The Hidden Cost of Vendor Failures

When most people think about the cost of exterior services, they focus on the invoice. Snow plowing, salting, landscaping, or pressure washing — it’s a line item that gets paid and filed. But the real cost of poor service doesn’t show up on the invoice. It shows up in downtime, liability, and frustrated customers.

The True Cost of a Missed Service

A property that isn’t plowed on time doesn’t just look unprofessional — it can shut down operations. Delivery trucks can’t access docks, customers can’t reach the front door, and employees are left stranded. Every hour of downtime is lost revenue, and often it costs far more than the entire seasonal snow contract.

Liability Adds Up Fast

Slip-and-fall claims from untreated sidewalks or icy parking lots can result in six-figure settlements. When a vendor misses a service or documents it poorly, the property owner often shoulders the blame. That’s not a cost anyone budgets for, but it’s one of the biggest risks facility managers face.

Reputation Takes a Hit

A poorly maintained site tells customers and employees the business doesn’t care about details. That message lingers long after the snow melts or the grass grows back. Lost trust is expensive to rebuild.

Why Oversight Matters

At ClearPath, we don’t just send vendors to properties and hope for the best. We manage the entire process with oversight, accountability, and documentation. Our model ensures service is performed on time, to standard, and with clear records.

The bottom line: Vendor failures are expensive. Managed oversight prevents them.