Gordon Jaaback
David Goodjohn
through or, even worse, decides not to pay half way through. Ultimately it is your budget that should dictate the quality. It should not be down to who has the cheapest price. If you are comfortable that the cheapest person can and does regularly provide a quality job for people then go for it. If not, choose the next one.” “Whether you’re buying a kettle for the shed, a gallon of oil for the mowers or chemicals for the ground, you will use who you feel you can trust for service and value for money, and that only comes from experience, recommendations or referrals.”
“But, no matter who you choose, at the end of the day the job will generally come down to four things - budget, specification, weather and ‘The Laws of Buggerance’ that affect virtually every job. The first two are fixed, its how the contractor deals with the last two that is important.” “Always keep control of the purse strings,” says David Warner. “This can be
Barry Pace
Gordon Gill
done by staging payments against agreed deadlines and quality throughout the process. But, always hold a retainer for after completion so you, as the customer, can have an independent assessment of quality and workmanship before signing the project off.” “I’m sure that some managers would benefit from a course on project management,” says Malcolm Gardner. “After all, working on large scale projects can be very daunting and, even if they are not taking on the actual responsibilities of project management, it will help them to understand the processes that are needed and to identify when things look to be going wrong at any stage of the operation.” In summary, always ensure that you are comparing like-for-like quotes from a specification drawn up by an idependent consultant agronomist. If that is not possible, ensure that the person who will be designing and overseeing the project has the relevant experience and understands all aspects of the job.
David Warner
Malcolm Gardner
Ensure that you fully investigate your chosen contractor’s previous work and financial stability. Talk to your colleagues and don’t always go for the cheapest quote.
By following the above you will benefit
from a good working relationship that will stand you in good stead for many years.
The last word goes to Gordon Gill. “In my opinion, anybody who has a complaint about a contractor often only has themselves to blame, mostly for not following the above advice. There is a vast choice of good, reputable companies out there that will value your custom and do a damn fine job for you. It is how and who you choose that counts the most.”
With thanks to: Gordon Jaaback -
gordonjbk@turfandgrass.com Barry Pace -
barry@speedcutcontractors.co.uk Gordon Gill -
gillfineturf@blueyonder.co.uk David Goodjohn -
greeninfrastructureco@gmail.com David Warner and Malcolm Gardner Images © Mike Beardall and Pitchcare
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