As a commercial property manager, it’s typically your responsibility to find and hire a landscape maintenance company that you can trust to keep your property looking its best.

To make this a smooth process for both property managers and the landscapers, we’re outlining our top tips to get accurate, fair, and comparable landscape maintenance quotes – so that your next hire is a good one.

1. Qualify Your Landscape Bidders

The first step in the maintenance proposal process is to identify qualified commercial landscape providers. You’ll want to request multiple proposals from comparable companies to ensure you’re receiving competitive pricing and similar terms. Are the landscape companies capable – do they have the required licensing, insurance, and necessary certifications to legally apply fertilizers and herbicides? Do they offer renovation and enhancement services and water management solutions? Have they maintained similar properties with success? Do they have a proven track record and reputation? These are all important factors to consider and will determine how suited the company is to maintain your property.

2. Communicate the Timeline

Now that you have selected landscape providers to bid on your property’s maintenance, consider the timeline and discuss it with each company. Make the bidders aware of any meetings or property walks scheduled, prior to receiving quotes. If a property walk is not scheduled, one is recommended; this gives the landscape companies a clear understanding of the property boundaries, scope of work, likes and dislikes, and current challenges related to the landscape. This is also a good time to express any concerns with your current provider and identify areas of improvement, so that your new landscape company can make enhancement or renovation recommendations.

If you have a proposal deadline, be sure to communicate this to all bidders, preferably at the time the quote is requested. The proposal process takes time, especially to provide you with accurate pricing. Communicating the date it’s needed by ensures all parties are meeting expectations and allows you to make a timely decision. Now would also be a great time to discuss the format your proposal is needed in – i.e., a hard copy delivered in person or electronically – when the project will be awarded, and when the work will commence.

3. Spell Out the Specifications

To ensure your landscape provider delivers the quality service you expect and deserve, make the company aware of ALL your expectations up-front. This is key to developing a long-lasting relationship; avoid the bid process in the future by hiring a landscape maintenance company that will maintain your property now and for years to come.

Start by sharing property maps and boundaries with the bidders so that accurate hours are calculated, thereby providing you with fair pricing and guaranteeing the property’s landscape is maintained in its entirety.

Next, communicate any “extras” the property requires that fall outside the scope of routine landscape maintenance. This can include seasonal color, mulch, tree-trimming, and brush management.

Once the potential maintenance providers have all the details and submit a formal proposal, review the quotes to confirm you’re comparing “apples to apples”. Then you can make an informed decision to select your new maintenance provider, after reviewing the comparable quotes. Remember, the lowest bid isn’t always the best bid; that old saying, “you get what you pay for” is often applicable.

If you’re in need of commercial landscape maintenance or we can help answer any questions about the proposal process, reach out to our team today!