Alternative Procurement: The Importance of Complete Client Alignment
As the heavy civil market more frequently adopts alternative procurement strategies, many companies are shifting their approach to project procurement. Companies successful at winning these projects have discovered the need to improve their business development and client service if they are going to win work and generate repeat customers.
In our previous blog on alternative procurement, we talked about the importance of connecting with clients during the pursuit and capture stages. The pursuit phase focuses on developing client relationships, while the capture process involves proposal and presentation development, submission and delivery.
Putting client needs front and center and listening to what they’re saying is the key to implementing a successful alternative procurement strategy. “But that is more than just soliciting feedback at the end of a project,” says Rich Rantala, president of R2 Client-Centric. “The feedback loop needs to begin at the start of the project to ensure a smooth journey.”
Client Alignment
Aligning with your client before work begins means gaining a complete understanding of their needs, pain points and critical requirements. To ensure that you’re focusing on the right priorities and measuring against them, we recommend compiling a list of target items.
Once these have been identified, ask the client how often they would like to discuss these deliverables, which often depends on the duration and complexity of the project. On longer duration projects those touch points may occur two, three or four times a year, or at various milestones.
You should also discuss who on the client’s team will be focused on these deliverables and responding to the survey. For example, owner representatives typically include those closest to the management of the project such as a project manager, program manager or on-site representative. The survey questions will include the items mentioned above and touch on the preconstruction, construction and post construction phases. The questions will not change during course of the project, which will ensure the entire team is coordinated on what matters most from start to finish.
Client Feedback
While electronic surveys are easy and provide valuable insights, we recommend taking the time to conduct client surveys personally. By taking the time to speak directly with clients, you’ll hear not only what feedback they’re giving, but also how they’re delivering their comments.
Once feedback is compiled, scores and all the important commentary is shared internally with the project team and those working on the client relationship. As part of this, the construction manager/general contractor will develop an action plan to work on any items that need correcting.
Client Delight
“There is a difference between client satisfaction and client delight,” says Rantala. “When someone hires you, regardless of project delivery method, their expectation is client satisfaction. But simply meeting expectations is not going to lead to golden references, let alone repeat work.”
Four things will help ensure client delight:
- Surpassing expectations on survey items.
- Responding quickly to corrective action items between surveys during the engagement.
- Generating positive comments along with scoring in the survey from the owner.
- Go above and beyond the requirements. For example, if a client sees you taking measures to enhance safety during the construction process because it is the right thing, that helps demonstrate your commitment to them.
Client delight helps generate repeat customers and recommendations for years to come. Alternative procurement success requires putting clients first and then ensuring that you follow through from the beginning to the end of the project.
