Doing business with companies instead of the 'market'

Gebr. Olieman has been an established name in the South Holland polder landscape for more than forty years. "We know the area and value loyal customer relationships," says one of the founders of the earth-moving and contracting company Hans Olieman. The family business was in the national news just this summer as one of the "dike heroes" after the dike breach in Reeuwijk.

Hans Olieman has a clear vision of the market: "We like to work for customers rather than the market," he says firmly. He has little faith in public tenders. "Such projects are always awarded on the basis of the lowest price. With all the consequences that entails. To be honest, we are not into that. We much prefer to work for (regular) clients instead of the market. With some clients we have been coming over the floor for decades. We know what we can do for each other. They can rely on us. Even at night. That results in strong relationships that can take a beating."

Dike breach

Gebr. Olieman knows the polder like the back of their hand. "Just this summer we made the national press for the dike breach between Kerkweg and Tempeldijk in our own Reeuwijk," Olieman explains enthusiastically. "It happened on a Monday morning at five-thirty. I happened to be on my way to Groningen and immediately called in a colleague to go check it out. He jumped on his bike and found that a piece of dike had been swept away, causing the water to flow into the polder. The polder inside the dike is actually a bathtub and is located at 5.25 minus NAP, over 3 meters lower still than the surrounding area. Trying to plug the leak is impossible. So we decided to build an emergency dam 100 meters before and 100 meters after the leak. All this was started within an hour, because by 6:30 a.m. we were already working with twelve men and the necessary equipment. Even before the first blue flashing light arrived, we had already made a substantial start. A few hours later, at 9:00 a.m. to be exact, the danger had already passed and we had the whole thing under control thanks to the tremendous effort of the employees."

Knowledge of the area

Gebr. Olieman's quick action without an order or permission was incredibly appreciated afterwards. "We immediately changed our planning to serve the public interest. Such an operation does require knowledge of the area and having specific types of soil in stock. We have that because we operate frequently in the area. The water board, the dike reeve and the municipality were only too happy with our rapid action. And the bill? It was submitted the same day. An extensive investigation into the cause is now underway. The dike is still lying on one ear and our emergency dams are still functioning. Will we be allowed to plug the "leak" as well? Unfortunately, that will be another tender ... Nothing against the aforementioned authorities, by the way, because they have no influence on this. They too are not always happy with the current procurement policy. On the other hand, I do appreciate multiple negotiated contracts, because you are then selected on the basis of previous experience with the company," concludes Olieman.