It’s too
good to be true. That’s what you are probably saying about Job Order
Contracting. You may be right if your program is not set up and managed properly.
Job Order Contracting is a different
procurement process.
There are contractors and even consultants that will tell you it's easy. All
you need is a unit price book and some contract documents. They want you to
believe that, because that’s when they profit the most.
Job Order Contracting seems easy but
is not. When a
program is not set up properly and when people are not trained properly the
program does not work. You, as a facility owner, will be “forced”
into accepting things that you know you shouldn’t – just for the sake of
getting work done. It might be inappropriate or extra tasks in a Proposal or
inferior
work that doesn't meet your specifications. So many things can go wrong and if
you don’t understand how to deal with them, the contractor can take advantage
of you, and your program can fall apart. You do what you have to do and just hope that you are never audited by
someone that actually knows something about Job Order Contracting.
Avoid the pitfalls and get help. It will cost you much
less in the long run. When you do get help, make sure you know who you are
dealing with. Some consultants are saying they will help you for free as part of an
educational effort. There is no organization that has a budget to provide
facility owners with one-on-one “education.” What these
consultants don’t tell you is that they are being paid by contractors to
convince you to do Job Order Contracting their way. Ask a simple question of
anyone you talk with: “Do you receive or have you ever received any payment from
contractors for your services?” Get ready for the two-step.
Job Order Contracts are very
successful when set up properly. We have been providing expert Job Order Contracting advice
for facility owners since 1990. Our fees are much less than the savings you
will receive from day one. We provide
all services, up-front, without cost to you. If you are ever unhappy with
the services or products we provide, you don’t pay for them. It doesn’t get any
simpler than that.