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City of Roseville, Calif., uses both collab- orations and extensions as methods of showing its long-term commitment to its partners. In return, this commitment provides the partner with a level of com- fort that enables them to invest in both people and equipment that will make them more productive and effi cient. This commitment has led to the lower- ing of contract costs over time for the City of Roseville, and has also resulted in a sense of ownership within the em- ployees of its partners due to the numerous years that they have spent maintaining portions of Roseville parks and streetscapes. The City of Brentwood, Calif., regularly meets with contractors to see if there are improvements that can be made in the contract. The intent is to get a great partnership that will last over time to the benefi t of both partners. Quality assurance is critical to the success of any contract and true partnership. The City of Roseville and the City of Brentwood both use the quality assurance process to assist in building relationships and partnerships between their staff members and the staff members of their private partners. Qual- ity assurance inspections are necessary, and can be very time consuming, but are critical. If you do not do regular inspec- tions, how do you know if your partner is meeting the standards you require? The quality assurance inspection should be a tool used to ensure that your partner is achieving their contractual obligations, but can also be a valuable tool that builds the con- cept that "we" are maintaining this area for "our" residents; and the inspection is just another tool that your partner can use in their scheduling, planning and prioritizing. To simplify the pro- cess and reduce paperwork, inspections can be exception based, meaning that, unless indicated otherwise, the site meets standard. This requires that the only information you need to identify relates to what does not meet standard. Additionally, the standards should have only two measurements: meets stan- dard and does not meet standard. Mea- surements such as "needs to improve" only add additional time and misinter- pretation between the contractor and the agency. Remember, friends are friends and business is busi- ness. When done properly, your quality-assurance inspections can meet your contractual compliance needs while enhancing the sense of partnership for both entities. A comprehensive background check of any prospective con- tractor is important so that you know what they can do in like environments. Is the company fi scally solid? Do they have ref- erences you can check for work they performed that is similar to what you are asking? Do they use technology, and can they be fl exible when necessary? Are they responsive to requests — especially in emergency situations? What is their quality control plan that will provide you a level of comfort that they are pay- ing attention to the details you need? How do they resolve differ- ences if they disagree on the terms of a contract? How did they do in the interview (yes, a formal interview should be a part of your process, and you should request that they bring with them to the interview the staff members who will be overseeing your contract). Having the comfort level that a company understands your expectations and can deliver the maintenance you expect is more than just a price consideration. The quality of service provided by a contractor is paramount to any success. The contract needs to clearly state your quality standards so that you get what you want. www.greenmediaonline.com Business Planning Guide December 2014 19