We have a project that involves two engineering consultants of the same discipline. One of the engineering firms has an overlay for the larger project, but it was appropriate for us to hire another engineer for our portion.
At the start, it seemed it would be a rocky road. I suspect this was because the engineer for the entire project felt like we should have been doing business with their firm. A few days ago, I called this engineer and I told them the work would have been theirs, but prior to knowing them, we had already made a commitment to the second engineer.
After discussing a bit more, he told me the most important word he heard from our phone visit was “commitment.” He went on to say that in this industry, commitments have shaky legs at times. While he would have liked to do the work, he was more appreciative of us standing behind our word. I then told him we look forward to more projects.
A few days after we talked, the whole atmosphere changed.
We are no different than many, but it bears repeating: Remember your commitments, and honor them.