Bid requests for landscaping, roofing, painting, etc. are sent out only to contractors who are licensed, bonded and insured for work at homeowners associations. We routinley requestthree bids that are then provided to the Board of Directors for review and selection. Major projects such as roofing and painting should be overseen by a project manager to ensure detailed specifications are included e.g. flashings, vents, type of roof to be installed, paint color(s)/type, areas to be painted, etc. Using a project manager reduces the liability to the Board of Directors and management as neither has the expertise to say the project is being done correctly. For example:
  When faced with major dry rot repairs prior to painting, the Board of Directors should consider selecting an architect and project manager to perform destructive testing before putting the project out to bid. Then the project manager can either select three general contractors they have had success with, or the specs drawn up by the architect can be delivered to management to put the project out to bid. Either way this ensures that the association is receiving "apples to apples" bids on their project.