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What is your fixed rate price?

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JoeNorm

Senior Member
Location
WA
Example small job:

EV charging circuit. Exit garage panel in NM(6/3) to go 6' in wall to a junction box. Transition to EMT at ceiling and run approx 50' around garage(surface) to get to other corner. Pull #8 in the conduit. Install 6-50 receptacle and GFCI 50 amp breaker QO panel.

What do you quote for this job after seeing it or hearing it over the phone? I am just curious where people are at to compare. Thanks
 

JoeNorm

Senior Member
Location
WA
Thank you for the replies. Your numbers make my quote of $1750 look like a deal. I am trying to do more flat rate pricing and get away from T&M but am finding it challenging to pick a higher price and stick with it.
 

letgomywago

Senior Member
Location
Washington state and Oregon coast
Occupation
residential electrician
Little job like this is half a day without help. I'd actually be around where you are Joe in the 2k ish range but I'm young so more like 3 hours max and I'd put it on a day that I have the rest of the day doing a bigger multi day job to reduce mobilization costs. If you're aiming to bid higher then have multipliers for ceiling height and difficulty of job. I use 10% more per foot over 8ft to 16ft after that it goes way up for a lift so a 10ft garage you could add 20% to and if questioned you have something to explain in your favor for the cost.

Just a reminder LNI went after a company doing EV charger outlets that didn't pull permits on the east side of the state. They had proof because of a power company rebate program so just get the permit and virtual the inspection on skype and knock it out.
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
The problem is the price that is reasonable were you are may be totally ridiculous when priced in Washington, DC, NYC, San Francisco etc. In NC I would figure 8 hrs to be safe and then materials x markup. Even with that I would be closer to Joe then Buck... Sometimes you can get that $2700 depending how aggressive the competition is in the area.
 

Besoeker3

Senior Member
Location
UK
Occupation
Retired Electrical Engineer
For me it was industrial projects. They were typically $50k upwards. Usually there were technical negations but in the final analysis we fixed price.
 

blueheels2

Senior Member
Location
Raleigh, NC
Occupation
Electrical contractor
Thank you for the replies. Your numbers make my quote of $1750 look like a deal. I am trying to do more flat rate pricing and get away from T&M but am finding it challenging to pick a higher price and stick with it.

Flat rate sheet that I use at least for the hours. Material is useless at the moment. Basically most expensive column is some company that is like Michael and Sons. I’m guessing 3-400$ an hour but never ran the numbers. Far right column is second most expensive. It’s based on 150 an hour and I think a 20% markup on material. That’s obviously wrong. I use a 55% markup. 100$ in material divided by .55% is what I charge. The other column is markup of 10% and 150/hr. I don’t use that often. Some of the hourspricee are not accurate. Only thing I can figure is there wasn’t enough historical data when this was made. In interest of disclosure I found this on Reddit a little over a year ago.
 

Buck Parrish

Senior Member
Location
NC & IN
For no reason other than curiosity could you break down how you arrived at $2700?
Since the OP is from WA. I was pricing thinking Seattle. Probably much less in Yakima. Like Dennis said geography will come into play. BTW I am ussually lower then folks on here. I don't know what happened. Guess I lost the job :(
In my first post I almost gave a 1700-2700. I am ussually right in the ball park. I ask customers how much the other bids were if I lose or win the bid. I ask so I'll know next time. Some times they'll tell me even before I ask.
 

Buck Parrish

Senior Member
Location
NC & IN
Little job like this is half a day without help. I'd actually be around where you are Joe in the 2k ish range but I'm young so more like 3 hours max and I'd put it on a day that I have the rest of the day doing a bigger multi day job to reduce mobilization costs. If you're aiming to bid higher then have multipliers for ceiling height and difficulty of job. I use 10% more per foot over 8ft to 16ft after that it goes way up for a lift so a 10ft garage you could add 20% to and if questioned you have something to explain in your favor for the cost.

Just a reminder LNI went after a company doing EV charger outlets that didn't pull permits on the east side of the state. They had proof because of a power company rebate program so just get the permit and virtual the inspection on skype and knock it out.
You're right , being set up with all the proper tools and material comes into play.
It's like asking "How much can you do the job for? Not how much WILL you do the job for. The key is being very efficent.
Not driving an hour one way will help, too.
 

letgomywago

Senior Member
Location
Washington state and Oregon coast
Occupation
residential electrician
You're right , being set up with all the proper tools and material comes into play.
It's like asking "How much can you do the job for? Not how much WILL you do the job for. The key is being very efficent.
Not driving an hour one way will help, too.
That is a major factor in something like this. When pricing out Spas and things like that I write down notes and save them if they accept the bid or even if they are looking to get other work done I write down if they have panel space or room for afci. Being able to get things that are small like this right in one shot makes it go well. Taking out 2 hours of a day to get 1 last part on little jobs means you'll need to just price a whole day per and that just doesn't work sometimes. If that's all anyone in town does then you can price that way and just make more because you're efficient. So long as you don't just T and M everything because you will not re rewarded for your pushing yourself to knock it out and if you have profit sharing or bonuses for your guys then proper bidding and efficiency are rewarded.
 

Amps

Electrical Contractor
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Electrical, Security, Networks and Everything Else.
May want to think about 6/2 MC for the whole run, if it's out of the way of possible damage. Don't need the GFI breaker if the charger can be direct wired, and it may be able to be set to a higher charge rate with a 60A breaker. Depends on the charger. Is the garage empty or is there stuff in your way that needs to be moved? I've made the mistake many times with circuits in garages, basements and attics when I'm thinking of the installation and don't see the piles of stuff in my way until I do the job.
 

Amps

Electrical Contractor
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Electrical, Security, Networks and Everything Else.
I saw this on a local facebook post. Name deleted. No license, no codes, no insurance, no truck, no risk to life and limb, etc. People pay this, meet the photographer at an outdoor location (no studio costs). Makes me think my labor charge should be $300/hr or more. Heck I'll take a photo of my work and print it for them too!
"$100 photo sessions the month of October and November by NNNNN NNNNN Photography!
Sessions are about 15-20 minutes long and will include 15 photos from the session!"
 

JoeNorm

Senior Member
Location
WA
May want to think about 6/2 MC for the whole run, if it's out of the way of possible damage. Don't need the GFI breaker if the charger can be direct wired, and it may be able to be set to a higher charge rate with a 60A breaker. Depends on the charger. Is the garage empty or is there stuff in your way that needs to be moved? I've made the mistake many times with circuits in garages, basements and attics when I'm thinking of the installation and don't see the piles of stuff in my way until I do the job.
I tried to talk them into hard wiring but they want the charger to be "mobile." I also am a little confused why it asked for a 14-50 receptacle but that is what they want(I think I said 6-50 in the OP but that was wrong)
 
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