Posts

  • May 1, 2017

    Transparency

    As a member of the Board of Directors for an HOA or Condo Board, you have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the community. When procuring contractors for work, this means getting multiple bids, keeping copies of the bids for a number of years, and creating a fair and competitive bidding process. From a regulatory perspective, ResolveBid will keep track of all of these things, even as new Board members and Property Managers change.

    Transparency also helps owners get the most competitive bid from Contractors. In a fair and competitive bidding situation, Contractors will put their best price, if they don’t think they have a shot at winning, they may throw in a high number just to be there, but they won’t put in the effort to make it a good number.

    We are now accepting signups from communities, contractors and design professionals. Registration is free.

  • Apr 23, 2017

    Contract Terms and Conditions

    Have you ever read the fine print on the back of a contractor’s proposal. Some of the terms are fair and protect the contractor from unknown conditions or factors beyond their control. This is important to reduce the contractor’s overall risk and keep prices low. However, sometimes the terms go too far and put the owner at a severe disadvantage, releasing the contractor from fault or poor workmanship. Every project on ResolveBid uses a standard contract with neutral terms and conditions. In this scenario, contractor bids are uniform and no contractor has a price advantage over another based on terms. Owners are protected in that the contractor will be responsible and stand behind their work.

    We are now accepting signups from communities, contractors and design professionals. Registration is free.

  • Apr 17, 2017

    What is a biddable project

    To have a successful procurement, contractors need to know exactly what they are bidding on. There is nothing worse than a change order because the plans were not specific enough. For instance, if the project is to fix a roof leak, one contractor will give you a price to apply sealant, and another will give you a price to replace the roof material. In this situation it is imperative to be specific as to the work to be done, not the problem to be solved.

    To help ensure the biddable quality of the project, we will perform a manual review of the project prior to advertising to contractors. If the project is not specific enough we can provide a list of local design professionals that can analyze and diagnose the needs, discuss with the community, and prepare a biddable project.

    We are now accepting signups from communities, contractors and design professionals. Registration is free.

  • Mar 28, 2017

    The ResolveBid Process and Advantage

    ResolveBid aims to connect HOA and Condominium communities with general or specialty contractors to create an efficient marketplace for all parties. From the contractor perspective, they will have access to projects that they would not otherwise have known about, opening new opportunities for immediate active projects. From the community perspective, their projects will be seen by hundreds of contractors ensuring competitive pricing from the contractors with a transparent procurement process.

    To begin, the communities will upload a project to ResolveBid. Projects will not be listed unless it is completely funded and ready to bid. Qualified contractors within the area will be notified and invited to bid. A summary of bids including price and contractor rating history will be provided to the community so that they can award the contract.

    We are now accepting signups from communities, contractors and design professionals. Registration is free.

  • Oct 24, 2016

    Communities need to encourage transparency

    Why does the process of finding contractors appear to be full of opportunities for shady business practices? When communities need to find qualified contractors, the process tends to be burdensome due to the fact that those involved in the selection process, the community board members and managers, need to ensure that the money they are overseeing is being spent in a responsible way. Aside from the constant worry about whether contractors are in fact being selected because they are indeed qualified, there is the constant worry that the horror stories such as the example of Aquazul suing the Related Group over shoddy construction or the example of David Taylor who was arrested for fraud could happen to you.

    What is really needed in this industry in order to help the selection process is what we are seeing across many other areas in the consumer space, transparency in the marketplace. Most consumers are already enjoying the benefits of more open marketplaces for buying goods and services, purchasing airline tickets, finding hotels, and many other areas. Why is it still not happening when communities need to find contractors? Perhaps because there are too many established relationships that favor the status quo. But the question then has to be answered, whether the status quo really brings benefits to those that matter most, the people whose money is being spent, the homeowners. For communities that have a strong board and an involved communities, the chances of these horror stories happening are less than for those communities with little homeowners involvement. Regardless, there is plenty of room for improvement whenever large projects are being awarded by communities who need the work done safely and cost-effectively.

  • Oct 22, 2016

    Welcome to ResolveBid!

    ResolveBid has officially launched in South Florida. Our goal is to connect communities with area contractors that are licensed, qualified, and capable of working with the unique challenges of HOAs and condos. As a South Florida company, our commitment is to help communities by amplifying their voices. As a tech startup, we also want to optimize the services procurement process through technology. In the meantime, our database of contractors is growing daily so we can help you get started finding the right professional today.

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