Relocating a business to a new location can bring advantages to work production, employee retention, and lease cost. However, the process of actually moving a company involves considerable risk.

A single overlooked critical detail can interrupt internal operations and may even impact an entire move schedule. In order to keep costs down and your schedule tight, this big project may be something you want to leave to the professionals. Hiring a project manager for business relocation will reduce and mitigate some or all of the move management risk, while you benefit from valuable expertise. Move management is no joke, here’s what to look for in a relocation project manager to ensure you’re in the right hands. 

Research Portfolio Items and Past Relocations

Anyone worth their salt can provide references, reviews, and past work to vouch for their experience and expertise. In your research, you should be able to find a relocation project management partner with strong connections in the industry who is prepared to solve any and all relocation challenges. 

Experience is crucial in this industry. Project managers have learned from past mistakes, so you don’t have to experience the same ones in your own company relocation. Experience is especially important in warehouse or industrial relocations. Moving large, important equipment or addressing cybersecurity and internal security requirements can get complicated, and hiring someone with experience in those kinds of situations will mean less disruption and more efficiency for your move. 

Have Real Conversations

When it comes to relocation, the more information your project manager has, the better. While so much happens online these days, vetting project managers should really be done over the phone or in person to ensure this expert is prepared for your move. 

Once your project manager has a complete and well-rounded understanding of your move and all it entails, you can rely on them to handle everything; from creating the budget to planning and managing the relocation. These preliminary conversations are also a good opportunity to discuss industry connections and interior needs after the move. Your project manager should be able to create RFP’s for furniture vendor, IT vendor, commercial mover, and packing materials vendor selection, so make sure the move manager you hire is well-connected ahead of time. 

Understand Your Timeline

Once you have a personalized consultation, your project manager for business relocation should be able to provide a rough outline of your move timeline. If you’ve never relocated a business, you may not know: moving a company can take anywhere from 6 months to 1 year to complete, depending on the size.

A well-qualified and independent relocation project manager can plan and execute projects quickly, cost-effectively, and with few surprises. However, it is not without extensive planning. The first few months involve creating a comprehensive move plan and collecting quotes from vendors. Then, your project manager will identify furniture and IT equipment for liquidation and begin any demolition or construction oversight. Next, orders will have to be made and your project manager will create a cabling plan and make final vendor selections. From there, it will get down to the nitty gritty– as you get closer to your final move date, past planning will be crucial. You can reference Relocation Strategies’ free PDF Checklist for more details on what to expect. 

The earlier you get started with a project manager, the more stress-free your experience will be.

Hire Someone You Trust

Moving a company doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Hiring a project manager for business relocation can help with all the logistics, planning, and implementation. Working with an experienced staff that is invested in the success of your relocation means that your move will go smoothly. Choosing a team with extensive knowledge in vendor assignment and relocation management will go a long way. All in all, you’ll be working closely with the project manager you select, so make sure they’re reliable and trustworthy.