The List
Written by: Hal Bolter, President
When I was in college, the list usually referred to my list of classes, which changed each semester, and acute care was given to avoid 8:00 am or Friday afternoon classes. Once I was married, the list usually dictated how my Saturdays would be spent; fix a sprinkler, hang a new towel rack, pressure wash the deck or eves…you get the point. Different list entirely.
For a facilities professional, the list refers to the consolidated budget or proposed work for a fiscal year. This list is the compilation of several weeks—sometimes months—of surveys and has been prioritized, estimated, re-prioritized, reviewed with the Regional Director, flushed through an algorithm (which sometimes is cloaked as a gut-check based on location, revenue and profit); and once the final list is in the FM’s hands, they need real costs, material, labor, measurements, a scope of work, and time frame to complete—and this is where RFS comes in.
At RFS we have a stable of Regional Project Managers strategically located around the country, primed and ready for your list. We are one of the few Facility General Contractors who willingly make site visits at no additional cost to you or your concept, resulting in scope of work and estimates for our clients. Recently, one of our project managers spent ten days touring restaurants in Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Branson, Fayetteville, Rogers, Muskogee, Tulsa, Stillwater, Oklahoma City, Las Vegas, Fresno, Rancho Cucamonga, Pasadena, Long Beach, New Port Beach, San Jose, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Temecula, and a few other locations strategically located between these cities. We believe and have built our business model around the reality that a detailed scope of work—created by the team that will actually complete the work—results in a construction project and outcome that radically increases the financial performance of the brands we work with.
Because many of our clients work on the same fiscal year, we refer to the three months leading up to that fiscal year as “quote season.” During quote season, our Project Managers, Lead Techs, Supervisors, and Client Relations Associates spend three to four days each week completing site visits and estimates for our clients. And for many of our clients who have multi-state geographies, it’s a huge benefit to have help in this important area.
There is a huge risk to RFS for offering this service. If we expend our resources traveling around multiple states and looking at various sites—and then don’t get the work—this disrupts our business model and ultimately our ability to serve our top clients. So, be prepared to be asked to go through your list ahead of time to inquire about complex areas that may require our expertise, or specific regions where you may lack contractor coverage, and allow us to focus on that portion of your list.
If you find yourself preparing for your fiscal year, overwhelmed by some of the projects on your list, please give RFS a call at (844) 737-7366 or visit our website and complete the request form at www.rfsrenovates.com/contact and we will be in touch to help you tackle your list.