Developing a clear set of landscape service specifications is an essential step toward finding the best landscape partner for your property. Here are a few things.
Property management professionals are responsible for bringing the best service partners to their properties. Since landscaping can be one of the largest items in a property’s budget, finding the right landscape service partner is a big decision.
Developing a clear set of landscape service specifications is an essential step toward finding the best landscape partner for your property. Here are a few things we recommend including in your property’s landscape service specifications:
Map It Out
The most important thing to give landscape service provider is a service area map. If you don’t already have one, online maps like Google Earth are a great place to find simple overhead views of your property. Start by highlighting the areas that are included in your landscape service area and label the map using numbers or letters for each area of your property.
Point Out Your Feature Areas
Once you have a clearly defined and labeled map of your property, note the areas where you expect to see a higher level of detail. Entryways, signs, annual flower arrangements, and social areas will need more attention than other less visible areas of your property. Let contractors know the areas that are most important to you so they can include a higher level of service for these areas in their proposal. Once your landscape service begins, both of you will understand where your property’s focal areas are located.
Define Your Service Frequencies
This can be the most challenging part of putting together a clear set of specifications. Most properties don’t need to be mowed 52 times per year, but what is the right number of visits to expect from your landscape service provider? Unfortunately there is no magic number or formula to follow. Your existing landscape materials, turf, climate, rainfall, and your unique goals for your property’s appearance mean that there is no perfect answer for what your service frequency should be. Remember that your specs are a guideline and can always be adjusted to address environmental variables. If you set a standard in the beginning, all your landscape service proposals will be based on the same frequencies, freeing you to compare apples to apples when looking at their numbers.
Also, consider that landscape service visits don’t have to be all or nothing. In the example below, our Client identified 3 different service areas for their property and assigned different frequencies to each. Entries and other feature areas were included in ‘A’, areas not seen as often were in ‘B’, and service areas not seen by the public were in ‘C’.
Request Pricing for Additional Services
Your landscaping needs more than mowing and trimming to maintain a healthy, attractive appearance. Be sure to include additional technical specialties in your service specs like: irrigation system maintenance and repair, fertilization and pest management applications, and tree and shrub care. They can be performed as add-ons to other landscape management services, but you should always know what the contractor’s capabilities are and their price for these extra services before you need them.
A clear set of service specifications are an essential tool in your search for the best landscape service for your property. Maps, frequencies, and knowledge about additional services will help you and your landscaper create a service action plan that will deliver the right appearance for your property’s landscaping.