Every community should always try to maintain three vendors for any given service. This article shares why it is important to maintain multiple vendors and how to find more vendors.

  1. Why maintain multiple vendors?
    1. Urgent work can more likely be done if your first-choice vendor is unable to facilitate the work within your needed timeframe.
    2. Multiple bids with alternative options ensure the best pricing.
    3. Quality control: Often gradually vendor work quality, communication, timeliness can all deteriorate over time.
    4. Businesses close, change management/policies or even sell.  
      1. The realization a vendor is no longer a good fit isn’t typically recognized until there is a need for their service.  This leaves you with few choices if there aren’t multiple options.
        1. Subject to vendor price gouging.
        2. Acceptance of poor quality.
        3. Poor scheduling
        4.  Or other inadequacies.
    5. Capacity: Your primary vendor may not be able to handle your workload.
      1. Could be a particularly busy turn month or large job where they just can’t handle everything in the needed timeframe.
      2. Staff may be out to illness, holiday, lost employees or unable due to prior commitments.
  2. How to find new vendors. This hierarchy chart is an easy reference guide.

 

3. Most vendors can be found with the same methods, however depending on the location, vendor or service a few steps can change. 

  1. Centerspace Vendor List: Vendors.csv
    1. Need help?   Submit a ticket, contact your team or Project Manager to make a filtered version for your project.
  2. Internet: Google, Google Maps, City Chamber of Commerce Sites, etc
  3. Word of mouth:  Often some of the best vendors operate off of word of mouth and won’t appear on a search engine.  Without having these conversations and doing the legwork these opportunities will be missed.
    1. Talk with associates.
    2. Other facilities: Restaurants, sporting good stores, home goods, shopping malls. Etc.
    3. Suppliers:Reach out to where vendors buy their materials or equipment.  Most have relationships and can tell you who to reach out to and possibly who to avoid.
      1. Cleaners: Where do you order cleaning products?
      2. Building material suppliers
      3. Snow and lawncare equipment dealers
      4. Paint:   Sherwin Williams, Hirschfield’s.

4. Finding and maintaining vendor relations is a constant ebb and flow.  It takes diligence, leg work and a lot of discussion.   Being open to new vendors while regularly doing this work will lead to Better Every Days for you, your team, and your community.