Glendale is one of the UK’s leading green service companies working in partnership with both public and private sectors.

Glendale believes in investing in the training of their people and have a thirst for innovation throughout the organisation. They also have a strong commitment to their local communities, ensuring that improvements to the environment are beneficial to all. Glendale’s range of green solutions includes:

  • Grounds  Management
  • Countryside Management
  • Commercial Landscaping
  • Environmental consultancy
  • Golf Course Management

Glendale operates green space & landscape maintenance projects across the UK and originally purchased Benchmark to help cater to their different areas of work in their varied locations. In addition to being able to do this, they have realised many more benefits with their implementation of Benchmark. Glendale have a network of offices across the southwest, their works include grounds management, woodland management and tree planting, landscaping and arboriculture for a variety of public bodies and private sector companies. Clients include Devon County Council, the Highways Agency and Natural England and leading construction companies such as Kier, Interserve, Carillion and Balfour Beatty.


Meeting the Estimating and Management Needs of Glendale

Mike Dennys is the Chief Estimator and Contracts Manager, producing bids for his own landscaping team and Glendale across the region. Based in Exeter, he and his team needed an estimating system that:

  • Could be shared and reviewed across all of their branch divisions and with the rest of the Glendale organisation across the UK,
  • Could be easily understood by non-estimators and management alike,
  • Was cost-effective in time and money,
  • Produced accurate prices,
  • Was easy-to-use,
  • And, it had to be an all in one system, so Glendale’s management could review from a different office and sign off estimates within the system, with all data held centrally in one location.
Benchmark has been able to meet these requirements and offer further value for the Glendale group.
 

Glendale and Benchmark: Growing together

Glendale’s relationship with Benchmark started in mid-2008 with the first implementation of software and training. Since then, Glendale and Benchmark have grown together. “Glendale’s existing comprehensive lists of items and rates was made much more accessible and consistent using the Library database function in Benchmark.”

Image of Glendale worker on a Project

Customer understanding is important, and it is the interpretation of client specifications by the Estimators that makes the quoting feature within Benchmark intrinsic to the business:I especially liked the professional presentation that Benchmark Estimating Software produces. I could show it to clients and the format was immediately understood. It lent itself well to multiple applications” continues Mike.

Mike was very happy with the training and implementation phase of getting Benchmark working within Glendale.  He says that “during the recent training course, Benchmark ensured that the software was integrated with our existing system, and was tailored to our specific needs, the Benchmark staff sat with me and understood my process” In his role as Contracts Manager, Mike understands that time is money, "The mark up and spread functions are great. They allow for quick allocation of margin to elements of my estimate and with my time constraints, this is a good function to have."


Recent Successes

Recent successful bids include the award of scrub clearance and fencing for British Airways and the planting of over 100,000 trees across England and Wales. They also found recently that their bid to carry out soft landscaping for Exeter University had been successful. Glendale is currently taking advantage of the recent, successful launch of Benchmark Version 7, with over 60 new functional enhancements, and found the savings in time and money a huge benefit in today’s competitive environment. Mike Dennys says “I am very impressed with Version 7 of Benchmark.” With the increasing emphasis on value for money and trimming of costs, Benchmark is more essential than ever.


Glendale Logo   Find out more about Glendale at www.glendale-services.co.uk.


Benchmark’s association with the Landscaping Industry

British Association of Landscape Industries Logo

Benchmark Estimating Software has always been popular with the Landscaping Industry due to its complementary features and flexibility. Benchmark has an active membership with BALI (British Association of Landscape Industries) to reinforce its association with the Landscaping Industry in the United Kingdom.

Votes: 0
E-mail me when people leave their comments –

You need to be a member of Landscape Juice Network to add comments!

Join Landscape Juice Network

Open forum activity

Samuel Beresford-Foster is now a member of Landscape Juice Network
54 minutes ago
Adam Woods replied to Tim Wallach's discussion Tripod ladder user? Your advice sought please!
"I wouldn't cut a hedge without one. Anything over 6' you should get with 3 adjustable legs, otherwise they can be unstable if you lean - but positioned correctly they are the only way. 
Befrore retirement I had an 8' and a 4; . The 4' went in the…"
16 hours ago
John F replied to Tim Wallach's discussion Tripod ladder user? Your advice sought please!
"Yes had that scenario where you can't reach a fiddly bit no matter what ladder and have to balance on the apex of a shed roof or do best job painstakingly with a long reach pole pruner . "
21 hours ago
PGM replied to PGM's discussion Grass Cutting 2026 Season
"We've just finished our second week, so that's a full round of all customers now, and didn't have a single one we couldn't do. It's been a really good start here in the north west and now with nice sunny weather coming up this week it's a great time…"
22 hours ago
Duncan Neville replied to Tim Wallach's discussion Tripod ladder user? Your advice sought please!
"I'm very wary of these tripod ladders, I took a life changing fall from the top of a 12ft tripod. Now I only use them myself with great care. The issue is that they are very unstable at the top if you lean to either side, and they go with no…"
yesterday
Billybop replied to PGM's discussion Grass Cutting 2026 Season
"Done a couple of second cuts already this last week would you believe. It's almost as if the grass has a memory of last year's drought and is making up for it now plenty of moisture available"
yesterday
Billybop replied to Tim Wallach's discussion Tripod ladder user? Your advice sought please!
"the tripods are good but in some scenarios the wide base and the fact the 3rd leg has to be placed some distance away from the step part for stability makes this large foot print impractical eg when cutting hedge behind a shed or greenhouse with…"
yesterday
Graham Taylor replied to Tim Wallach's discussion Tripod ladder user? Your advice sought please!
"Never tried these but always thought they look a bit of a pain to cart about. Looking at the picture, seems you're quite away from the hedge so you have to reach out more?   I just use ordinary aluminium extension ladders that you can easily adjust…"
yesterday
Sam Bainbridge replied to Tim Wallach's discussion Tripod ladder user? Your advice sought please!
"Tripods are better than any other ladder that's a fact. You can cut hedges that are lower than the ladder but it is more awkward, I have a 6ft amd a 12 foot been using both for the last 15yrs and haven't come stuck yet. Believe me once you've had…"
yesterday
Intelligent Landscapes replied to Tim Wallach's discussion Tripod ladder user? Your advice sought please!
"I agree with HB. 12 foot Henchman with 3 adjustable legs are fantastic and we use them all the time."
yesterday
Joseph Taylor and The Stonemart Ltd are now friends
Friday
Honey Badger replied to Tim Wallach's discussion Tripod ladder user? Your advice sought please!
"You won't regret it, they are most comfortable ladders to use. Worth every penny."
Friday
matt replied to Julian chambers's discussion Price increases
"Increase prices every year, costs go up every year both on business and at home so otherwise your taking a pay cut, i dont get greedy i make small increases annually but as I do it every year and customers have learned thats part and parcel of it,…"
Friday
matt replied to Tim Wallach's discussion Tripod ladder user? Your advice sought please!
"i have two sizes and couldnt be without them, as use the smaller set for lower hedges so ladders never in the way and ive never bothered with the platform ladders"
Friday
Tim Wallach replied to Tim Wallach's discussion Tripod ladder user? Your advice sought please!
"Might have to use this as an excuse to get more stuff!"
Friday
Fusion Media posted a blog post
At Crowborough Beacon Golf Club, Course Manager Luke Jenkins has been achieving exceptional results using BASF’s Attraxor®, a plant growth regulator supplied by Agrovista Amenity.Containing the active ingredient prohexadione-calcium, Attraxor has…
Friday
More…

Does moss always = full renovation

Hi.Does a mossey lawn always equal a full lawn renovation? Once you kill (or control) moss the customer is left with brown / black dead moss all over their lawn. So then its needs scarifying to rake it up, then usually a preseed fert, seed and top…

Read more…
8 Replies · Reply by PGM on Thursday
Views: 383