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Knowledge and Preparation are Key Ingredients for Building Success

Four weeks ago, we won a bid to be the sole contractors, to renovate an apartment in a residential building in New Jersey. This was going to be our first foray into the New Jersey market and a very lucrative opportunity for our company, BonVil Solutions Corp. The developer had also promised to work with us on future projects.

The invoices had been submitted, the contracts were done, and all parties were ready to sign on the dotted line. Then a wrench we did not see coming was thrown violently into all of our plans. The developer asked if we were licensed to do construction in New Jersey.

“We are licensed for all the boroughs in New York City,” my husband replied. “Do we need to be also licensed to work in New Jersey?

“Yes, you need a permit,” said the developer.

There was a horrible sinking feeling in my stomach, as I prayed, “Please don’t let him be right.” Crossing my fingers I decided to research this onlne. I logged unto the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs website (http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov">http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov), to look at what the requirements are for eligibility to fulfill construction projects. To my dismay our developer was correct. We needed to be certified and it would take 4-6 weeks before the permit would be ready. The project was due to begin Monday of the following week so we passed on the project.

Due to our lack of preparation and knowledge we lost money, the opportunity of broadening our market, and the likelihood of working on future projects with this developer. We also disappointed him because he picked us to do the job but we could not follow through.

This experience was costly and has taught me valuable lessons:

• Having knowledge on the requirement of one’s business, and learning to navigate the layers of governmental protocols pertaining to that business is key to success.
• Before bidding on a project there should be research on and acquisition of all relevant licenses and permits.
• Losing a project can be devastating. However, this should not be a deterrent to future pursuits of projects, even if they are out-of-state.

My business will soon join the ranks of bidders for government projects. There is probably a fount of information that needs to be navigated with extreme care, to be competitive in this arena. I do not want to repeat our mistake. Can OPEN Forum provide an overview on steps we should take to stay on track, and information on the research and study that is necessary before pursuing proje

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