Snow and ice contracts for many sites.

By Tyler Brummett, Director of Operations

Five ways snow service is priced

• Per push. You pay each time a crew plows a site. Simple, and you pay only for what happens. A long storm can mean several pushes at one site.
• Per event. One price per storm, usually in tiers by how much fell. Easier to check than counting pushes.
• Per inch. Price tiers by snowfall depth. It works when both sides agree whose measurement counts.
• Seasonal. One fixed price for the winter, however much it snows. Easy to budget. You pay more than you used in a light winter and less in a heavy one.
• Time and materials. You pay for the hours worked and the salt used. Flexible, and the hardest to check without time-stamped records.

Which one fits

Where it snows most weeks, a seasonal price makes the budget predictable. Where it snows a few times a year, paying per push or per event tends to cost less than a seasonal price would. Where ice is the main risk, look hardest at how de-icing is priced, because that’s most of the work.

A portfolio that spans climates doesn’t need one model for every site. It needs one agreement that sets the right model for each group of sites.

What to put in writing for every site

• The trigger. The depth or condition that starts service. Some sites need service at any accumulation. Others start at one or two inches.
• The open-by time. When the lot and walks have to be clear.
• Priority areas. Entrances, accessible parking and ramps, sidewalks, drive-thru lanes, loading docks.
• Where the snow goes. Pile locations that don’t block sight lines, drains or parking.
• De-icing. What’s applied, when, and whether it’s included or billed per application.
• Return visits. Who decides when a crew comes back during a long storm, and who checks for refreeze afterward.
• Hauling. When piles are removed from the site, and how that’s priced.

Records matter more in snow than anywhere else

If someone slips, the first question is when the site was last serviced and what was done. Ask for a record of every visit:

• Arrival and departure times, tied to the site’s location
• What was done: plowing, shoveling, de-icing
• Photos of the lot and walks when the crew left

Ask how long the records are kept and how fast you can get one.

Before the first storm

• Confirm each site’s plan: plow areas, pile locations, and anything a plow could hit.
• Have curbs, islands and hydrants marked.
• Check that every crew’s insurance covers snow and ice work. Not every landscaping policy does.
• Agree how you’ll hear during a storm: which sites are done and which are in progress.
• Know who to call at 3 AM, at each site and at your provider.

Six questions to ask a provider

1. Who plows my sites?

Ask whether each site has a crew assigned before winter, or whether someone is found the night of the storm.

2. How do you decide when to go?

Ask who watches the forecast, and what they do when a storm is on the way.

3. How will I know which sites are clear?

A live view of every site beats a round of phone calls at 6 AM.

4. What record do I get for each visit?

Times, location, what was done and photos. Ask to see a sample.

5. How are de-icing and return visits billed?

These are where invoices grow. Get the prices in the agreement.

6. What happens if a crew can’t reach a site?

Ask who finds out, how fast, and what happens next.