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It may seem early to be thinking about snow in September, but now is the time to get a contract in place!

In last weeks blog post, we gave you 10 Steps to a Practical Snow and Ice Removal RFP . If you haven’t read it, start there because this post elaborates on those 10 STEPS.

By the end of this post, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to write a scope of work for snow removal contractors to bid on.

AND

We’re giving you a link at the end to download our very own scope of work template.

Let’s start with the basics. The “Scope of Work” is all the information needed by the contractors to understand their responsibilities of the job and site specific expectations. It’s the “what”, “where”, “when”, and “how” needed for the contract. It’s also a baseline for building your pricing template for comparison.

The scope of work for snow and ice removal can be broken down into these 5 categories:

Snow Removal Service Detail – Print out an aerial picture or draw a map of the property and mark out where you need snow to be cleared. Make sure you walk the property with the contractor to explain your expectations. This will also give the contractor the opportunity to stakeout the property and understand your expectations.

Trigger Depth / Business Hours of Operation – These are important for your snow contractor to understand because they will impact the service level and cost to keep your business in operation. The trigger depth is a predetermined accumulation amount – maybe 2” – that will “trigger” when the contractor should clear the snow.

Deicing Service Detail – Speak to your contractor about what product they will use to prevent and melt ice buildup. You’ll also want to ask how this service is included in your bill.

Designated Buildup Area – Designate an area away from the building to pile the snow. Make sure the area is the least obstructive to the use of the parking lot and building occupants.

Offsite Snow Removal Services – Detail the terms and conditions under which snow can be removed from the property. Additional equipment, like dump trucks and loaders may be required

FM Pro Tip: Be EXTREMELY detailed in the service descriptions as well as your pricing request.

Make sure you’re clear about what items you’re requesting pricing for (i.e. Plowing @ 2″ vs. Salting / Sanding) and how you want that pricing structured. A snow and ice removal contract can be structured in many ways based on the clients budgetary or other needs. A contract might be a lump sum for the season or per storm or even per inch. We’ll cover different types of snow removal contracts and ways to get pricing in a separate, more detailed post – stay tuned!

Download our sample scope of work, modify it to your unique needs, and get the work out to bid to a few contractors.

Read more on building and maintaining your contractor network on our blog series. Still struggling? Call ONE SOURCE to discuss how to we can help and how you can gain access to a network of contractors covering over 45 different trade categories.

Industry Insights & Additional Resources

From and Buyer’s Perspective: http://www.multibriefs.com/briefs/exclusive/snow_removal_building_scope_of_work.html

From a Contractor’s Perspective: https://www.sima.org/our-industry/best-practices/quality-rfp-creation-and-best-practices.