Previously, we outlined and communicated ways in which to build the right expectation within your SOW. 

Here, we will discuss another important factor when building out your SOW. This part falls outside of the service delivery requirements and into Program Management. However, one of the more critical pieces of a consolidated program is the field support your awarded supplier will provide.  

We recommend setting this requirement as part of your SOW and defining your goals around the requirement completion. Traditional goals are 45-60 days from the award date, considering how that award date relates to the actual start of the snow season.  

One benefit of site walks is the amount of data that is collected.  We would strongly recommend an offline discussion with your national snow removal partner for details on the mechanisms that go into documenting tracking and utilizing this data. There’s significant value that you will absolutely want to leverage.

Let’s change gears and move to a new topic and discuss pricing models. There are four traditional pricing models from per push, event, seasonal, and time and materials. But what are the differences between them, and which model is best for you?  

Your pricing model all depends on the event and the size of your footprint. To find your best value, visit our online RFP Pricing Model Best Practices resource.   

Again, I recommend discussing which solution may deliver the best value for your portfolio with your national snow removal management partner with these models. But understand, regardless of the pricing model you select, you can use the same SOW for each one.  

Pricing models do not dictate your scope of work; they only dictate how you will see the costs billed back from your suppliers. 

Selecting the most suitable pricing model that most closely aligns with your service goals helps create a definitive SOW that defines what your expectations are.   

Level the playing field to the metrics that will drive value and outcome. Every hour of work put in before your service launch will reap significant dividends on the back end when your snow removal program goes live.  

We believe that there can be a healthy balance between cost, brand, and exposure to liability that will allow you to achieve your goals while still controlling your budget.  

So, when creating that scope of work for your sites, one of the most critical items that drive both quality and price is the service triggers.   

The industry defines service triggers as the snow’s accumulation level and when your suppliers should begin to deliver services, and at what frequency they should continue to provide those services during the entire snow event.   

With more than 17 years in the industry, one of the things that have changed the most has been the way we validate service. The industry has come a long way from using the outdated practice of paperwork order tickets.    

Most clients have moved towards more modern validation tools in today’s space, including certified weather totals from independent agencies and geo-fenced mobile applications. 

While the technology is highly advanced, there’s still a learning curve at the local level, so you expect to see usage run as low as 70% depending upon your footprint to as high as 90% as your program matures.  

Used in conjunction with certified snow totals—and quality control calls to the local managers, inspections in the field, and direct communication with the suppliers—we’ve now taken the industry to where validation for today’s national snow programs are streamlined and accurate.  

Building the proper foundation for your SOW can become an easy process. With the help of a strong partnership, you’ll be on your way to experience quality services paired with the best outcomes so your portfolio can continue to do business regardless of what comes this winter.  

With nearly 30 years of delivering snow removal to national multi-site portfolios, one change that our industry experts have seen progress over time is
service validation and the methods used to assist in the validation process.

When we discuss or include service validation during any negotiation process within our services, we’re primarily discussing ways to deliver measurable benefits to your project or job.

Finally, models based on time and materials are ideal for significantly larger properties that average a million square feet or more. These types of Technology can allow Operation Teams to provide real time updates back to the clients, which is one of the primary purposes of validating services. You want to leave your clients with a lasting positive impression and overall experience with their snow removal needs.

Implementing these tools with the right partnership and leadership can increase quality and help detect critical situations early in the service process.

If you need help determining the type of service your portfolio needs for this coming winter, connect with your national contractor to avoid being left out in the cold.

Finally, models based on time and materials are ideal for significantly larger properties that average a million square feet or more. These types of Technology can allow Operation Teams to provide real time updates back to the clients, which is one of the primary purposes of validating services. You want to leave your clients with a lasting positive impression and overall experience with their snow removal needs.

Implementing these tools with the right partnership and leadership can increase quality and help detect critical situations early in the service process.

If you need help determining the type of service your portfolio needs for this coming winter, connect with your national contractor to avoid being left out in the cold.

Deicing is the item that many clients feel most negatively impacts their budgets, and they struggle year after year to level-set and manage the costs.

The good news: if you choose a seasonal format as a pricing model, you could tell your providers to deice away with no worry to your bottom line. For everyone else, the question becomes how to manage risk versus cost.

Limiting the number of deicing services to every six to eight hours requires your providers to continue monitoring conditions regardless of restriction and requires them to contact you and request additional deicing services if they feel conditions warrant it.

By doing so, you can limit over-servicing but still leaving the burden on your providers to monitor site conditions. Doing both in tandem can protect your budget and the safety of your properties. Quality is important, especially when it comes to your deicing services. So, take caution when limiting the number of services and ensure you are putting in the proper controls to deliver the safest possible environment.

Another question that comes up is pretreating. Without engaging the merits of proactively treating lots and sidewalks, and there is value, it ultimately comes down to current conditions and, more importantly, what conditions will be like during an event.

We recommend this type of service be a critical discussion point within the scope of work where the burden is on the supplier to request this approval before an event.

This allows you to review on a storm-by-storm basis, and more importantly, on a market-by-market basis as to whether or not you want or need the service performed.

If you need help defining the terms of deicing services at your properties, connect with your national contractor to gain better insight and achieve what you need for your portfolio.