What is One of the Biggest Problems in Maintenance?
Helpful in the planning the maintenance of a large structure in Los Angeles, is familiarity with the processes and performers of work on large buildings. The successful project is dependent on good planning. Even the planning of the planning. That might sound redundant, and it is, but redundancy in construction is a good thing, when applied in the right places. First, the financial structure needs to be in place so that the maintenance project can be performed at the right time. This is shown in your Reserve Study. The estimate for the funds needed is in the Study as well. Fine tuning and review of the reserve estimates is helpful as the years pass by.
Second, and this is the problem, the design of the maintenance work is fundamental to a successful program. This might even sound odd to many readers: design? Yes, and it depends on the project, but for example, design of a re-roofing project might include provisions for solar panels. The design of a painting project may include a caulking program at edges and joints of windows or doors.
Third, the specifications of the project should match up between different proposals. The best system is the second step above, having a professional designer write the specifications. At least the owner knows that the pricing of the materials is for the same materials. In maintenance, getting separate “bids” from contractors for different materials, is not very useful.
Fourth, the performance should be observed by a consultant familiar with the materials and the process. The completeness of the project can be accurately described and the payment requests can be accurately evaluated.
So, in my experience, the idea that a design, rather than just “bids” from contractors, even the best contractors, often leads to good project completion with the best value delivered to the client.