Another installment of the numbers game

[ishium 80439]

I usually don't post this type of thing but wanted to share. I recently bid some work to be done in an elementary school. Basically we it was installing 4 receptacles in each of 10 class rooms, each room on it's own (new) circuit. In addition there was to be jbox left above the ceiling for a future projector. This was circuited for 2 rooms per new circuit. Finally each of the rooms was to have 3 Cat 6 drops run back to the server room. All the rooms were in the same corridor and the furthest run (server room and elec room were next to each other) was about 230'. There were 13 EC's who bid. Results:

7,587
7,849
9,250
9,775
9,800
13,304 (me)
15,250
16,183
18,490
18,590
22,280
26,379
90,000

I have no idea what job the last guy was bidding. The fact that there were 2 bids under 8,000 and 5 under 10,000 makes me want to weep. I guess on the bright side I won't have to bid against those guys the next time around.

 

[electricmanscott]

So you're telling us you're a lowballer? :grin:

I was the 90k guy.

 

[petersonra]

I have no idea what job the last guy was bidding. The fact that there were 2 bids under 8,000 and 5 under 10,000 makes me want to weep. I guess on the bright side I won't have to bid against those guys the next time around.

I suspect the last guy put a bid in just so he could stay on the bidder's list. A lot of times if you are asked to bid and don't, they take you off the list. He probably did not want to waste time with a legit bid knowing he had no chance of getting the project so put in a very high bid.

The low bidders might not be around next time. Or it could be that they have figured out how to do things at bare minimum cost, and that will help them down the road when things eventually do pick up.

Times like we are enduring today end up with some businesses going defunct, and some just hang on. A very few learn to deal with the hard times effectively and come out of it stronger than when they went into it. When you have wrung every excess penny out of your business, and times turn better, you are in a position to do very well. The guys that are just hanging on hoping things get better, are mostly living on their capital and they will not be in a whole lot better position when things do improve.

 

[ishium 80439]

So you're telling us you're a lowballer? :grin:

I was the 90k guy.

"Cuttin' throats daily" is printed on my cards:grin:.

But really this was a pretty clean job. Getting out of the electric room was going to be an issue but beyond that it there was plenty of room in the ceiling, the rooms were going to be cleaned out and the walls we need to fish down were 2x6 framed and no insulation. I kind of figured someone was going to do it for free but took time to put some real numbers together. I thought I was a bit low but it would have been comfortable for me.

Maybe I can get some good deals on tools when the "winner" has his going out of business sale.

 

[charlietuna]

My price is "MY" price -- i never look back -- If i find i'm high, i might review my estimate to see where i could have cut a corner -- but only for future bids. When you see bids against you that hardly covers the material costs -- you can go crazy trying to figure it out !!

 

[tkb]

Did you use prevailing wage rates?
Maybe the the others didn't.

 

[WinZip]

What they do is put the plans on a weight scale @ $3500.00 per ounce of weight of the job plans, that's what there doing there not fooling me LOL

 

[satcom]

Did you use prevailing wage rates?
Maybe the the others didn't.

If it is a prevailing wage job, then 29K would be more like it.

 

[GUNNING]

oops...

oops...

The 90,000 guy for got to put in the cents. It was really $900.00 he forgot to add labor.

 

[Sparky555]

I have no idea what job the last guy was bidding. The fact that there were 2 bids under 8,000 and 5 under 10,000 makes me want to weep. I guess on the bright side I won't have to bid against those guys the next time around.

Unfortunately only one of those guys will be gone the next time around. Like weeds, maybe two will spring up in his place.

 

[e57]

There were 13 EC's who bid. Results:

7,587~90,000

I have no idea what job the last guy was bidding. The fact that there were 2 bids under 8,000 and 5 under 10,000 makes me want to weep. I guess on the bright side I won't have to bid against those guys the next time around.

So WHO got it? FYI it is the "lowest qualified bidder" not the "lowest bidder" - "Qualified" can mean many different things.... Labor compliance, specification, acceptance of re-specification, a box checked on some unknown previously non-existent form....

While back I helped on a bid for PW and our price was in the ball park with all others - except for the winner who bid 50% less. Did the job for the cost of the labor by providing a re-specification on the equipment that they were apparently providing free of charge.... :roll: They apparently had something "equivalent" laying around that may have been written off as a loss...

 

[DJFNEC2005]

Things are bad when school work is just the addition of a few outlets. School work here in NJ is at a stand still compared to what it was a couple years ago. Major budget cuts in NJ.

Assuming a few things such as the electrical panels having enough spare capacity to add circuits and loads, Adding 15- New 20A 1P breakers, Adding a New patch panel for the 30 Cat 6 Drops, sleeves and fire stopping excluded and all permits and bonding excluded I would have been around $16,500.00 using prevailing wage rates.

Given the difference in labor rates between our states and minor assumptions I mentioned above, our prices would have been closer to each other. But in no way could I see a job like this go under $10,000.00 even with the lower labor rates. If it's not a prevailing wage project then the cheap guys are working for free. If this is a prevailing wage project the low guy will be paying to work this project.

Good luck to all who are caught up in public bidding in this economy.