ltant nity?
might be too exacting for a smaller, simpler landscape and there might be cost savings on reducing contractor visits.
A consultant can determine where the RFP inadequately meets site demands or needs to be reduced to save costs.
Introducing Sustainable Practices The consultant also brings the opportunity to look
at ways to introduce sustainable practices into the maintenance scope. Perhaps the site needs an irrigation evaluation, or audit, to reduce water use.
Go green by reducing the herbicide chemical footprint and protecting waterways with organic alternative fertilizers.
Removing pre-emergent herbicide use and only spot spraying of post-emergent, to reduce chemical footprint impact. Using organic fertilizers for turf and beds instead of the synthetic blends, for a slower release of nitrogen and less concern for leaching into waterways. These options can help create a “greener“ community for the residents.
Your community’s landscape can suffer without the long term,
sustainable, horticulturally based program that it needs to thrive.
These small steps can lead to educating the residents on the benefits of reducing impact, will likely save money on irrigation water bills, and move towards creating a full IPM (Integrated Pest Management) program onto the property.
The site may need an irrigation audit to reduce water use.
Setting Expectations
The more pertinent scope of work, site information, specific requests, and questions to the contractor that you can include in the RFP, the more thorough responses you will receive from the contractors.
Making sure the board is clear on reasonable expectations for new contractors will save time and potential frustration.
At this stage, the consultant can review the current annual landscape management budget of the community with the board and association manager, to see if it’s adequate, and how it might relate to the landscape maintenance the property has been receiving. It is worth spending the time
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