Quoting BIG job

[axel132132]

Hi,

Ive not started on my own business properly yet been working for my mates company, but ive just had a Tender sent through a big big job.. Its an extension on a mansion with Cinema room, swimming pool room, bar, pool table room, changing rooms, toilets.. Etc etc BIG extension..

How do you go about quoting such a big job, do you do price per point?? or what.. Everything in MK..

Or would you get a price of wholesaler for all materials, work out how long it will take and how much i want per day, + how much to pay self employed electricians per day for the work

Cheers

 

[trev]

I'd do both and see which one worked best. You've got a feel for the client, you know what you're more likely to get out of them. Big note to make though, make some provision for stage payments

 

[telectrix]

as trev said. most important thing is get 30% up front. 30% after completing 1st fix. balance on completion. obviously, these percentages can be varied slightly to suit you and the client,

 

[axel132132]

Yeh, in the clients terms it says 5% retention, 2.5% paid after 6 months 2.5% after 12 months.. So thats 5% of price i wont see till a year lol

 

[1shortcircuit]

This is going to be a hard one for you.

First question is... Is it within your limitations?

Second Question... Do you have the manpower to fulfill the contract.

Who are you working for, the client or the builder?

It's going to be very tough as you will be working alongside other trades no doubt and you can bet there will be some form of alterations along the way.

I personally couldn't take on anything like this, too big and not experienced enough if I am completely honest.

Good luck, I hope it works out well for you:thumbsup

Also, have you sorted out your Part P registration yet?

 

[alarm man]

depends on what you call big big,big problems can follow big jobs,and the fact your asking people how to price it means imo your not ready for it,it could be the best thing you have done or the worst,have a look for a thread posted by a good lad today as to what can go wrong,as trev says whats the upfront/intrim payments

 

[Farmelectrics]

I wouldn't say it's a big big job price it properly make sure you make money only you and your expereince will no how long it will take you good luck

 

[needasparks]

Good luck with it axel, some good tips above.
Only thing i would add is check architect does not claim his 2.5% as they do on some jobs if no changes are made.
Even if youyour miles out on price it will be good practice at pricing and quoting in this manner.
Let us know how you get on.

 

[telectrix]

and when you have worked out what you consider a decent price, add 30%. this will cover you for pi$$ing about waiting for plasterers, finding boxes and lighting cables that have been covered up, repairing nailed cables, altering socket positions etc., etc.

 

[sedgy34]

Axel a word of advice pal
Price to the drawing and stick to it,ask all questions before you start
all additionals will be extras for you.architects have a tendency of saying the drawings are indicative too it's there get out clause.
Should be a very nice job for you

 

[Guitarist]

Are you actually part P registered yet mate?
I would say that you may find this a lot to take on by yourself with no experience of actually "going it alone". I just hope that you don't end up out of pocket.
Remember what we all talked about a few weeks ago... start small, get a feel for your abilities and how to deal with customers and contracts before going out on a limb.
Btw, it is unacceptable to have to wait more than 30 days for some payment. If it is a big job then materials up-front, followed by payment after a certain amount of time, or certain stage in work, then balance on completion. Cash-flow is the lifeline of any business.

 

[Spazz]

Quoting for this conversion I am doing now, I got the TLC catalog thinking low mid range prices.
Stuck all common items on a spread sheet and put VAT on top all, and a 10% gain on all.

Then thought how long and how much I want to make on the job, gave a nice price I was happy with and they jumped at it.

 

[trev]

,have a look for a thread posted by a good lad today as to what can go wrong,

Hell yes, watch and learn. It can happen to anyone, it's really bad crack that it's happened to one of our own

 

[keniff]

Hell yes, watch and learn. It can happen to anyone, it's really bad crack that it's happened to one of our own

What happened I can't find thread?

 

[axel132132]

Me either, cheers

Im going at it with the guy im currently working for at the moment (My gf sisters BF), hes a spark had alot of experience with mansions and large domestic jobs, although never priced for one but were going to sit down tomorrow and price it.

As for PART P not as of yet as i got a job working for my gf sisters bf for a bit, which i just have to 2nd fix a re-wire next week then i will be getting my PART P =]

Quick one, can i use that job as one of my jobs for Part P? As it wasnt mine?



I am kind of nervous about it BUT at the moment i have nothing to lose, i live with my mum.. i have a £1600 van.. and a laptop and thats about it really so if all went MAJOR wrong then thats all i can lose me thinks? Although im going to price it, then add on a percentage and that

Will i need to visit the property do you think cos at the moment the info i have is they want MK sockets and nice fittings.. But surely they will want the fittings to match existing lights etc.. and they have speakers all over place, surely that wants to be on current system and same with alarm and cctv etc. Plus need to check bonding and wether the load on current board has enough spare to take for a new board and all the new additions

Anything else i need to check for?



OHH and BTW for those who want to know how i got the tender:

I Google for builders "AREA" and sent a email (Separate to each so that no other builder was CC in email) and got my mum to write a letter (I dictated but as crap at english she wrote) - saying basically what experience i have had, what past jobs i have been part of etc and said if they ever have a job they wish for me to quote for i would be happy to and if they are then happy with my price they can then get me in to do the work basically.. Did that 3 months ago'ish.. Got the call and boom job to price may have taken 3 months but my god this job is huge!

 

[imago]

Will i need to visit the property do you think cos at the moment the info i have is they want MK sockets and nice fittings..

Seriously, think about this long and hard before you do anything. You can't give a quote based on that, you couldn't even give an estimate. For a job of that nature you quote off plan and as per the spec list. If you don't you'll get reamed.

at the moment i have nothing to lose, i live with my mum.. i have a £1600 van.. and a laptop and thats about it really so if all went MAJOR wrong then thats all i can lose me thinks?

You're not serious about that are you? If you are then you really need to concentrate on getting a job on the cards because if you work for people with that attitude it will end badly for you and any poor unfortunate that you do work for.

 

[Guitarist]

axel, it's always a good idea to actually see the job you are pricing for. You never know what you will find until you get there...
You should only use jobs which YOU have done in their entirety for your part P assessment, otherwise it's not you being assessed is it?
You say that you have nothing to lose....well, just make sure you have adequate public liability insurance before you carry out any work. Any accidents or mistakes will have to be paid for by you.

 

[trev]

Axel, I'd say it's imperative that you have a site visit prior to starting this, that way you get a feel for the job and who you'll be working with and for. At that point if there's anything you don't like the feel of you can walk away. Don't be seduced by the big payday, try to see the job as it will be

 

[hillbillie]

Another thing, when you do the site visit is to check the designers plans. It may be a very well designed installation but check first. I recently told a company that sent me a load of technical drawings that I thought the designers circuits could lead to tripping of the MCB feeding the submain, as the load I would expect to see on the circuits would have been too high and sent them suggestions on how to avoid this..

They may be offended by this but generally you would get brownie points for your attention to detail and, after all, whether you designed the installation or not, if it isn't going to do the job its designed for you will get some of the blame.

 

[axel132132]

Quick questions guys:

I have a site visit now for tomorrow, builder said will be nice to see a face to the business

My issue is im 22, do you think this is going to have a large impact now on the builders knowing there dealing with a young company?

Should i go dressed in trousers and a smart t-shirt, or are builders generally not bothered as in if its red hot could i turn up in shorts and a t-shirt?

Cheers

 

[sythai]

Quick questions guys:

I have a site visit now for tomorrow, builder said will be nice to see a face to the business

My issue is im 22, do you think this is going to have a large impact now on the builders knowing there dealing with a young company?

Should i go dressed in trousers and a smart t-shirt, or are builders generally not bothered as in if its red hot could i turn up in shorts and a t-shirt?

Cheers

Nice clean polo with your company logo and scam provider logo always works for me.....

Probably wouldnt go for the shorts on first meeting and definitely dont wear your flip flops

All the best

 

[thekingiam]

as this sounds a big job and will probably have offices etc i would go in shirt and trousers, as your quoting as a buiseness not a one man band, theres no need to let the builder realise that your going to be on the tools yourself until the work starts.
if it is a big job look into hirring a container for tools and offices of your own ask about health and safety procedures,security access to site do all personel need jib cards,parking working hours limmitations

Should i go dressed in trousers and a smart t-shirt, or are builders generally not bothered as in if its red hot could i turn up in shorts and a t-shirt?

Cheers[/QUOTE]

 

[trev]

You might also be meeting the owners of the property so it's best to make as good a first impression as you can

 

[axel132132]

So shirt + trousers is a good idea

 

[thekingiam]

You might also be meeting the owners of the property so it's best to make as good a first impression as you can

trev get back to my thread pleeeaase.

 

[trev]

trev get back to my thread pleeeaase.

Get lost I've had enough of that one

 

[RISElectrical]

Your age doesn't matter as much as how you conduct yourself. Don't say you live with your mum, and don't lie that you have offices. Its all going to come down to how much experience you have of meetings of this nature and how you can present yourself in a technical and knowledgeable matter. Avoid asking questions that seem as though your asking how they want something done and instead advise them on how best to do it.

Good luck and don't worry too much, best is not to appear nervous, act like you have done this a million times. The fact your classing it as a BIG job tells me that your not very experienced, while its a BIG job to you it could be a relatively small one to the builder so don't make it sound like its the biggest you've done.

 

[trev]

Even though it's one big job it's really just a series of small ones in one place

 

[thekingiam]

think of it as a way of learning how to handle yourself when you have to quote on a very very big contract and you are using this one as a guide, then even if you don't get the contract you will be taking a valuable lesson with you and next time you will learn the craft.

 

[thekingiam]

may also want to take some lighting brochures with you in case owner wants ideas ,leave in van

 

[Guitarist]

may also want to take some lighting brochures with you in case owner wants ideas ,leave in van

That's just cruel mate... You know he doesn't have a van yet.
axel, don't let your mum drop you off.

 

[1shortcircuit]

If nothing else this will most definitely be a learning curve. I hope it goes well for you.

The most important advice I can give you is don't TRY TOO HARD to impress. Sometimes less is more and by that I mean, Shut the F*** up and listen. Only say what needs to be said because if you say more it gives them more reason to ask more questions.

As mentioned, you need to act like you have done this a million times over BUT you don't want to be saying that. Clever people will easily see straight through you.

I think it's going to be a tough one for you but I'm sure you'll manage fine.

I certainly wouldn't plough hours and hours into your quote, I've made that mistake before and each time I have I've not been successful in winning the job.

With regards to what to wear? I would go in my company uniform (Clean work trousers and nicely ironed work shirt).

Good Luck

 

[sedgy34]

If you know you are competent to do the job, you won't have a problem just don't go through lighting books with them you will end up kipping the night with them lol

 

[thekingiam]

If you know you are competent to do the job, you won't have a problem just don't go through lighting books with them you will end up kipping the night with them lol

well i suppose it depends on what they look like could be interesting?

 

[Dcf]

axel. you will probably find that you are pricing against at least four other contractors with prices ranging from high to suicidal.make sure the spec is nailed down to exactly what they want.is there a bill of quantities to price to? as previous posts have mentioned don't spend loads of time on design work only for the job to be given to somebody else.this happened to me after a donut of an architect had an additional load of 185kw to add onto an existing 100a tp supply.spent a bit of time organising alternatives etc etc only for the job to go to the lowest bidder.probably using one of my designs.it doesnt happen now i can tell you.a site visit is a must even at the pricing stage. good luck

 

[axel132132]

Have a site visit now,

They haven't really said much about what they want, all they really said is MK ive thought of alot of info to ask to be able to finish quote such as

What current supply (single or 3-phase)
Is there enough spare ways for sub-main to new board in plant room
Is there enough spare load to support new building
Were the new sub-main to be run

What spotlights they want LED or Standard
What wall lights they want (To match existing or not)
What speaker system Bose, Bang and Aulsen or Mid-Range)

Do they want supply for aircon, wine cooler and swimming pool motors or are we to quote for them

Things of that nature anything major ive missed?

Cheers

P.s i do have a van ;D!

 

[Guitarist]

P.s i do have a van ;D!

My bad. I wish you all the best with your visit tomorrow

Definitely clean, smart work trousers and your logo'd polo shirt. That way, you will show them that you are professional tradesman and not some office boy who's never got his hands dirty.
Too casual, and you will appear not to care.

 

[ExArmy]

i would defo not wear shirt and trousers. for these kind of situations i have a pair of work trousers that i've never worked in. also a clean logo'd polo and clean work footwear
and personally i'd be careful you can cope! if in doubt walk away, another big job will be along sooner or later you don't want to rush in an ruin your rep just as your getting started

 

[alarm man]

i would defo not wear shirt and trousers. for these kind of situations i have a pair of work trousers that i've never worked in. also a clean logo'd polo and clean work footwear
and personally i'd be careful you can cope! if in doubt walk away, another big job will be along sooner or later you don't want to rush in an ruin your rep just as your getting started

as army says if looks to big walk away but price yourself out of it instead of not pricing at all,id treat it as a small hotel rather than a house,and the stage payments will break you if its not right,the audio equipment alone if its a major brand will cost thousands,remember people dont get that rich by being daft so id imagine they will play hard,more so with you being a young lad,but as long as you know what your talking about and act professional they should give you respect,if not dont do it,its all a learning curve

 

[RISElectrical]

Have a site visit now,

They haven't really said much about what they want, all they really said is MK ive thought of alot of info to ask to be able to finish quote such as

What current supply (single or 3-phase)
Is there enough spare ways for sub-main to new board in plant room
Is there enough spare load to support new building
Were the new sub-main to be run

What spotlights they want LED or Standard
What wall lights they want (To match existing or not)
What speaker system Bose, Bang and Aulsen or Mid-Range)

Do they want supply for aircon, wine cooler and swimming pool motors or are we to quote for them

Things of that nature anything major ive missed?

Cheers

P.s i do have a van ;D!

Don't ask these questions, they are the questions they are supposed to ask you, and you answer

As said you need to be careful over the payments. Open accounts with wholesalers on 30+ day terms to swallow the materials however remember that, as mentioned above Bose sound system for example could be £5000, could you stand this much cash for 30-60 days?

 

[axel132132]

Ive had a word with my merchants and they are looking into all the materials for me, and said they will try and sort something out so that i can pay over couple of months once i receive payments etc.

 

[sedgy34]

Get more material prices don't go to just one some wholesalers will charge what they want without you realising