Best route in to commercial Arb

[Jimbo9]

Hi all

 

We are a small company most of our work is domestic but have done some commercial work small scale site clearance etc......

We have a steady flow of work keeping us busy but I would like to make a more secure line of work for me and the boys.

Do any of the people on here have any advise on getting into some commercial work.

 

 

Thanks in advance

[Paul Jenks]

Firstly, commercial work doesn't = security.

Having different types of client offers a little better evenness of workflow. I.E. Work from the three core sectors, domestic, commercial and public, tend to peak and trough at different times. Overlay the cycles and they tend to even out.

Look at your business and work systems, office and operational. Start to tighten up on all aspects without being too draconian. Introduce RAMS to the general working process. If a company wishes to start trading in any sector they should focus on building solid, cooperative, professional relationships with clients. Many commercial relationships are based solely on price and this is a very poor way to do business. I detest the attritional attitude many larger companies have towards their sub-contractors. We all have to make a bit of profit. Of course, if someone takes the Michael, their client has a right to demand a better price or go elsewhere.

The best way to get commercial/public sector work is to go and ask for it. It's a long process. They will already have contractors to do tree work. Put your name out there and gradually you'll get traction. Ask if you can be invited to tender.

When you get the tender packs through the door you'll have some idea of how much you have to develop to shoehorn your way in.

It's commendable that you're thinking of security for the guys. Develop business systems for every aspect of your role so you have the capacity to step back and work on the business, then repeat. Develop business resilience through office, marketing and operational systems and you'll develop security.