If you’re a landscape contractor looking to extend your revenue stream, then you might be considering municipal and other government contracts. However, even if you’re an experienced commercial landscape professional it’s important to recognize that this line of work can be quite different. Before transitioning into municipal/government work, you must first determine if you even qualify for it. According to industry consultant Fred Haskett, head harvester with The Harvest Group, municipalities, as well as state and federal agencies, often have a very clear set of specifications that a landscape company must be able to meet in order to qualify for the work. Bonding is usually part of that process and may require you to consult with legal and financial advisors. Surety bonds guarantee that your company will live up to its contract and legal obligations. Another key difference with municipality work is that it often requires adhering to prevailing wage, something that many landscape contractors are not accustomed to doing. Prevailing wage is defined as the hourly wage, usual benefits, and overtime, paid in the largest city in each county, to the majority of workers. Prevailing wages are established by regulatory agencies for each trade and occupation employed in the performance of public work, as well as by State Departments of Labor or equivalents. “Oftentimes, the government sets these jobs at a prevailing wage that is significantly higher than what local jobs are bidding out at,” Haskett says. “If you understand prevailing wage and are prepared for it, it’s not ...