Vent / Bid 83% Higher

[CopperTone]

nothing you can do

nothing you can do

I literally just put in a bid an hour ago. The spec said that the estimated cost for the job was
$20k. I asked at the walk through where they got that number . They told me that a local electrician gave them that estimated price with a detailed scope. Well, they used his scope to put the job out to bid. Public work - prevailing wage job.
My price was $39k . Almost double - and I went as tight as I felt comfortable with doing the job for. No fricking way that guy can pay prevailing wage, overhead (forget about profit) and taxes- and complete the job for 20k. totally impossible. 100% impossible. He will end up working for $20 an hour by himself to finish this job.

maybe thats all he cares about - 4 months of work all for himself.

Can't get upset, just move on. And, I can't match that price. no one can.

I actually get happy in a way because it takes this joker out of the bidding pool for 5 months while he struggles for peanuts trying to complete this job.

 

[Fulthrotl]

I literally just put in a bid an hour ago. The spec said that the estimated cost for the job was
$20k. I asked at the walk through where they got that number . They told me that a local electrician gave them that estimated price with a detailed scope. Well, they used his scope to put the job out to bid. Public work - prevailing wage job.
My price was $39k . Almost double - and I went as tight as I felt comfortable with doing the job for. No fricking way that guy can pay prevailing wage, overhead (forget about profit) and taxes- and complete the job for 20k. totally impossible. 100% impossible. He will end up working for $20 an hour by himself to finish this job.

maybe thats all he cares about - 4 months of work all for himself.

Can't get upset, just move on. And, I can't match that price. no one can.

I actually get happy in a way because it takes this joker out of the bidding pool for 5 months while he struggles for peanuts trying to complete this job.

nah, he'll keep bidding them..... you can pull a number out of a dark
place pretty quickly.... and up until you go broke, you can keep signing
contracts.

 

[petersonra]

some people are more desperate than others, and their prices show it. their competitors often think they will inevitably go out of business, but it does not always work out that way. some have learned what it takes to hang on through the tough times, although a lot of it is just having the ability to hang on longer than the other guys.

There is a saying about bears - if I am hiking in the woods with you, I do not have to be able to out run the bear. I only have to be able to out run you.

If you are the owner of a small EC, $20 an hour for 3 or 4 months is probably looking a whole lot better than zero for that same period of time.