Expert Advice - How to Find the Right Landscape Maintenance Firm

Landscape Management is one of the most important investments you can make for your living assets. Many companies spend millions on the construction of their property, but neglect to find the proper company to maintain their valuable investment. This can result in an unhealthy landscape, poor curb appeal and can potentially affect your company’s goals. To protect your investment properly, we’ve put together an outline of what you should look for in a landscape management firm.

Before You Look For/Solicit A Landscaping Management Firm…

Define what type of service you’re looking for. Landscaping services can be defined on two different levels: Basic Level Service and High Level Service. Basic Level Service is usually for properties with standard turf, shrubbery, trees, and palms. High Level Service should be considered for properties with specialty palms trees which demand extra pruning, turf that requires extra fertilization and cuts, and high-profile areas with flower displays. High Level Service usually requires a detailed horticultural plan to guide the health and sustainability of the landscape. The key differentiator between the two different service levels are the frequencies with which service are performed - High Level Service tend to be more inclusive of extra services.

Think Smart. If you’re looking for Basic Level Service, think smart. The more unspecialized the work is, the more companies you will have to choose from. This opens the door up to small ‘mow and blow’ companies, as well as most medium and large sized firms. If you’re looking for High Level Service, you’ll be looking at most medium to large sized firms who have the proper capital, equipment, insurance, and credibility to maintain your property.

Come up with a proper scope of work. If you’re working with a small, basic property, you’ll be able to get a ‘price quote’ from a small firm without having to go through defining your ‘scope of work.’ But, if you are looking to request proposals from multiple landscape firms for a large property, you’ll need to have a ‘scope of work’ defined so all of the price quotes are based on the same amount of work. Many times, a landscaping firm will offer to put this together as a favor to the client in hopes of building a stronger relationship. If not by this method, a 3rd party consultant can assemble a proper scope of work.

Solicit Bids. Once you’ve got the defined ‘scope of work’, research potential firms for your category of work. For Basic Level Service, Google or the Yellow Pages should work for finding proper contacts to send your scope of work to. For High Level Service, you should network with property managers to find credible landscape management firms.

Before You Choose Your Landscape Management Firm…

Do your research. Ask bidders for reference letters, reference contact information, proof of proper insurance, equipment lists, client lists and for any other information that would help in assuring the company’s credibility.

Visit the landscape management firm’s properties. In the case of High Level work, you want to make sure to check the landscape firm’s work. In many cases, properties may be gated, in which case you can ask the landscape firm for a guided tour, or request them to contact the property and have the gate opened.

Negotiate the Price. In some cases, you may get a bid back from a company that you like, but the price is much higher. Don’t be afraid to ask the company why the price may have been higher. It’s possible that the low bids may not have been bidding on the whole scope of work (are they bidding ‘apples-to-apples’), or it’s possible that the higher bids may have been caused by bidding on a section that was not included in the scope of work.

Before You Sign a Landscape Management Contract…

Read the fine print. Make sure to compare the scope of work that was in the bid with the contract. Also, ask for a warranty letter to protect against improper maintenance and get a copy of the insurance certificate.

Think about the term. For small agreements, a one year term is a standard length for many landscape management firms. But for larger agreements that require specialized equipment, the contract may be extended to assure the influx of equipment and resources is worth the landscape firm's investment - these contracts tend to be three to five years long. 

Assure there is a cancellation with cause. In order to protect you against being stuck with a management company that does not maintain the property correctly, be sure to have a ‘cancellation with cause’ clause in the agreement.