How Can A Landscape Consul — By Tom Burgess, LICM, of Burgess Landscape Consultants, LLC — T
oo often, the care for the landscape of HOAs and condominiums is centered on short-term turnover with landscape
contractors because of irritation with the quality of service and poor communication. This creates frustration from board members and association managers due to the work involved in issuing RFPs (Requests for Proposal) and the time end effort invested in building rapport with new contractors, whilst the landscape itself can suffer without having the long term, sustainable, horticulturally based program it needs to thrive.
A landscape consultant can offer objective and expert advice to make sure your landscaping contractor is implementing such a program and the association has created the budget to allow that to happen.
Stop endlessly repeating the RFP process and transitioning to new vendors on the site.
Helping With the RFP Process
After 25 years in the residential and commercial landscape industry in the Puget Sound region, working in landscape design, business development, and operations, I have seen
20 Community Associations Journal | March 2022
the good, the bad, and the ugly of contractor and common interest development (CID) board relationships. The cycle often starts with the time and effort it takes to put together the landscape maintenance RFP so that it includes a thorough scope of work, the site walk(s) with the contractors involved in the bid process, the review of the proposals, and then possibly interviewing the finalist candidates.
Contractor and common interest development (CID) board relationships can be the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Finally, there is the transition to a new vendor on the site. Often this arduous process leads to disappointment after the first few months of the new contractor “honeymoon“ period with quality of service dropping off, and the same concerns that drove the issue of the RFP in the first place. Sound familiar?
Breaking the Cycle
A consultant can break this cycle, starting with the compilation of the RFP. The scope can be reviewed to make sure it will adequately create the landscape management program for the community’s landscape.
Sometimes the scope isn’t comprehensive enough, needing more detail and specific frequency of contractor visits, and therefore a potential increase to the budget. Or, it actually
Help My Commun Be certain your landscape is being treated as a long-term asset.
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