Are you renegotiating a landscape contract with an existing provider? Or, perhaps you are looking for a new company to manage the maintenance at your commercial property. Either way, you might be wondering: What qualifications should a landscaper have?
You expect the provider to be equipped to mow grass, edge, prune shrubs and conduct basic landscape activities. But how do you know the landscape firm will deliver quality—and offer the level of service you expect?
There’s a lot that goes into supporting commercial-grade, quality landscape maintenance services. The qualifications a landscaper should have go beyond surface skills. For example, what is the provider’s safety record and frequency of accidents? Does the landscaper have the capacity to service your commercial grounds? Also, what systems are in place to monitor and audit quality and performance on the job? Does the landscape company’s values align with your own?
Let’s take a look at some qualifications we believe separate high-quality, reputable commercial landscape maintenance providers from the lot.
1. Safety Record—Reducing liability On The Job
A landscape provider’s safety record indicates how they will conduct services on your property. Beyond simply asking whether the company has a safety or training program, ask about their workers compensation experience modifier for the past few years. This indicates how safe the company is compared to others in the industry. An experience modifier of “1” means the landscaper is performing as expected—less than one means its safety record is better than average.
Also ask about lost time accident records. How long have they gone without an accident that resulted in a worker needing to be off the job. Ask for records about incidents of property damage. Any qualified bidder should have those reports available for you to review.
Of course, accidents do happen, but how a landscaper handles those incidents shows how they would manage a situation on your property. At Klausing Group, we track every incident so we can provide that information to clients and focus on areas of improvement. We’re proud of our experience modifier of 0.8, which means our safety programs actually work better than the average landscaper’s.
Safety goes back to the people a landscape provider hires. Does the company use E-Verify to ensure that workers are legal? Do their drivers have their medical cards as required by the Department of Transportation (DOT)? Does the landscape firm perform pre-employment drug screening tests and background checks to confirm that the people they hire are of high integrity?
Also, having employees with degrees in horticulture or professional certifications show a company's commitment to professionalisma dn expertise. Certifications through the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) are the standard bearers for demonstrating professionalism in the landscape industry.
These are all questions to ask before contracting with a landscape maintenance provider.
2. Ask About Capacity
If your commercial property is expansive and requires a dedicated landscape maintenance crew that focuses just on your grounds, find out if the provider is equipped with the crew and equipment to fulfill your expectations. Ask about other properties the company services. Are they a similar size and scope as yours?
Also, consider whether the landscaper is qualified to handle services for all four seasons. Is the company equipped to handle snow and ice?
The advantages of hiring a provider that can handle all of your landscape maintenance include single-source accountability, streamlined communications, and an opportunity to build a relationship with a provider that takes a stake in your property’s quality over the long-term. You want to be able to leverage the expertise of the provider.
3. Meeting Service And Price Expectations
Property owners have different ideas of what “quality landscaping” looks like and how that service should be delivered. One property owner might propose 24 mows per year while another requests to mow the site 32 times. There are varying standards of landscape care available, and it’s important to be clear about exactly what you expect before you hire a provider. Otherwise, you could be disappointed.
The most common mistake related to scope and service quality we see is when property managers make a decision based solely on price. For example, we have a client who left us for a company that provided a lower bid. That client ended up calling us back three years later because they were very unhappy with the results the other landscape firm was delivering. The problem is, the property had been neglected and it degraded the point that it required $10,000 to bring it back up to standards. Meanwhile, the client only saved $2,000 during the three years by choosing the lower bidder—and it lost $8,000 when we had to repair the landscape because the quality had suffered.
The lesson: Seriously consider the lifetime cost of landscape services before hiring a provider. Saving a few bucks on an annual maintenance contract could cost you thousands of dollars more if your grounds suffer and require renovation.
4. Request Comparables And Referrals
Before hiring a landscape provider, find out what other properties they service in your area. Visit those properties. Take a look at how they are maintained. Do you like what you see? Is the size and complexity of the property similar to yours? Get a feel for the type of commercial properties the company services and whether they have the experience to manage yours.
Also ask for referrals—and call them. Find out what other property managers like about the landscape provider. What would they change? Would they hire the company again? Does the landscape provider deliver on its promises?
5. Company Values—Sharing A Vision
Find out how the landscape provider is involved in the community. Does the company have programs or initiatives that give back and support the city and its people? For example, at Klausing Group, we have a program called 5% For The Community. We donate 5% of our annual profit in the form of landscaping services to non-profit organizations in Lexington and Louisville. So far, we have donated hundreds of thousands worth of landscaping services because we believe by giving our time and talent to the community we serve, we all profit.
Much More Than Just Mowing
There’s much more that goes into maintaining a commercial landscape than cutting grass. Qualifications you should look for in a landscape provider include safety records, experience, quality and commitment to the community.
The landscape provider you choose will be on your property at least weekly. Their team is a reflection of your business. Their professionalism and performance speak to your own standards.
Let’s talk more about how you can vet a landscape provider, and why you should expect more of your property than just green grass and pretty flowers. We can give you some ideas about the minimum requirements and scope of work to include in a maintenance contract, too.
Contact us any time in Lexington at 859-254-0762, or in Louisville at 502-264-0127. Or, fill out this simple contact form and we’ll get in touch with you.