Golf Course Contractor Qualifications Cancel The title field is required!

1. Paul Diegnau

   

   0 posts
   
   5/4/2012 1:05 PM

   Anyone willing to share the qualifications they used in selecting a golf course contractor for a renovation project? Would prefer the quals from a municipal job but will take any advice or suggestions I can get. I am concerned about the quality of contractor that could sneak through the qualification and bid process as I have seen this scenario play out on other "muni" projects in the past. How do we secure a top-notch builder/contractor yet maintain the integrity of the public bid process?
   
   You can contact me via email.
   
   Thanks.
   
   Paul Diegnau, CGCS
   Keller GC
   St. Paul, MN
   paul.diegnau@co.ramsey.mn.us

   
   
   
   
2. Wahlin Scott B

   
   5/5/2012 4:05 PM

   I will attach specs on here Monday that I have used competitive government bids.

   
   
   
   
3. Gary Carls

   

   19 posts
   
   5/7/2012 3:05 PM

   Paul,
   
   Because of all the rules regarding public bids it can be pretty tricky to eliminate unqualified contractors at times.
   
   When we did our path project last year we listed the following requirements in the bid documents:
   
   1. Bidders need to be licensed in the appropriate categories. In our case it was either an "A" or "C-8" license.
   2. Bidders need to do at least 50% of the work with their own organization.
   3. Bidders shall have completed at least 3 projects in the last 5 years of similar type and complexity on with a minimum value of at least $850,000. Unfortunately, the purchasing folks would not let us get real specific and say "on a golf course".
   
   Those are just some of the things. We had a mandatory pre-bid meeting that I think scared away a lot of the contractors who really weren't qualified to do a project on the golf course once they drove around the course and realized how tricky it was to work with play going on all around them in our case.
   
   Good luck. Gary

   
   Gary K. Carls, CGCS, President - Oakland Turfgrass Education Initiative
   
   
4. Wahlin Scott B

   
   5/8/2012 7:05 AM

   Our requirements for awarding bids may not be as stringent as others. I have to justify my decision to the commission and if they agree, we move ahead with my choice.

   
   
   
   
5. Paul Diegnau

   

   0 posts
   
   5/8/2012 7:05 AM

   Gary Carls, CGCS"]Paul,
   
   Because of all the rules regarding public bids it can be pretty tricky to eliminate unqualified contractors at times.
   
   When we did our path project last year we listed the following requirements in the bid documents:
   
   1. Bidders need to be licensed in the appropriate categories. In our case it was either an "A" or "C-8" license.
   2. Bidders need to do at least 50% of the work with their own organization.
   3. Bidders shall have completed at least 3 projects in the last 5 years of similar type and complexity on with a minimum value of at least $850,000. Unfortunately, the purchasing folks would not let us get real specific and say "on a golf course".
   
   Those are just some of the things. We had a mandatory pre-bid meeting that I think scared away a lot of the contractors who really weren't qualified to do a project on the golf course once they drove around the course and realized how tricky it was to work with play going on all around them in our case.
   
   
   Gary, Thank you for the response. It sounds like we deal with similar purchasing departments and all their associated "red tape." My concern is to eliminate the unqualified contractor and like you said, it can be very tricky. It really comes down to how much your purchasing department is willing to work with you and how tight the purchasing process requirements/restrictions are for your situation. We have had several department experiences in the last ten years where low bid, less qualified contractors have been awarded projects and the headaches and problems that follow are not worth it.
   
   I like your suggestions for the mandatory pre-bid meeting and that the company do at least 50% of the work with their people. I am going to push for those two requirements to be added to our bid documents.
   Thanks again!!!
   Paul

   
   
   
   
6. Paul Diegnau

   

   0 posts
   
   5/8/2012 7:05 AM

   Scott Wahlin, CGCS said: Our requirements for awarding bids may not be as stringent as others. I have to justify my decision to the commission and if they agree, we move ahead with my choice.

   
   
   
   Scott...Wow! It appears you don't have the hoops of fire to jump through when attempting to procure a contractor. You are fortunate.
   Thank you for your response!
   Paul

   
   
   
   
7. Tom Forsythe

   

   0 posts
   
   5/8/2012 5:05 PM

   Paul:
   
   On some occasions our City has gone to the trouble of pre-qualifying contractors before the tender is actually released. The contractor must demonstrate their ability to do the job (for example restore a bridge) before they are allowed to bid on the project. Only those contractors that pass the pre-qualification process are allowed to bid on the work. One of the things this allows the municipality to do is ensure that all those companies that bid on the job are capable of doing it and their decisions are not based on who gave the lowest bid for the work.
   
   I might be able to get some terms of reference for you if you like.

   
   
   
   
8. Gary Carls

   

   19 posts
   
   5/9/2012 8:05 AM

   Tom,
   
   Our city did a similar thing a few years ago when all the stimulus money was flowing freely. They pre-qualified contractors in specific areas of expertise to make sure those contractors would be invited to bid on any projects they qualified to work on. The big thing this did was speed up the process once projects were ready to go because all the background reference checks had already been done. Still took us almost two full years to get our new cart paths approved, designed and built!!!!

   
   Gary K. Carls, CGCS, President - Oakland Turfgrass Education Initiative
   
   
9. Paul Diegnau

   

   0 posts
   
   5/9/2012 1:05 PM

   Gary Carls, CGCS said: Tom,
   
   Our city did a similar thing a few years ago when all the stimulus money was flowing freely. They pre-qualified contractors in specific areas of expertise to make sure those contractors would be invited to bid on any projects they qualified to work on. The big thing this did was speed up the process once projects were ready to go because all the background reference checks had already been done. Still took us almost two full years to get our new cart paths approved, designed and built!!!!

   
   
   2 years for cart paths! That is amazing.
   We actually attempted to do a pre-qualification of contractors but the county attorney, purchasing manager and my department couldn't agree on the terms of the qualification criteria before we ran out of time. The inefficiency and ineffectiveness of government is remarkable