buitenhek,
It looks some what more feasable when you show the actual dollar amount. Your first post sounded like all that work was installed/tested/documented for $22k.
I am sure labor rates will vary, as will requirements. For me, all the installers are licensed, we are bonded/insured, installers are manufacturer certified, get +/- $20 an hour plus retirement and health benefits, etc. My labor costs may be a bit higher.
One thing that stands out to me is that you don't have enough labor hours in the job, IMHO. I have things broken down into hours for each component in software, then assemble them into assemblies then multiply it by the assembly. In breaking yours down, it looks like about 1hr 18 minutes per 'assembly'.
When I run the numbers, I then sit back and think about what each assembly requires. If I were doing one, I would get the wire in position, put up some J hooks, make conduit penetrations through firewalls if needed, label the cable, pull it 150 feet, fish it into the conduit at the workstation end, install two modular jacks on the wire, put on the faceplate, print a label and stick it on there, secure the service loop; Then at the other end the cable is routed into the patch panel, may have to build a patch rack, wire ladder, supports, grounding, etc., labeled, punched down on the patch rack. Then of course I have to break out the tester, put the remote at the other end, test the channel, swap to the second run and do it again, save and print the results. Update the CAD drawing with the wire/jack numbers, pick up the boxes and move them to the next spot, etc.
Generally when I think of it that way, I see that it likely won't be accomplished in 1.3 hours. While it sometimes feels like I could pull up in front, run in and knock that out in that time, I know the crew won't have that 'enthusiasm' for 600 drops. More than likely, it will take something like 2 to 2.5 hours if nothing gets in the way.
Yes of course some times decrease as you do some bulk work. You put up one row of J hooks and you pull 20 cables in there and fan them out at each drop. Some other times increase, and you still have to get product and tools there, move them around, answer questions, wait on other trades to finish areas, etc.
No matter how you cut it, you have to get the product there, shuffled around, unboxed, tested, documentation printed, and drawings produced. All this takes time and I have learned that if you fail to account for that time in the bid process, you might very well have to eat that time.
I'm sure everyone has a different method, we use Bidtek software for larger jobs, I something this size, I use a spreadsheet that I built. It has most of the common materials as well as the already defined labor per item and then it just runs the totals out and gives you a number we would normally refer to as the raw costs. Many of my bids get lumped into a big electrical project, and depending on the specificiations we may have to show the NECA (national electrical contractors association) published labor rates (per unit labor for each item that has been nationally accepted).
Many ways to look at it, and your local market will decide for you how agressive you can get. But it always helps to see how others figure their costs.
Good Luck!
It is only my opinion, based on my experience and education...I am always willing to learn, educate me!
Daron J. Wilson, RCDD
daron.wilson@lhmorris.com