ResaleCOI
(941) 408-8293Request a proposal
Practice area · Property services & capital

Vendors are managed. Capital projects are coordinated.

The property-services and capital projects practice at Keys-Caldwell is the operational arm of the firm - the discipline that keeps routine maintenance running on cadence, vendors performing against documented scopes, and major capital work delivered on schedule and on budget. Our property services team walks the seawall, reads the engineer's report, and coordinates every stage of capital work on the board's behalf.

Practice area
Routine maintenance & capital projects
Engagement type
Owner's representative
Coverage
Sarasota, Manatee & Charlotte counties
What this practice covers

Two parallel streams of work, running in cadence.

01

Routine maintenance · the ongoing cadence.

The recurring work that keeps the property running - pool service, landscape, pest, pressure washing, common-area lighting, mechanical inspections, fire-system testing. We don't perform this work; we coordinate the vendors who do, against documented scopes, with documented response SLAs.

  • Vendor scorecard reviewed quarterly across all pre-qualified vendors
  • Three-bid procurement above $5K (per FL 718.3026)
  • COI and licensure tracking - vendors with lapsed insurance don't work on the property
  • Monthly vendor performance summary in the board packet
  • Vendor termination protocols that don't leave coverage gaps
02

Capital projects · owner's-rep engagement.

Major non-recurring work - roof replacement, exterior repaint and waterproofing, seawall, paving, structural restoration, mechanical replacement. We engage as the board's owner's representative: scope-of-work development, engineer coordination, vendor selection, contract negotiation, on-site supervision, change-order approval, and payment milestones. The goal is delivery on schedule and on budget without surprises.

  • Engineer engagement and report interpretation
  • Scope-of-work development against engineer specs
  • Three-bid procurement with documented evaluation criteria
  • Contract negotiation including warranty terms and payment schedule
  • On-site supervision with documented site-visit cadence
  • Change-order review - board approval required above defined thresholds
How property services is structured

Inside the management contract, or as a stand-alone owner's-rep engagement.

Inside the contract

For Keys-Caldwell-managed associations

If we manage your association, the property-services oversight is included in the base fee - routine maintenance coordination, vendor management, and minor work coordination. Capital projects above defined thresholds are billed separately as owner's-rep engagements.

  • Routine maintenance coordination - included
  • Vendor scorecard, COI tracking, contract administration - included
  • Minor projects under $5K - included
  • Capital projects above $5K - owner's-rep engagement, separately priced
  • Capital projects above $50K - full owner's-rep engagement (engineer coordination, on-site supervision, payment milestones)
Stand-alone engagement

For boards self-managing or with another firm

Some boards manage day-to-day operations themselves but want professional capital project coordination for a specific project - a roof, a seawall, a milestone-driven structural restoration. We take owner's-rep engagements on a project basis, fixed-fee or hourly, regardless of who manages the association day-to-day.

  • Engineer engagement and scope development
  • Vendor pre-qualification using our established vendor roster
  • Three-bid procurement and evaluation
  • Contract negotiation and execution
  • On-site supervision through completion
  • Final close-out documentation for the board's permanent records
What an owner's-rep capital project actually looks like

Step by step, with timing.

01

Engineer engagement

2-3 weeks

We engage a Florida-licensed engineer or architect appropriate to the scope (structural, marine, civil, mechanical). We work with established engineering firms across the Sarasota-Charlotte coastal market; continuity matters. The engineer site-walks the property and produces a scope-of-work report.

02

Scope development with the board

1-2 weeks

We translate the engineer's report into a board-facing scope-of-work document - what's included, what's optional, what's deferrable. The board reviews and approves the scope before procurement begins. This is the moment for hard conversations about what gets done now vs. later.

03

Procurement (three competitive bids)

3-5 weeks

We solicit bids from vetted vendors against the approved scope. FL 718.3026 mandates three competitive bids on capital work above $5K; we typically solicit 4-6 to ensure three usable responses. Bid evaluation is documented and presented to the board.

04

Contract negotiation

2-3 weeks

The selected vendor's contract is negotiated against board priorities - warranty terms, payment schedule, change-order procedure, completion timeline, performance bonds where appropriate. Outside counsel reviews where the contract value warrants.

05

Execution and on-site supervision

Project-dependent

A senior project manager on the Keys-Caldwell team supervises the work on-site against the scope. Site-visit cadence is documented; deviations from scope trigger change-orders that go through board approval. Payment milestones are tied to documented progress, not vendor invoicing.

06

Close-out and warranty

2-3 weeks

Final walkthrough with the board, the vendor, and (where applicable) the engineer. Punch list documented and resolved. Warranty documentation, as-built drawings, and payment release on the final retention. The project file goes into the association's permanent records.

What boards actually receive

Documentation that survives director turnover.

Vendor scorecard

Quarterly summary of every vendor on the roster - performance score, COI status, contract dates, board notes. Boards see what's working and what isn't, in writing.

Scope-of-work documents

Engineer-derived, board-approved, vendor-bound. The document the work is bid against and delivered against. Survives any change in management firm or board composition.

Bid evaluation packet

All bids received, evaluated against documented criteria, with the recommendation and the reasoning. The board has a paper trail for any ARC or counsel review.

Project execution log

Site visit notes, change orders, vendor correspondence, photos, payment milestones - all in one project file. By close-out, the file is the historical record.

Warranty register

Every active warranty across the property, with start and end dates, vendor contact, and claim procedure. Warranties get used, not lost.

Capital project annual review

Year-end summary of every capital project completed, in progress, or planned for the next 24 months. Goes into the annual report packet alongside the financials and reserve study.

Frequently asked

What boards ask before engaging us.

Six recurring questions from board treasurers and presidents - pricing, scope thresholds, vendor selection, change-order procedure, and what an owner's-rep engagement actually obligates the firm to do.

No. We are not a licensed general contractor; we don't self-perform construction work. We are an owner's representative - we coordinate the engineers, vendors, and contractors who do the work, on the board's behalf. The structural separation matters: an owner's rep whose only obligation is to the board has no incentive to push for a particular vendor or scope.

Two ways. (1) Hourly, against a not-to-exceed cap, for projects with shifting scope or extended timelines. (2) Fixed-fee, against a defined scope, for projects with clear deliverables. Most $50K+ capital projects are fixed-fee; most $5K-$50K projects are hourly. We disclose the model in writing before engagement.

Yes - we run owner's-rep engagements for boards self-managing or working with another management firm. The other firm handles day-to-day; we run the project. This is a common arrangement for boards who like their current manager but need capital-project rigor for a specific scope.

We default to $1,000, single line item, unless the contract sets a different threshold. Cumulative change orders above 5% of contract value trigger board review regardless of single-line size. Documents in writing; nothing surprises the board on the next financial packet.

From our pre-qualified vendor roster, weighted by (1) past performance on similar work, (2) current COI and licensure, (3) capacity in the project window, and (4) board's preference if any. We solicit 4-6 bids to ensure three competitive responses; bid evaluation is documented and board-reviewable.

We escalate to the board immediately - not at the next board meeting, immediately. Off-schedule typically means a vendor capacity issue or a discovered condition; off-budget typically means a change order or a vendor performance issue. Either way, the board hears about it within 24 hours of us knowing, with options and a recommendation.

Have a capital project on the runway?

Keys-Caldwell takes the first call. The conversation is consultative, not transactional.

If your board is facing a roof, a seawall, a milestone-driven structural restoration, or any other significant capital project, send us a note. The first call is a 30-minute briefing - what the project actually involves, how the procurement runs, what the realistic timeline looks like. No pitch, no pressure, no obligation. If we're a fit, we'll talk about engagement structure on the second call.

Request a project consultation →Visit the resource library
Or call directly
(941) 408-8293
Mon – Fri · 8:30am – 5:00pm ET