Add 10% For Me
Add 10% For Me
I worked for years as EC sub for a GC that had 3 partners. I was brought into some very large companies (Fortune 500 size) as EC sub for office TI, and other small jobs. I always made a point of getting to know the facilities engineers and getting my contact info to them.
I got many, many direct calls over the years from the facilities guys wanting me to bid electrical only work directly to them.
Anyway, one of the GC partners (if he heard about the projects I was doing direct to the Corp. clients) always badgered me to "Add 10% for me"--I'm totally serious. Even when the corp. client had only hired the GC for one $50K job, and I was bidding $80-150K jobs to the client. I absolutely refused, since the GC partner hadn't done anything to lead me to the job--I had done all the PR work with the customer. Also, the GC partner wanted his "10% finders fee" paid directly to him, not to the GC firm.
Anyway, 20 years ago we agreed to not work on projects together. The GC partnership split up, with 2 partners retiring 10 years ago and the greedy one is still in business. He somehow got his own EC license, but isn't smart enough to do UPS's, gensets, etc. and is always casting abaout for a hungry EC to sub that work to him. He's burned thru 3 more EC's that are good friends of mine.
BTW, in the last 20 years he's had one employee die on the job, major OSHA fines, tax audits and penalties, and lots of other red flags.
Anyone want to be his next whipping boy, to be able to "Add 10% for him", let me know.
No--I wouldn't wish that on anyone who is in the EC business.
