in the Know

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ith the many participants involved in the typical facility project (developers, architects, designers,

movers, vendors, technology partners, etc.), we knew that someone needed to bring a little clarity to a very complex process. And recognizing our industry’s vernacular is unique and often confusing, we wanted to provide our clients with a tool that we hope will create a climate of understanding and high expectation.

ELIZABETH DVORAK CEO | President

creating better work environments


Business

P

roviding furniture for your office is much more than simply delivering desks, chairs and workstations.

Instead, it begins with a complete understanding of your firm’s requirements. That’s why Workscapes assigns an experienced sales associate, designer and project manager to your account. Our professionals

Education

will work “hand-in-hand” with your firm, or your architect and design staff, to research and evaluate both your long term and short term needs. However, the more daunting challenge often is fulfilling the expectations your employees and you have set for your new space.

Healthcare

Government


2 | Knoll

Design Development

Order Placement

Installation

• Business Needs

• Manufactured to Order

• Supervisor

• Programming

• Quick Ship Order

• Build as Drawn

• Block Planning

• Deposits

• Change Order

• Space Planning

Acknowledgment

• Power and Data

• Revisions

• Ship Date

• Quality Assurance Inventory

• Delivery Date Furniture Selection

• Installation Date

• Fabrics and Finishes

Project Closure • Punch List

• COM

Project Management

• Flexibility

• Pre-Planning

• Lead-Time

• Job Site Conditions • Contractor Delays

• R e p l a c e m e n t / W a r r a n t y Orders • Reserve Balance


● ● ● working environments

design development B

usiness Needs development refers to the alignment of business processes, technology and human resources

into a holistic plan that creates a supportive, effective work environment.

P

design development activity in that the total square

footage necessary is formally determined and the individual components of the space developed. With this information, the “look and feel” of the space will

rogramming involves gathering individual work group

be decided along with budget and basic architectural

information to develop an analysis of the space

finishes (carpet, paint, wood, metals, wall covering, etc.).

needed. One of the outcomes of this step is the selection of “typical” workstation or office settings.

B

S

pace Planning represents a conclusion of the

A

lways give notice to the appropriate vendor that you are holding them accountable for the accuracy

lock Planning uses the information gathered in Programming to create a simple graphic “block plan”

which breaks out different use areas such as conferencing, work stations, offices, break-room, etc.

of all field measurements.

If you do not designate

accountability, you may ultimately pay the price for a great deal of unexpected (and unbudgeted) work.


furniture selection F

abrics and Finishes can have a major effect on the project

budget. Fabrics and finishes are “graded� into the various furniture lines, and while you can get just about anything, you may not really want it.

Certain fabrics wear quite

differently from chair to chair and panel to panel.

F

lexibility - Compared to the modest life cycle cost of

office furniture, the investment in a furniture system that will allow you to change with the course of tomorrow’s business climate might be the most overlooked issue when making a decision. Can the furniture accommodate a higher head count next year? Can it be reconfigured to accept the latest technology? Will the furniture support your recruiting and retention needs as your business grows?

L

ead-time tells you if you will get your selections in the time frame you need it. Lead time is the actual errorless order placement

to drop-it-on-the-dock time the manufacturers are constantly updating us on.


order placement

M

anufactured to Order is exactly what it says and is the case with about 95% of the furniture

D

eposits are generally not spoken about until it’s time to place the order.

Why a deposit?

This means that you need to be

Because your furniture is manufactured to order. Your

certain the fabric, finish, style, size, etc. is what you

style, fabric, finish, size… all chosen to coordinate with

want because it can’t be returned unless it is otherwise

the “look” you and your design consultants chose to

defective. That’s why we always ask you to verify and

make that special statement. Additionally, while you

approve our written proposals and quotations before

may not actually be using your new furnishings due to

we order. As always, if an error is of our doing we will

construction or carpet delays, Workscapes has usually

gladly take care of it.

received it and been required to pay for it in full.

orders we place.


project management

P

re-Planning an installation is a critical activity which requires the project manager to consider building

security issues, elevator use and availability, available receiving and staging areas, man hours to complete ontime, location of power and data feeds, timing with other trades and many other issues. All these factors must be considered and are factored into our installation cost. Whether shown as a line item or hidden in the price of the furniture, the installation cost is there somewhere.

J

ob Site Conditions are usually the responsibility of your general contractor. If the project falls behind

schedule it is the GC’s job to get things back on track. The painters can’t come in before the dry wall crews and the dry wall crews can’t begin before the framing is complete, and so on. Any delay on any phase of a project pushes back all the work to be completed.


installation W

orkscapes recognizes the need for quality installation services. That’s why we are proud to

provide our clients with installation personnel that are employees certified by Workscapes. We can control the quality of the individual from attitude to knowledge and skill. From this foundation of quality personnel we add proven processes that guarantee an excellent finished installation.

B

uild as Drawn is a term used to describe the finished work of the installation crew. All price quotations

were based on the number of hours to build and layout the furniture as shown on the installation drawing.

C

hange Orders are required to do any work not in the original scope of the installation quotation.

This could be additional work not part of the original work order or a request to change the build as drawn specification to some other variation.

Generally, all

changes to the scope of work are billable at the time and materials rate.

Completion of change order

work is based on crew availability and may require rescheduling.

P

ower and Data work is not completed by furniture installation personnel. This is due to code restrictions

and the need for certifiable data connections.

It is

the customer’s responsibility to order this work from independent contractors.


project closure

W

e’re almost finished. While most of our competitors would consider the job closed, Workscapes

realizes the critical nature of closing up all of the details.

P

unch List activities begin with a comprehensive walk-through of the space. This is followed by

a written list (punch list) of all unfinished items, complete with action steps, responsible parties and target dates for completion.

The punch

list is your documentation that the job is not fully complete and a starting point for understanding when it will be.

R

eplacement/Warranty

Orders

are

given

the

highest priority by Workscapes and our major

manufacturing partners. As we identify items that require action, we notify the manufacturers immediately so they can direct us to the most efficient method of remedying the issue.

R

eserve Balance is an amount, usually 5% or less of the remaining outstanding balance, held back from

payment when extraordinary punch list issues create unusual client concerns.

G

enerally, punch list issues are of a minor nature and simply

require several weeks to reorder, fabricate, deliver and install.


maintaining your investment

W

hen it comes to caring for your furniture, you can always turn to

Workscapes.

Workscapes is the metroplex’

only full-service dealership employing project managers and craftsmen that have the training and experience to maximize your furniture assets. Call us today and learn about our convenient maintenance programs.

PROVIDING FACILITY SOLUTIONS SINCE 1998

• Asset Management and Storage • Asset Liquidation • Asset Valuation • Custom Fabrication • Fabric and Panel Cleaning • Furnishings from over 200 mfgs. • Leasing • Move Management • Relocation Consulting •

Wood Refinishing

• Furniture Rental • Reupholstering • Space Planning


FURNITURE | ARCHITECTURAL PRODUCTS MIAMI | FORT LAUDERDALE | WEST PALM BEACH | JACKSONVILLE | ORLANDO


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