Moving specifications

Drawing up specifications for your company move

Moving a company is a strategic challenge requiring rigorous preparation. A well-structured specification is essential to guarantee the success of the project. Find out how.

What are specifications and how do you create them?

The specifications define the objectives, specific needs and constraints of the move. It ensures coordination between the various parties involved, avoiding costly mistakes.

There can be many reasons for this. They may be :

Bringing different units together on the same site;
Move to larger premises to cope with an increase in staff or a growth in activity;
Move to more functional premises;
Find a more strategic location for the company.

In all cases, it's important to take stock of your company's motivations for moving. This preliminary reflection will help you make the right choices and find suitable premises.

Steps in drawing up specifications for a professional move

Here are the steps involved in drawing up the specifications for your company's move:

Company presentation: Describe your needs, including the reasons for the move (merger, expansion...).
Project scope: List the goods to be transferred and the services to be relocated.
Logistical constraints: Include deadlines, safety requirements and the constraints of your commercial lease.
Budget and timetable: Provide a cost estimate and detailed timetable.

The benefits of precise specifications

A well-developed specification offers several essential advantages for a company's move:

Detailed specifications ensure that all stakeholders have a clear understanding of objectives and expectations. This reduces misunderstandings and ensures good communication between in-house teams, movers and other service providers.
With a precise roadmap, every stage of the move is planned in advance, optimizing the use of resources and reducing wasted time. You can anticipate material, labor and time requirements.
By identifying potential constraints and challenges in advance, you can develop preventive solutions, minimizing the risk of unexpected interruptions or complications during the move.
Well-defined specifications help you to compare movers' offers objectively. You can easily assess whether a provider is capable of meeting your specific needs, making it easier to choose the best partner.
By clearly defining the budget and resources required, the specification prevents financial overruns and enables costs to be controlled at every stage.
When expectations are clearly defined, it's easier to ensure that all stakeholders, especially employees, are satisfied with the process and the results. This fosters commitment and cooperation.

To complete your specifications, don't hesitate to use our business relocation checklist. This resource will help you check that all stages of your project are covered, giving you an overview of the tasks to be carried out before, during and after the move.

Specifications are the Ariadne's thread for your company move

It's very important that it's precise, because it defines the technical and human solutions implemented by the removal company. It's also a vital decision-making tool for you.

The guide for drawing up these specifications is the Afnor standard NF X 50-815 "Aide à l'élaboration du cahier des charges". It was initiated by the removals industry.

Office moving specifications

The exercise consists in identifying and expressing your needs in terms of constraints and following a precise methodology:

First of all, you'll need to describe and introduce the company and its premises, and organize a visit both on departure and on arrival. Don't hesitate to provide as much information as possible.
Next, you need to define a precise schedule of operations, specifying whether the periods of execution (day, night, weekends or public holidays) and the desired time slots are mandatory or flexible.

Then you need to look at the service required, both quantitatively and qualitatively:

In terms of quantity, the removal company consulted must have the necessary information to determine the human and technical resources required.
In terms of quality, you need to determine the scope of the removal company's involvement in the preparation, supervision and organization of operations, the protection of buildings, and the supply and delivery of packaging and packing materials.

It's important to define who packs and who unpacks documents between your company's staff and the removal company.

It's also essential to define the marking and layout plan for all the goods to be moved, and who will be responsible for this.

Lastly, the specifications may specify the professional reference criteria to be met by the removal company and its subcontractors, and lay down the conditions for presenting, sending, submitting and assessing bids.

Contact Les Gentlemen du Déménagement for your company move

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