Real Estate Journal — Pennsylvania Experts — September 14 - 27, 2018 — 5C
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P ennsylvania E xperts By Joe Sauers, Sauers Snow and Ice Management Does Your Snow and Ice Management Company Feel Your Pain?
T
he process of finding a qualified Snow and Ice Management Company
of just as they were promised during the sales meeting. In order to alleviate this pain point, you and your Contractor should agree on two very impor- tant things: a). the number of pieces of equipment that it takes to perform the scope of work in a timely manner, and b). a ‘trigger depth’ (such as a coating, 1”, or 2” of snow) at which service on your property will begin. It would also be a good idea to agree on what the final product will look like. For example, can snow piles be pushed to the far parking stalls, or do you need 100% of the parking
spaces? The result of this deci- sion might require additional equipment which would lead to higher expense. Finally, statistics show that most slip and falls occur when there is less than 2” of snow on the ground. With that in mind, give careful consideration to the trigger depth that you select (low- er the better), and clearly define who is responsible for inspecting your property on the days after a snow event for any thawing and refreezing conditions. Joe Sauers is VP for Opera- tions at Sauers Snow and Ice Management.
for your prop- erty can be a daunting one. T h e s h e e r mention of a winter storm shutdown has caused many a s l eep l es s night for Fa-
Joe Sauers
When distrust starts to creep in that means that you will have to keep a more watchful eye on final execution and post storm follow-up. Not to mention the
always present concern of a haz- ardous slip and fall. Ultimately what you want as a FM is the satisfaction of knowing that all these things will be taken care
cility Managers (FM) . When will the snow start? How much do you think we’ll get? These are the most common (and most normal) questions we get asked leading up to a snow event - and even though we cannot predict the weather with complete cer- tainty, we can predict how to ease the pain that you feel when the snow starts piling up. Take for instance this very common pain point in your in- dustry: Is my Snow Contractor operating in a cost conscious manner? What this question di- rectly implies is a deep concern that the full scope of work of the contract has not been spelled out ahead of time. FM’s often feel pain when there doesn’t seem to be a mutual understanding of auxiliary costs or when the billing process is complicated and not easily interpreted. The challenge here is that snow contracts can be structured in many different ways. For this reason snow and ice contractors should always provide a detailed scope of work with a pricing matrix – this will insure all contractors are bidding in similar fashion. Addi- tionally, invoices should always include details of what service was performed and when it was performed. Today’s leading snow removal companies employ various tech- nologies that add integrity to their billing process, such as GPS time stamps for vehicles, mobile software applications which capture before and after photos, and solar powered job- site cameras for remote viewing of the property conditions. In the end a good Snow and Ice Management team will take the time necessary to sit down with you to clearly define their scope of work based on your expectations. Here is another very real pain point for your industry: Does my SnowContractor’s level of service match my level of expectation? It doesn’t take more than one late arrival for you to doubt your snow contractor’s attention to punctuality and preparedness.
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