Giving a estimate without going to the job first.

[zappy]

I was e-mailed blue prints of a job, but i'm thinking that maybe I should go and look at the job in person first. What do you usually do?

 

[Electrical guy]

Unless its a brand new project, I would without a doubt visit the job site unless you qualify everything you can think of.

 

[e57]

It would be dumb not to.... Unless they sent a FULL structural set too, including directions to the cheap parking spots, written documentation of site access that is not up a cliff, or required a boat.... If they have already poured the slab you intend to bid stuff in already.... IMO there are lots of things that can be found out even in a quick drive by...

Some years ago a boss bid a job over the phone by point.... I got there and all construction workers could not start before 9AM, and needed to be out by 4PM, and there was a 1 hour (Kid you not) wait for the frieght elevator that was reserved for all construction workers and/or material. No trucks could come to the loading dock (which was run by the Kestapo) - cart in from the street, sign in/out was a half hour in itself. No parking under $20, and five blocks away. Lost money just getting in and out of the job. And it took forever to get done....

 

[quogueelectric]

Many people have standard ballpark prices like for a 200A mast service change I could ballpark about 2500 withot looking that is not the cheapest. 95 out of 100 times I will be fine without looking. It is not a good practice though.

 

[celtic]

Many people have standard ballpark prices like for a 200A mast service change I could ballpark about 2500 withot looking that is not the cheapest. 95 out of 100 times I will be fine without looking. It is not a good practice though.

Still better than a batting average

 

[kbsparky]

I don't like quoting any project sight unseen. Too many potential problems lurking about.

One story that comes to mind was a friend who kept getting beat by about few hundred bucks on anything he submitted a bid on. He figured that the GC was feeding his prices to another electrical contractor, sight unseen. GC would say "Larry's price was $12,000 ... what do you bid" So the other hack would say, $11,800, and get the job.

Of course, Larry noticed that he wasn't getting the jobs. So, he went out on a limb. Quoted half price on a $20,000 project. The other hack got the job sure enough for just under 10 grand.

About halfway through that project, the other hack started to realize he was had, and about to lose his "donkey" ...

He even had nerve enough to call Larry up and complain about his lowball price!! Larry just laughed at him and told him that it served him right and he didn't care if both the GC and the hack lost on the deal.

Bottom line? Verify your jobs.

 

[e57]

I don't like quoting any project sight unseen. Too many potential problems lurking about.

One story that comes to mind was a friend who kept getting beat by about few hundred bucks on anything he submitted a bid on. He figured that the GC was feeding his prices to another electrical contractor, sight unseen. GC would say "Larry's price was $12,000 ... what do you bid" So the other hack would say, $11,800, and get the job.

Of course, Larry noticed that he wasn't getting the jobs. So, he went out on a limb. Quoted half price on a $20,000 project. The other hack got the job sure enough for just under 10 grand.

About halfway through that project, the other hack started to realize he was had, and about to lose his "donkey" ...

He even had nerve enough to call Larry up and complain about his lowball price!! Larry just laughed at him and told him that it served him right and he didn't care if both the GC and the hack lost on the deal.

Bottom line? Verify your jobs.

Thats AWESOME!!!! I take it the moral of the story is 'don't be the other hack'? Or his donkey....

 

[ksmith846]

I was e-mailed blue prints of a job, but i'm thinking that maybe I should go and look at the job in person first. What do you usually do?

In my market lately it does not matter if you look at it so you can price it correctly.

Because there is always a bid or two that is way underpriced and they are going to get the job.

The obvious and correct answer is to definitly look at the site before submitting your bid.

 

[Power Tech]

I don't like quoting any project sight unseen. Too many potential problems lurking about.

One story that comes to mind was a friend who kept getting beat by about few hundred bucks on anything he submitted a bid on. He figured that the GC was feeding his prices to another electrical contractor, sight unseen. GC would say "Larry's price was $12,000 ... what do you bid" So the other hack would say, $11,800, and get the job.

Of course, Larry noticed that he wasn't getting the jobs. So, he went out on a limb. Quoted half price on a $20,000 project. The other hack got the job sure enough for just under 10 grand.

About halfway through that project, the other hack started to realize he was had, and about to lose his "donkey" ...

He even had nerve enough to call Larry up and complain about his lowball price!! Larry just laughed at him and told him that it served him right and he didn't care if both the GC and the hack lost on the deal.

Bottom line? Verify your jobs.

I love that story! That's a score for the home teem.

Not trying to one up. It was a spec house for the GC. I did the same thing except in reverse to punish the GC. I doubled the price and they gave it to their church buddy. I didn't care anymore. I told them after that if they were not going to give me any jobs than they should pay me for my services. The next quote will cost them $400. Shortly after he burned one of the houses down. I did all their work after that.

 

[zog]

I was e-mailed blue prints of a job, but i'm thinking that maybe I should go and look at the job in person first. What do you usually do?

What kind of job?

 

[12345rsmith]

You may want to review your local laws on promissory estoppal with regards to subcontractor bids to GCs.

In many states, but not all, if you give a bid price, and the GC relies on it, you can be stuck with either doing the work at that price, or paying the cost difference. It would not apply to negotiated situations, which may have been the case here.

 

[SPARKS40]

I'll usually start the phone conversation with "price starts at........."

 

[nyerinfl]

Most of my work is retail buildouts and lighter commercial and such, $20K range, rarely do I need to visit jobsites to see a vanilla shell or empty space, and rarely do I get into a postion where I run into something I wasn't expecting, on the other hand sometimes it is absolutely necessary to visit the job site, depends on your comfort level with the type of work and your wording of your proposals.

 

[danickstr]

You may want to review your local laws on promissory estoppal with regards to subcontractor bids to GCs.

In many states, but not all, if you give a bid price, and the GC relies on it, you can be stuck with either doing the work at that price, or paying the cost difference. It would not apply to negotiated situations, which may have been the case here.

sounds incredibly tough to enforce if he doesn't give you the job.