CVS Pharmacy

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jmsbrush

jmsbrush

Senior Member
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Central Florida
Hello Everybody, I'm bidding A CVS Pharmacy. Is there anyone who has done this Type of job IN Florida? IF so how much was the Bid for? Thank you for the Help.
 
a more useful question would be "how many man hours"?

their material price is not your material price....and their labor cost is not your labor cost....and their overhead/man hour is not your overhead/man hour...

good luck.....
 
jmsbrush said:
Hello Everybody, I'm bidding A CVS Pharmacy. Is there anyone who has done this Type of job IN Florida?
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I have been involved with them up here and while I have no idea what the number was I can tell you with certainty it was not enough.

Many details ..... pod electric room ..... lots of underground .... many details .... burning up time ... did I mention many little details.

IMO the only way to make money is to do a bunch of them and consider the first one a costly education.

I know, it looks like it's just a little store with a pharmacy, but it had a surprisingly high number of circuits.
 
iwire said:
I have been involved with them up here and while I have no idea what the number was I can tell you with certainty it was not enough.

Many details ..... pod electric room ..... lots of underground .... many details .... burning up time ... did I mention many little details.

IMO the only way to make money is to do a bunch of them and consider the first one a costly education.

I know, it looks like it's just a little store with a pharmacy, but it had a surprisingly high number of circuits.
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I couldnt agree more when I worked for a previous employer I wired three White Castles. And like Iwire said the first one was a real kick in the A$$ and my boss said that we kind of took it on the chin but when it came to the second and third one I was able to learn from past mistakes and was able to better prepare myself in some of the constuction phases like not needlessly running as many pipes on the ground rough and making better use of others. Because many of these prints are drawn up by engineers that have never spent a day in the field and so you learn what is redundant or unnessacary because you saw another similar project all the way thorough. Anyway good luck.
 
Sure.

Sure.

jmsbrush said:
Hello Everybody, I'm bidding A CVS Pharmacy. Is there anyone who has done this Type of job IN Florida? IF so how much was the Bid for? Thank you for the Help.
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Send me your plans and i'll give you a competitive number.
 
tonyou812 said:
I couldnt agree more when I worked for a previous employer I wired three White Castles. And like Iwire said the first one was a real kick in the A$$ and my boss said that we kind of took it on the chin but when it came to the second and third one I was able to learn from past mistakes and was able to better prepare myself in some of the constuction phases like not needlessly running as many pipes on the ground rough and making better use of others. Because many of these prints are drawn up by engineers that have never spent a day in the field and so you learn what is redundant or unnessacary because you saw another similar project all the way thorough. Anyway good luck.
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Again, where back to assume... Do You have a crystal ball or something.

If this your opinion of a profession you my friend are short sighted!

OK you did state something and while I'm not an Engineer, I resent this remark! You have no idea WIT it is put a pen to paper, or what truely is involved in a profession or par-professional that might or might not put someone's personal, or life safety issues into your hands.

Nothing you said makes any sense to me, cause I know better, to me your statement, like mine is nothing but an opinion!
I just don't have your opinion...
 
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while i understand the point that was being made, seems like you should just price accordingly for those things on the plans, whether you think they're needed or not.
 
tonyou812 said:
I couldnt agree more when I worked for a previous employer I wired three White Castles. And like Iwire said the first one was a real kick in the A$$ and my boss said that we kind of took it on the chin but when it came to the second and third one I was able to learn from past mistakes and was able to better prepare myself in some of the constuction phases like not needlessly running as many pipes on the ground rough and making better use of others. Because many of these prints are drawn up by engineers that have never spent a day in the field and so you learn what is redundant or unnessacary because you saw another similar project all the way thorough. Anyway good luck.
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I'm not sure why cadpoint is so offended. In some ways I agree with tony as far as field time. I've worked with many engineers who were top notch but when it came to the real world layout of things there were some differences. Engineers, in my opinion, are closer to the corporate way of thinking where as if it looks good on paper it must be so. I definately am not bashing any profession, just stating that without the same skill set we have they dont have the ability to see it in the same manner as we do therefore I can see how tony is justified in his statement.
 
tonyou812 said:
I couldnt agree more when I worked for a previous employer I wired three White Castles. And like Iwire said the first one was a real kick in the A$$ and my boss said that we kind of took it on the chin but when it came to the second and third one I was able to learn from past mistakes and was able to better prepare myself in some of the constuction phases like not needlessly running as many pipes on the ground rough and making better use of others. Because many of these prints are drawn up by engineers that have never spent a day in the field and so you learn what is redundant or unnessacary because you saw another similar project all the way thorough. Anyway good luck.
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IMO, if it is on the print it is necessary to install it or get a pass on not doing so.
 
Well let me just say that if I insulted anyone that was not my intention. I have tried to clean up my act as of late. I admit that in the past I would come of as brash and loud, but sometimes it seems like no matter what and how you state something, someone manages to get offended.

With that said from my experience with the three White Castles I did, after the first one I began to question some things like the unnecessarily large number off pipes on the ground rough. They had me run many 3/4 pipes with one circuit in it and those would be next to many other pipes also with one circuit in them. Why wouldn't you want to group some of them in the same pipe if they are next to each other?And I did and saved a lot of time on the other two projects. I made my boss a lot more money on the last two than the first one. and with each consecutive job I was able to wire it a lot faster. Its been a couple of years now and no one seems to mind some of the changes I made. I think that is what makes me a professional the ability to think!

They also had us run pipes overhead when they could have just as easily be run underground. You may not see it but there is a whole lot going on in one of those little restaurants than you think and when it came to the finish the ceilings got VERY crowded with all the stuff in it, and it was much easier to get across the restaurant underground than overhead.

I'm not saying that all engineers are idiots but sometimes you just wonder if they had any practical real world field experience? I think in many cases its a no. I cant do what they do by any means but maybe I can do my job better than they think they can do it.
 
I was also involved with a project that was a new data room at Port Newark. It was a raised floor room and the plans came from a firm in California. I had to follow the specs to the "T" but the engineers seem to have forgotten that raised floor rooms have a lot of "feet" to consider and it was nearly impossible to follow their exact specs. SO being a skilled Electrician I again improvised understanding that I can run more than one 20 amp circut in a pipe and was able to group some circuts thus avoiding the need for so many pipes, making it a bit easier to design the small overcrowded room. Im not saying that I am better than an engineer but sometimes we need to trust each other a bit. Oh and BTW i did run the changes through their California rep to make sure that it was ok all the while keeping my boss in the loop. Isnt this the sort of thing that a "Mechanic" should be able to handle on his own?
 
Best reponse I can give is to look over all the documents they supply you with. Don't just look at the E sheets in the prints and Div. 16 in the spec book. You'll be surprised how much of 'our' information is buried in other sections. For instance, that VFD for the AHUs.... it may state somewhere in the M sheets that the EC supplies it. Or the EC installs the PC-supplied pump motor.

Franchise chains are notorious for duplicating existing prints and specs from one job to the next. So there will be critical information splattered all over the bid documents. There will also be information supplied that will be irrelevant to the job you are bidding on.

Another problem is the chain's suppliers of material and fixtures. As soon as the job starts, you are most likely going to get everything the store supplies in the first week. Not a problem if you anticipate it, and have storage (which will be in the bid, of course) planned. It's no fun starting a job with ground work and having a semi pull up with 600 light fixtures that you are required to accept.....
 
petersonra said:
IMO, if it is on the print it is necessary to install it or get a pass on not doing so.
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That's funny, because every project's specs say something like "the plans are for diagramatic purposes only. Provide all material for a complete working system." The engineers want to have it both ways. If it is on the print...intall it. If I missed it...you should have known that it was needed and should have included it in your bid. My opinion is that the engineers have no liability for inaccurate drawings. Every contractor and owner that I have ever spoken to about change orders have said that they will pay for it without backcharging the EE. I think that is wrong. If they made a mistake, they should pay the remedy. I certainly have to pay for any mistakes that I make on my jobs.

In essence, if it is not on the print, they still want you to include it. Yes every outlet and circuit needs to be installed, but not necessarily in the exact conduit or path that is shown on the drawing.
 
480sparky said:
It's no fun starting a job with ground work and having a semi pull up with 600 light fixtures that you are required to accept.....
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Been there a few times and don't forget if you do not inventory it all you have no chance of claiming you where shorted items later.
 
iwire said:
Been there a few times and don't forget if you do not inventory it all you have no chance of claiming you where shorted items later.
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Absolutely! Find out when the truck is due, and have the manpower available to help unload, then check for damaged items as they come off the truck (hint: digital camera or camera-phone), count everything twice, and make sure your butt is covered before you sign on the dotted line. Remember, you are signing a legal document, not stating "Yea, I was there that day and helped unload...." Your signature means it's now your responsibility and liability. Don't get the idea the driver will just unload everything and you'll check things out later next week when you have a chance. If that's how you operate, you're not going to find any damage or shortages until 6 months from now, and by then it'll be 1. too late and 2. you pay.
 
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