Seeking professional advice on strengthening my abilities to create smart and profitable cabling project quotes , bids , etc. I also deal with PC repair as well, and could use some advice on how to rate such services. Is there a general rule to build from. Thanks.
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Need advice on estimating , quoting , bidding cabling projects 2
- Thread starter rpearson
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I don't do any of that work, but a few years of doing Access databases independently taught me this: time and materials is the only way I'll work. There are too many unforseeable possibilities, and running into one of those on a fixed-price project will make both consultant and client uncomfortable. Running into a few of those will sour things. And running into as many of them as I've seen on every project I've worked on could be poisonous. Charge an hourly rate you're comfortable. Be extremely honest about how much work you do. Cut your clients some slack when you mess up something you shouldn't have messed up. Be good to your clients. You'll get many more of them.
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Jeremy Wallace
METRIX Project Coordinator
Fund for the City of New York
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Jeremy Wallace
METRIX Project Coordinator
Fund for the City of New York
I agree with JeremyNYC on all counts, honesty, fairness... Unless your on good terms with a customer, most, especially new clients, are going to want some kind of quote or ballpark figure,(to get it cleared with purchasing or to compare your quote with others).T&M is the safest and easiest way to go if the customer agree's with the terms.I dont know of any rule of thumb for rates, It differ's from one job to the next, the area your in, the conditions at the job site ect... As Jeremy said you don't know what kind of problems you're gonna run into. If a quote is required, take the time to look over the site, before you commit to a set price. What type of cabling are you doing, rpearson? knowing that maybe we could give you an idea of what to charge. sorry, cant help with the PC repair
- Thread starter
- #4
rpearson
If you are "going professional" on this, then your prices have to be competitive -- probably less than a large establishment, but not too cheap so you loose your shirt.
When quoting for this type of thing, the customer wants to know "how much is this going to cost me?". So although I agreee with Jeremy, given is esteemed level of expertize, he customers know he is fair and square. But the customer still wants a reasonable estimate.
Although I can do this work, I much prefer outsource to the experts. When I submit for bids (not small jobs), I will get quotes that include
- Cost per drop ~$100 US / $135 CAN for CAT5 office, double to triple for plant or fascility drops
- Itemized cost for expected hardware including wiring cabinets, fiber where needed, indoor or outdoor connections kits, etc (but not cost of CAT5 cable)
List of expectations...
- Lift trucks or skyjacks if required
- Hotwork permits
- Conduit meets specifications
- Supervision or local asset, if requried
- Access to adequate power source for tools, and power for any required switches, etc
I provide a list of my expectations...
- Spefications (watch out for exceeding IEE standards!!!)
- Post job cleanup
- Date and time(s) especially quitting time
- Terminations, testing, certification on speed, etc.
You want to avoid such things as...
- Well this CAT5 drop is 200 meters long, outside which is beyond the IEE specifications of 100 meters, inside - should have been fiber
- Cost did not include conduit (metal casing) -- who is going to pay? - or - conduit is bent for copper and I am laying for fiber
And then whan on the job, maintain the communication. You run into a problem - call in the customer, and discuss options, work-arounds and costs. The customer will have to be reasonable. For example, no hot work permit delayed start of the project for 2 hrs -- who pays the labour costs? Or, the wall behind the drywall is solid cement, and we can not fish at the expected location.
So Jeremy is right, a lot of time and materials, but you should be able to provide a reasonable estimation. And then plan for the unexpected and bill these at T&M.
If you are "going professional" on this, then your prices have to be competitive -- probably less than a large establishment, but not too cheap so you loose your shirt.
When quoting for this type of thing, the customer wants to know "how much is this going to cost me?". So although I agreee with Jeremy, given is esteemed level of expertize, he customers know he is fair and square. But the customer still wants a reasonable estimate.
Although I can do this work, I much prefer outsource to the experts. When I submit for bids (not small jobs), I will get quotes that include
- Cost per drop ~$100 US / $135 CAN for CAT5 office, double to triple for plant or fascility drops
- Itemized cost for expected hardware including wiring cabinets, fiber where needed, indoor or outdoor connections kits, etc (but not cost of CAT5 cable)
List of expectations...
- Lift trucks or skyjacks if required
- Hotwork permits
- Conduit meets specifications
- Supervision or local asset, if requried
- Access to adequate power source for tools, and power for any required switches, etc
I provide a list of my expectations...
- Spefications (watch out for exceeding IEE standards!!!)
- Post job cleanup
- Date and time(s) especially quitting time
- Terminations, testing, certification on speed, etc.
You want to avoid such things as...
- Well this CAT5 drop is 200 meters long, outside which is beyond the IEE specifications of 100 meters, inside - should have been fiber
- Cost did not include conduit (metal casing) -- who is going to pay? - or - conduit is bent for copper and I am laying for fiber
And then whan on the job, maintain the communication. You run into a problem - call in the customer, and discuss options, work-arounds and costs. The customer will have to be reasonable. For example, no hot work permit delayed start of the project for 2 hrs -- who pays the labour costs? Or, the wall behind the drywall is solid cement, and we can not fish at the expected location.
So Jeremy is right, a lot of time and materials, but you should be able to provide a reasonable estimation. And then plan for the unexpected and bill these at T&M.
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