In these days of extensive outsourcing, acquiring, and managing vendor relationships has becoming almost as important as managing your own staff; and in some cases, your outsourcing budget may even be significantly higher! In property management, specifically pavement repair and maintenance, establishing a long-term consultative relationship will make your job easier and most likely save you thousands over the lifetime of these surface land assets. Just like your management team, you can tell a lot about a potential vendor’s service, integrity and quality just by interacting with the company’s senior management or ownership.

 

Vetting a New Vendor

 Highly competitive service sectors like pavement repair require their customer-facing teams to be highly coordinated and efficient in order to stay competitive and profitable. Their serviceable season is just eight months – so you can imagine the pressure to acquire, schedule, manage, and coordinate resources, materials, personnel - and most importantly to accommodate the customer’s schedule.

 

Ask for ‘before and after’ pictures, videos and case studies of similar properties. References to past projects can help you get an idea of the quality of work they provide, as well as how long-lasting their products are. Watch for a consultative approach; a genuine long-term interest in wanting to help you to develop and service a custom tailored pavement management plan for the property.

 

Working with a Pavement Repair Vendor

Using this knowledge to your benefit, you may be able to negotiate a preferential rate for timing flexibility, or if you have off-peak season needs. While you are the customer, establishing a relationship with their senior people will over time give you more insight into some of the industry trade secrets and tips. A professional contractor will always be able to educate you on your property's personal needs.

 

Following a pavement management plan with your vendor keeps your numbers solid and unexpected financial surprises to a minimum. Planning ahead for the eventual need to do a total reconstruction is a realistic eventuality that is better to be managed and measured, than put off without proper preparation.

 

Switching Asphalt Repair Vendors

 It used to be that in business, a sales person would offer you to choose two of three options:

1. Fastest Service
2. Highest Quality
3. Lowest Price

Today, we insist on all three and expect vendors to figure out how to meet our consistently unrealistic expectations; we are only fooling ourselves! If your existing vendor is balancing those expectations to your highest satisfaction, then should you consider switching pavement solution vendors for a lower price? Yes, but only if you can be 100 per cent certain that your expectations are still met. Plus or minus 10 per cent, most companies are dealing with similar margins, controllable and uncontrollable costs, so don’t expect miracles to accompany excessively low pricing. Further, some companies may be on the higher end of things, but also offer warranty to protect you.

We suggest shopping for rates every few years, but also technology and equipment options that the innovators may be using before others. If your business is all about ROI, then knowing your vendors business makes sound business sense for your company.

Managing vendor relationships - like pavement repair - is mostly about maintaining balance. If you give a little extra information to help them do a great job for you, you’ll find they quickly reciprocate in ways and means well beyond your expectations. Give it a try, it works!