Cautions To Consider In Any Contract Startup

Contract startups are all different yet have many of the same elements.  Timing as to when to purchase equipment, hire and train staff, as well as order sufficient chemicals and supplies are just a few of the challenges facing the BSC as they anticipate accepting the keys and beginning operations.  

In the preceding weeks, the bid walk has been performed, a proposal has been accepted and a new partnership has begun with great hopes for a win/win outcome and a long term relationship.  There should always be clearly worded clauses to deal with last minute changes and other contingencies so that if the square footage or other metric is discovered to be incorrect, it can be dealt with promptly.  

Note the following cautions to consider in any contract startup:

• Develop a generic startup check list that can be customized for each contract.  This could include dates, times, access, key turn over, security, equipment/supply delivery and most important, who is responsible for what.

• Be prepared for last minute changes in the specs which may affect staffing, work-loading and final pricing.  One task or frequency change can have a financial impact.

• Beware of last minute verbal agreements which can become binding without knowing the full extent of the “understanding” you just agreed to.

• Verify key metrics such as square feet and total area to be serviced as well as interpretations such as “police outside areas as needed.”  This means measuring, counting, re-measuring and re-counting to verify that the data you have is accurate.

• Do not purchase every piece of equipment or load up on supplies until you have been in the contract a minimum of two to four weeks.  After you start the contract you may realize that some pieces of equipment may not work at this account or may not even be necessary at all.  It may be difficult to send unneeded equipment back.

• When possible, start with a skeleton crew and temps or loaners from other sites until it is very clear that your original estimates as to staffing and work-loading are on target.  A lot of time and resources can be wasted in processing employees who may be redundant or simply not needed for the first few weeks.

Startups can be stressful at best.  Learn from past experiences and be as prepared as possible for surprises.  

I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean...

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678.314.2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net.