How to evaluate a snow removal company and a snow removal contract?
Accumulated ice and snow outside your property, be it business or residential, is a hazard waiting to happen. As a business owner or a property manager, you would want to reduce your slip and fall liability by ensuring its timely removal. Winter is here, and so is the festive season. This is the time businesses will experience increased footfalls owing to the festive season shopping rush. For property managers of residential complexes, this is the time when residents will have many guests coming over. Increased footfall is directly proportional to increases slip and fall liability. To reduce your chances of a tedious lawsuit and to facilitate the visitors, hiring a professional snow and ice removal service is your best bet.
Hiring a professional snow removal service in the Montgomery County Maryland area would require you to evaluate the snow removal company and sign a contract. Here is what you should look for while assessing contractors and signing a contract.
Things that you should look for before selecting a snow removal company in Montgomery County MD:
Turnaround Time
As a property manager or a business owner, one of your first concerns would be how fast can they be at your site after it snows heavily. A snow removal company’s turnaround time will determine its efficiency. If a company guarantees a time range within which they will be at your location once it snows, this shows their confidence in their ability to serve you.
List of services offered
Before you sign a snow removal contract with a service provider, check their list of the services provided, and choose the service that best suits your needs. Auditing the services offered will also help you in understanding the efficiency of the company. You do not want to sign a snow removal contract with an amateur company, which does not have the full range of services or the right equipment needed for the service.
Here are some questions what you should ask the company to get an idea about their services:
- Do they clear parking lots, sidewalks, and entrances of the property?
- Do they spray dicers or use salt?
- In case of salt, what technology do they use to ascertain the optimum quantity of salt?
- What ice control measures they you take?
- Will they haul and remove the snow from the property or will they form a snowbank after shoveling the snow?
- Do they a specialized snow removal service or are just an add on to a property management service?
These questions will help you evaluate the company and its expertise in snow removal.
After evaluating the company, the next step would be evaluating the snow removal contract that you are expected to sign. Here is what you should look for in the contact:
Contract inclusions
Consider every detail of snow removal while you are talking to the contractor. The contractor should be able to give confident and concise answers to your questions and queries. Here are some of the discussion points for your snow removal contract negotiations:
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- What would be the expected service turnaround time?
- The pricing of the snow removal contract and the variable component because one can never be sure how much snow will the city receive.
- How will the manager or business owner contact the contractor?
- The machinery that the contractor has?
- Are their vehicles and machines GPS tracked?
- Are the contractor’s employees experienced and certified?
- Does the contractor have adequate insurance?
- If someone was to file a slip and fall lawsuit, who will be liable, and how the claim would be deferred.
The level of service
Snow removal services are not simple. They include various levels of service, from snow plowing to ice management. To avoid confusion for both parties, be sure to define the exact scope of service in the contract. If the contract is for snow plowing, the snow will be plowed but will remain on your property. Therefore, if you are looking for a snow removal contract, snow relocation and hauling of the plowed snow to a snow farm should be included in the contract. If ice management and deicing are what you require to reduce the slip and fall liability, this should also be specified in the contract.
A clear contract stating all the terms and inclusions will help both the property manager and service provider.
We at BAM’s Landscaping provide the full range of snow removal services. So don’t let this winter catch you unaware. Contact us now on 240-447-5921 to get a free quote. Our team will evaluate your property and give you the best solution for your professional snow removal needs for this upcoming winter season.
