I have been operating for over 2 years now and things have gone well. I have (perhaps predictably) got a bit obsessed with running this business and am looking to take things a step further, to work with more clients on bigger jobs and to increase employment.
One major step I am taking this season is to become safe contractor accredited.
I have decided to do this to aid my tendering success on local authority and commercial tenders. I believe that not only will having the logo make a difference, but knowing that I have done a full and thorough review of all of my documentation will settle any nerves when it comes to speaking confidently about my policies and procedures.
I do not treat this lightly, and am not just trying to get more work from it. I want to ensure people know they are using a contractor they can trust; knowing that a company has gone through such a rigorous process in the name of quality can at least be held as some kind of assurance. It will also result in a more clear set of documents from which to direct staff training and will create a systematic approach to record keeping.
It seems to me that safe contractor is one of the more highly-regarded accreditation schemes. It is one that I see mentioned in a lot in tenders, on local authority websites, and on communications by larger landscape firms. If nothing else it will provide a lot of advice to help a business get their paperwork in order.
Landscape maintenance contractors need recognised accreditations if they want to move the business in a certain direction and I do not see an attractive enough general one to go for.
I am working through the requirements and will focus on this to get accreditation as soon as possible. You never know when an opportunity might arise.
Comments
Good on you Dan, Hope you get it, I'm sure you will.
Keep working hard, with your attitude Dan, you will get what you want for sure.
Best wishes, Ofer
Good blog, keep us updated. I'm looking towards SAFEcontractor scheme but have yet to organise my things!