www.arborage.com Arbor Age / April 2014 15
additional work, similar to impacts that re-
volving or available credit would have on
individual credit scores for consumers seek-
ing additional credit."
Additionally, Sivyer pointed out that
contractors may be required to submit
regular reports that document how the
contractor meets the city's requirements
for small business participation, workforce
development for the unemployed and un-
deremployed, residency requirements that
help sustain local jobs, and the like. Then
there are the regular progress reports to be
fi led based on contract specs.
Details matter right from the start. Sivyer
advises, "Contractors should pay strict at-
tention to contract bid submission details
to ensure that bid documents are complete,
accurate, and timely to ensure the bid is not
rejected as 'non-responsive' due to submis-
sion error. Some contracts require bids be
submitted electronically, in multiple copies,
notarized, etc." Remember that you can call
the city forester and ask questions when you
are working up your fi rst bid.
Contracts are binding documents and con-
tractors can expect to be held to all contract
performance standards. Sivyer said, "These are
not handshake agreements, and new contrac-
tors would be wise to enter the municipal
contract market slowly and carefully."
Although good relationships can and
do develop between municipalities and
contractors, it's worth noting that the bid-
ding process is, alas, never done. Contrac-
tors have to regularly re-bid. Said Hannah,
"When a large percentage of your busi-
ness is municipal work, there's less fre-
quent stress about getting work contracts,
but there's higher anxiety for a short while
because the stakes are high. Year after year,
you still have to prove your competitive
worth and win the bid."
Hannah characterized the municipal
market as more competitive than the resi-
dential market. He said that on the residen-
tial side, the hiring process is more based
on emotional factors and loyalty, while the
municipal market takes emotion out of the
equation. "The municipalities hire on qual-
ity, safety, and price," he said. "They can like
you, but if you don't win the bid based on
their criteria, no matter how much they like
you, it won't change the outcome."
Offer to do a safety demo for the city forester who you are hoping will hire you.
For high-dollar contracts, city foresters may have to go to their city council for approval for
the work.
All photos by Michelle Sutton
