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Mark Eastman

How To Prepare A Scope Of Work For A Construction Proposal

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This Is A Critical Part of Clear Communication

 

We began this “Blueprint for Building a Better Proposal” series with communication and the problems that occur when it’s done poorly or not at all. This is without a doubt the area where most contractors struggle. It doesn’t have to be this way.


Communication is the most important part of the proposal process.


Things that are unfamiliar seem overwhelming. This is true for both the customer and the contractor. The customer when not understanding what the contractor is talking about and contractor when not having a system for preparing proposals.


 

Our “Blueprint for Building a Better Proposal” system has specific pieces and steps for simplifying the process.

 


Last week we went through Step 1 – Gathering Information. This is where the customer’s why is uncovered, and the physical information is gathered and recorded. Here, we’ll breakdown Step 2 – Preparing the Scope of Work.


What is a Scope of Work?


A Scope of Work, …clearly defines the project requirements, milestones, deliverables, end products, documents and reports that are expected to be provided by the vendor. It helps in the smooth functioning of a project/work contract wherein both parties can avoid ambiguities and situations leading to dispute. It is the first step to building a mutually beneficial collaboration between a vendor and his customer. From a Udemy blog post written by Richa


According to Juan Rodriguez’s The Balance Small Business article, “Must-Have Items on a Construction Scope of Work”, the basic elements…of a scope of work document describes all of the work to be done on a project, who is responsible for completing the work, how the work must be performed (techniques used), and what materials will be used.


 

Communication needs be simple and direct while explaining clearly and thoroughly.

 


Writing out the description of work to be done in terminology that both the customer and the contractor understand is key to clarity. It needs to include enough specifics to be thorough without being too technical. Communication isn’t any good if it’s confusing.

 


EXAMPLE PROJECT:


When meeting with customer Jane Smith we found out that she wanted to add on a laundry/sewing room. She loved to sew and did a lot of it. Currently she used the table in the main floor dining room and the sewing machine in the basement. Her washer and dryer were in two separate closets in the master bathroom. This made for an inconvenience when sewing or doing laundry.


Once we’ve determined the why and gathered the pertinent information…

 

…it’s time to prepare the scope of the work.

 

 

Once this process has been finished for the complete project, we’ll have a Scope of Work ready to be transferred to the Proposal template.

 


Next, we’ll start figuring out the prices for individual items using the Worksheet and Data Base.

 

Good Things Are Done in The Light

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…Not So Much in The Dark

 

Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is everywhere you look. Black Friday, Cyber Monday…we are being bombarded by Christmas advertising. There’s certainly nothing wrong with businesses marketing their products and services. The important thing to remember is that…


Christmas is about so much more than “buying gifts”.

 

Christmas is about celebrating the Light of the World. You’ve probably heard it said that nothing good happens after dark. There is something instinctually implanted in us that tells us this is true. People will do things in the dark that they wouldn’t normally do in the light.


Pastor Lee told a story Sunday about a person who while driving at night, ate a candy bar. The ash tray was already full of trash. Then, this person who hated littering, rolled down the window and threw the wrapper out. Realizing what they had done, they knew they would never have done this if it hadn’t been dark.


Things are done in the dark that would never be done in the light.


Throughout Scripture Jesus’ light is shown in direct contrast to dark, Matthew 5:14-16, John 8:12, 9:4-5 and 1 John 1:5-7 and I’ve found nowhere that it says dark is good and light is bad. The very first thing that God created was light and in the beginning Jesus was with God and Jesus was God. 


 

This light came to us in a manger over 2000 years ago and we celebrate this light at Christmas. This Lauren Daigle song tells us what this Light of the World is. 

 


Remember this Christmas as you see beautiful, bright Christmas lights everywhere you look, that Jesus is our Light and we are to reflect that light to those around us.

Good Things Are Done in The Light

by

 

 

 

 

…Not So Much in The Dark

 

Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is everywhere you look. Black Friday, Cyber Monday…we are being bombarded by Christmas advertising. There’s certainly nothing wrong with businesses marketing their products and services. The important thing to remember is that…


Christmas is about so much more than “buying gifts”.

 

Christmas is about celebrating the Light of the World. You’ve probably heard it said that nothing good happens after dark. There is something instinctually implanted in us that tells us this is true. People will do things in the dark that they wouldn’t normally do in the light.


Pastor Lee told a story Sunday about a person who while driving at night, ate a candy bar. The ash tray was already full of trash. Then, this person who hated littering, rolled down the window and threw the wrapper out. Realizing what they had done, they knew they would never have done this if it hadn’t been dark.


Things are done in the dark that would never be done in the light.


Throughout Scripture Jesus’ light is shown in direct contrast to dark, Matthew 5:14-16, John 8:12, 9:4-5 and 1 John 1:5-7 and I’ve found nowhere that it says dark is good and light is bad. The very first thing that God created was light and in the beginning Jesus was with God and Jesus was God. 


 

This light came to us in a manger over 2000 years ago and we celebrate this light at Christmas. This Lauren Daigle song tells us what this Light of the World is. 

 


Remember this Christmas as you see beautiful, bright Christmas lights everywhere you look, that Jesus is our Light and we are to reflect that light to those around us.

How to Be Sure You Don’t Overlook Something…

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When Gathering Information for A Construction Proposal

 

You or someone you know has experienced a construction project horror story. A dream project that somewhere along the way turned into a nightmare. A communication disconnect that caused the customer and the contractor to be at odds.

 


Why is miscommunication in construction so common?


In the first post of this Blueprint for Building A Better Proposal series, I wrote about this communication problem and that a better proposal is the contractor’s responsibility. Contractors don’t start a construction project with the intention of a misunderstanding…so why is it too often the result?


Most people in the construction trades, learned their specific trade, but were never taught how to do a proposal.


In the second post of the series I explained the parts of the proposal system. In the third, I went through the different steps of the process. 

 


In this post we’ll break down STEP 1 – Gathering Information:


The first information you should gather is WHY. Why does the customer want to do this project? Do they need more space, does something need repaired or replaced, are they looking to make it more usable, or is it just because they want to? Knowing the why early helps determine a clear direction going forward.


Unless the customer has a full set of blueprints and specifications, a site visit should be one of the very first parts of this step. Every individual project is as different as the customer is. Without blueprints, specs or seeing the existing location the chances of giving the customer the project they want, is almost impossible.


Information that needs to be gathered:

  • Project info (customer name, mailing address, project address if different than mailing, phone number, email address, project overview, any other relevant information that you need)
  • Measurements and dimensions, existing and new
  • Building materials, existing and new
  • Pictures of pertinent areas and existing construction
  • Customer’s design ideas and finishes


The important part is to not overlook something.


 

Use whatever way works best for you to gather the info. Early on I used graph paper and a clip board. I continued to go through different processes before getting where I currently am.


After the graph paper I developed a printed Bid Sheet that had a pre-determined list of the different construction tasks that might be needed. Next to each task there was space for writing down a brief description, dimensions, specific notes, drawings, etc. Having a pre-determined list is a great way to minimize the possibility of forgetting something.


Now I use the same basic Bid Sheet on a Microsoft Surface tablet and can either type, write or draw right on the document. This streamlines the process and reduces the chance of something getting overlooked.


Forgetting to include something in the proposal is a sure way to lose money.


There are over one hundred items listed on the Bid Sheet and it still doesn’t cover every possibility. Construction projects vary a lot. Even small projects can include a lot of different pieces. If you leave one of the pieces out, someone’s going to end up unhappy.

 


If you start with a list, you’re less likely to overlook something.


Next week we’ll take the information gathered on the Bid Sheet and turn it into a Scope of Work.

 

 

How to Be Sure You Don’t Overlook Something…

by

 

 

 

 

 

When Gathering Information for A Construction Proposal

 

You or someone you know has experienced a construction project horror story. A dream project that somewhere along the way turned into a nightmare. A communication disconnect that caused the customer and the contractor to be at odds.

 


Why is miscommunication in construction so common?


In the first post of this Blueprint for Building A Better Proposal series, I wrote about this communication problem and that a better proposal is the contractor’s responsibility. Contractors don’t start a construction project with the intention of a misunderstanding…so why is it too often the result?


Most people in the construction trades, learned their specific trade, but were never taught how to do a proposal.


In the second post of the series I explained the parts of the proposal system. In the third, I went through the different steps of the process. 

 


In this post we’ll break down STEP 1 – Gathering Information:


The first information you should gather is WHY. Why does the customer want to do this project? Do they need more space, does something need repaired or replaced, are they looking to make it more usable, or is it just because they want to? Knowing the why early helps determine a clear direction going forward.


Unless the customer has a full set of blueprints and specifications, a site visit should be one of the very first parts of this step. Every individual project is as different as the customer is. Without blueprints, specs or seeing the existing location the chances of giving the customer the project they want, is almost impossible.


Information that needs to be gathered:

  • Project info (customer name, mailing address, project address if different than mailing, phone number, email address, project overview, any other relevant information that you need)
  • Measurements and dimensions, existing and new
  • Building materials, existing and new
  • Pictures of pertinent areas and existing construction
  • Customer’s design ideas and finishes


The important part is to not overlook something.


 

Use whatever way works best for you to gather the info. Early on I used graph paper and a clip board. I continued to go through different processes before getting where I currently am.


After the graph paper I developed a printed Bid Sheet that had a pre-determined list of the different construction tasks that might be needed. Next to each task there was space for writing down a brief description, dimensions, specific notes, drawings, etc. Having a pre-determined list is a great way to minimize the possibility of forgetting something.


Now I use the same basic Bid Sheet on a Microsoft Surface tablet and can either type, write or draw right on the document. This streamlines the process and reduces the chance of something getting overlooked.


Forgetting to include something in the proposal is a sure way to lose money.


There are over one hundred items listed on the Bid Sheet and it still doesn’t cover every possibility. Construction projects vary a lot. Even small projects can include a lot of different pieces. If you leave one of the pieces out, someone’s going to end up unhappy.

 


If you start with a list, you’re less likely to overlook something.


Next week we’ll take the information gathered on the Bid Sheet and turn it into a Scope of Work.

 

 

Being Thankful Is A State of Mind

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We Have So Much to Be Thankful For

 

Over the last several weeks our Sunday School discussion has continued to find its way back to a statement made by a journalist, that we don’t really have much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is just a commercial excuse to eat too much and watch football.


I think eating and football are a couple of pretty good things to be thankful for.


This is like Lucy in the Peanuts comic strip when she’s whining about her life. Linus tells her that she should count her blessings. She goes on to say that she could count all her blessings on one finger. What does she have to be thankful for? Linus tells her, “…for one thing. You have a little brother who loves you…”

 


We don’t have to wallow, it’s a choice.


Negative things are a part of life, but we control how we are going to respond to them. We can choose to be thankful for the positive or we can wallow in the negative.


It’s sad that some people’s default perspective is feeling sorry for themselves. Sure, we all have times of feeling down and depressed. When feeling that way, we need to list the things that we have to be thankful for. Even if, like Lucy, it’s only one thing.


Earlier this week while listening to Andy Andrew’s weekly Professional Noticer episode, he read a Thanksgiving story, from his book, Return to Sawyerton Springs. Wade was feeling sorry for himself, until he listed ten things in his life that he had to be thankful for. The list consisted of everyday things that we take for granted too many times. Read or listen to the story and see the list here. 

 


Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and

CHOOSE to be THANKFUL.

 

 

An Overview of the “Blueprint for Building A Better Proposal”

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An Explanation of How That System Works

 

This is the third post in the Blueprint for Building A Better Proposal series. The first focused on the importance of communication between contractor and customer and the problems that can happen without it. The second listed the foundational pieces of the proposal system. 

In this post we’ll take an overview of the process and how the different pieces fit together.

STEP 1 – Gathering Information

Once you’ve been contacted by a potential customer schedule a meeting to discuss the customer’s dreams and find out what they hope to get from this project. At this initial meeting you will gather information –

  • Measurements and dimensions, existing and new

  • Building materials, existing and new

  • Pictures of pertinent areas and existing construction

  • Customer’s design ideas and finishes

The information gathered in this meeting can be recorded in a variety of ways. The important thing in this step is to gather any and all information needed to prepare an accurate proposal. It can be handwritten on a printed out Bid Sheet. It can be typed in an electronic Bid Sheet on a tablet, smart phone or laptop. The purpose for using the Bid Sheet is that all the areas of a construction project are listed out, this minimizes overlooking things.

STEP 2 – Preparing the Scope of Work

After the preliminary information has been gathered it’s time to clarify the scope of the project by writing out the description of each specific task in terminology that both the customer and the contractor understand. It needs to include enough specifics to be thorough without being too technical. It doesn’t help communication if it’s confusing for the customer. This written description on the Bid Sheet gets transferred to the Proposal and serves as a written scope of work to be performed and materials to be provided.

STEP 3 – Pricing the Project

Next is putting prices to the project. This process involves two different Excel spreadsheets, the Worksheet and the Data Base. Based on the descriptions written on the Bid Sheet, content from the Data Base will be copied and pasted into the correlating cells on the Worksheet. After the pertinent information from the Data Base has been placed on the Worksheet it’s time to fill in the specific quantities.

STEP 4 – Quantities

On the Worksheet you will fill in the quantity needed to do the work on that line item. This may be lineal feet, square feet, square yards, cubic feet, cubic yards or numbers of pieces. Once this is completed you will now have prices for the Proposal. 

STEP 5 – Preparing the Proposal

Now you have everything you need to prepare the Proposal. You will use the description from the Bid Sheet and the prices from the Worksheet and put them both on the Proposal. Now you have a description for each specific task to be provided and the price for each. After filling out the customer’s information, the total project price, how payments are to be made and the duration of time to do the project, the Proposal is ready to present to the customer.

Next week I’ll go into the details of Gathering Information.

If I Scratch in the Dirt with Chickens, Crumbs Is All I’ll Get

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Hanging Out with Eagles Helps Me Soar to Greater Heights

 

Last week I wrote about the importance of a loving church family from Pastor Lee’s message last Sunday. This week’s conclusion of the faith sharing series included sharing of personal stories.

From these stories there were struggles shared, faith expressed and confirmation of the importance of a loving church.

Tears were shed and bonds were strengthened. In the sharing, both last week and this, the one thing that was evident was the importance of being surrounded by the love and support of others.

Those with whom we choose to associate with directly affect who we’ll become, either good or bad. Motivational speaker Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Your friends are a statement of who you are choosing to become. 

Choose to hang out with eagles.

 

It’s evident that we are influenced by who we choose to associate with, on the other side, we influence others who associate with us. We have been called by Jesus to be salt and light to the world. We need to be lifting others up and helping them to soar higher.

 

Choose to be an eagle to others.

Influence is both powerful and gradual. Everything is always changing, either toward good or bad. What’s important is that we are intentional about the influences in our lives and choose the good.

We can choose to scratch in the dirt with chickens or we can fly with the eagles. It’s up to you which you choose, but you were made to fly.

 

How To Build A Better Proposal

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One of The Foundational Building Blocks of a Successful Company

 

Small and medium size construction companies struggle with preparing detailed and accurate proposals. This problem isn’t restricted only to small companies. It begins there, but only gets worse until they either get big enough to absorb the costs of guessing at project costs or give up trying and quit.


When I started doing construction forty plus years ago, I had no clue how to prepare proposals and like every other small construction company…I guessed. I used a common method called, trial and error. Doing proposals this way is a real crap shoot and doesn’t leave much room for mistakes.


Preparing accurate proposals that communicate clearly doesn’t have to be a roll of the dice.


Early on I began working on a proposal system that worked for me. It has gone through years of experimenting and tweaking to become what it is now. Over the last fifteen or twenty years I’ve been asked multiple times by other contractors who saw my proposals how I did them. I just assumed that everybody else was doing something similar.


Several years ago, it hit me that this wasn’t the case after being hired by other contractors to do proposals for them. This is when it became apparent that there was a real need for a proposal system. I kept pushing this down the road until God hit me upside the head with a board and pointed out that my system could help other contractors.


I’ve been busy with construction projects and life in general and continued to procrastinate developing a system that other companies could use. Earlier this year I decided I better get to work on this before I get hit in the head again.


I’m happy to announce that we are currently in the final stages of preparing a proposal system that will be made available for other contractors to use. It’s currently being tested by independent contractors. We are rebuilding the Solution Building website to allow for downloading the proposal documents. It’s not just for general contractors either, it will work for any of the construction trades.


This proposal system will include templates for:

 

  • Bid sheet – A Word document with all the construction sections and individual items already listed out with space for filling out the scope of the work to be done, dimensions, materials, locations, etc., as needed for communication.

 

  • Worksheet – An Excel spreadsheet with all the construction sections and individual items already listed out with optional overhead and profit markups inserted in the appropriate cells.

 

  • Estimate – A word document with spaces to fill in the pertinent information, i.e. customer’s information, what will or will not be supplied by the contractor, the scope of work, the estimated price for each specific element and a total estimated price.

 

  • Proposal – A word document with spaces to fill in the pertinent information, i.e. customer’s information, what will or will not be supplied by the contractor, the scope of work, the proposed price for each specific element, a total project price, payment arrangements and project duration.

 

  • Contract – A word document with spaces to fill in the pertinent information, i.e. customer’s information, list of referenced documents, construction funding information, property specifics, project start date and legal terms and conditions.

 

  • Proposal-Contract – A word document that is a combination of a proposal / contract in one.

 

It also will include a data base for material and labor costs:

 

  • Data Base – An Excel spreadsheet with prices for material and labor for a wide variety of specific construction tasks. This information will be copied and pasted to a blank worksheet.

Clear communication between contactor and customer is difficult, especially when there isn’t any. Last week I wrote about the importance of communicating clearly through proposals and reasons contractors avoid doing them. 


Next week I will break down the proposal process even more.

 

 

Life Is Better in A Loving Church

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It’s Like Being Wrapped in A Warm Blanket on A Cold Night

There are way too many people stumbling around out in the darkness in need of a warm blanket. Those of us who have found our blanket need to be sharing blankets with others.

 

This past Sunday our Pastor’s message consisted of members of the congregation sharing what our church (Tisdale UMC) meant to them. This was a combination of long-term and recent members and some who weren’t.

 

Just like everyone of us is different and unique, so were their stories. Even with all the differences each one expressed common feelings of the warmth of the church. (Just like a warm blanket on a cold night.) It didn’t matter what their situation was, they felt wrapped up in warmth.

 

Having grown up in this church I assumed this was how all churches were. As I got older, I had a recurring conversation with people who had moved away and struggled to find a church that had this same warmth. This doesn’t mean that every person is looking for this warmth, but once they’ve experienced it, they want it.

 

This warm feeling is bigger than the people, bigger than the church, it’s God’s loving arms.

 

 

Too many people are cold and don’t even know it. If you find someone that’s cold give them a warm blanket of love and invite them in out of the cold.