looking back, I was really just flying by the seat of my pants. The most preparation I did for that first year was meet with my crew for half and hour and make a list off the top of our heads of items that needed to be addressed. We then took that list and handed it over to the contractors.
Everything seemed fine until we started looking at the contractors work and realised their ideas and ours weren't exactly meeting up. For example, we needed some tuck pointing done on the brick exterior of our 9 buildings. I expected the existing grout to be ground out and then replaced. I also expected an acid bath to get the excess grout off the brick. They were just going over the damaged grout lines without grinding and then rubbing down the brick with a wet sponge. The problem we ran into was nobody had put together detailed bid specs or detailed estimates enough to address exactly what was expected of the contractor or what the property expectations were.
One thing I have learned is that a detailed set of bid specs will make your larger projects go very smooth. Everything you expect to see should be included in these specs and they should be given to every contractor that is bidding on the job. This could sound like a tough task to some but if you follow a few simple steps it can be pretty easy and will save a lot of heartaches and headaches in the end.
Step 1: Detail the location of the project and general scope of the job. Say you have three decks that need to be replaced on the property. You should specify the unit numbers in you specs, that way if material is ordered wrong or, heaven forbid, the wrong deck is demolished it doesn't come back on the property. If the information is in the bid spec you can't be to blame.
Step 2: If specific material is expected include this in your bid. Using a certain faucet or countertop colour on your property? Be sure to specify what you expect to be used. I have even went as far as drawing kitchen layouts into my specs just to be sure everybody is on the same page. If you would like bids for a couple options on a job specify it (i.e. You want a bid for both treated and composite decking). Just be sure to give an updated copy to the contractor once the option to be used is chosen.
Step 3: Specify building methods you would like to see used. Want to see carriage bolts used on deck posts instead of lag screws? Specify it. If your not sure what you want be sure to have the contractor specify in their bid anything they think is pertinent to the job then compare the different bids and ask questions to be sure you are going to be happy with the final product and your comparing apples to apples on the bid. If bids aren't matching up ask the contractor questions to be sure on isn't using a better quality material than the other.
Step 4: Be sure to include information about waste disposal and job site pick up. Don't want huge ruts in your lawn at the end of the job, be sure to address this in your bid. Ever have a contractor fill up the dumpsters on your property Friday afternoon? Not a good situation, so address that also. You can specify what hours they can work and even include a number they should call if they aren't going to be able to make it for the day.
Step 5: Include a site map, phone numbers, and any drawings you might want the contractor to use such as engineered drawings. Also, be sure the contractor includes the bid specs in his or her bid. Sometimes I even made them sign a copy just to be sure we were all on the same page. Include time frames and deadlines also.
Step 6: Be prepared to be a little flexible. You never know what your going to get once you open up a wall or knock down a deck. Be prepared to discuss changes the contractor needs to make and rely on their experience to guide you through the difficult situations. Bid specs sometimes have to be changed, maybe they stopped making a product you wanted to use.
There you go, no more arguing with a contractor during a job or being surprised that they didn't do what you were thinking they would do. No more contractors showing up on site early or wanting to stay too late. Getting a job organised and everybody on the same page will help to establish great relationships with contractors and make you look like a star to management once they see the projects are done the way they wanted to see them done. Until next time, keep those residents happy.
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