The Sales & Procurement Cycle

The 52-Week Procurement Timeline

The procurement cycle for buying snow services follows this timeline:

• Spring: Vendor qualification (RFI) begins. RFI distribution, responses, and reviews take place, and existing multi-year contracts are confirmed. Renewing existing customers occurs.
• Summer: The RFP process begins, followed by Q&A and walk-throughs. Equipment, subcontractor procurement, and new sales forecasting take place.
• Fall: Contract negotiation and legal review occurs, followed by contracts being awarded. Training and preparation happen mid-fall.
• Winter: Contract services begin. This includes weather monitoring, service implementation, billing, and in-season training. Performance review monitoring occurs mid-winter.
• Spring (Following Year): Demobilization and site repair occur, contract services end, and the 52-week cycle restarts.

Estimating & Planning Best Practices

When estimating and planning, contractors must:

• Utilize a verifiable estimating system/tool to verify capacity related to size of site.
• Base production capacity planning on company-established production rate guidelines, cycle times, and resource allocation projections.
• Ensure the process includes client sign off on agreed-upon level of service, including site priorities and timing.
• Conduct a preseason physical site inspection and staking process.
• Establish a consistent communication plan that includes multiple points of contact on each side between the client and service provider.