What Would You Do?

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LLSolutions

LLSolutions

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Long Island, NY
I recently bid what would be a mid sized job for my company around 25,000. I calculated my labor at prevailing wage since the job is at a SUNY college, state work basically. However I know they have gotten away with using other E.C.'s who did not pay prevailing wage. I know of the other E.C. who is bidding on the job and I know He will come in under my price since he won't pay his men prevailing wage. I Don't want to lose this customer or burn any bridges with them. What do I do without stirring up trouble here? I gave a fair price that would be within 5% of anyone else bidding this job prevailing wage. NY is $75 an hour he is paying tops $30 after bennies.

{Moderator Note: Edited to remove reference to religion.}
 
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What would I do?

Play by the rules.

If your competitor is doing that type of BS, he is likely doing other unscrupulous things. It will eventually catch up to him and he'll be gone.
 
LLSolutions said:
I recently bid what would be a mid sized job for my company around 25,000. I calculated my labor at prevailing wage since the job is at a SUNY college, state work basically. However I know they have gotten away with using other E.C.'s who did not pay prevailing wage. I know of the other E.C. who is bidding on the job and I know He will come in under my price since he won't pay his men prevailing wage. I Don't want to lose this customer or burn any bridges with them. What do I do without stirring up trouble here? I gave a fair price that would be within 5% of anyone else bidding this job prevailing wage. NY is $75 an hour he is paying tops $30 after bennies.

{Moderator Note: Edited to remove reference to religion.}
Click to expand...

Prevailing wage for an electrician in NY is $75/hour?
 
I was on a PW job, A guy was walking around just asking questions taking names. Any way long story short. I ran into a friend that was on that job about 2 years after we completed it. He started laughing and told me that guy was with the state. My buddy was making apprentice wages and that guy noticed he was wiring up a panel with know one around him. The guy gets his name. My buddy never thought nothing of it. He quit that company and 3 months after he quit that company called him up and told him he needs to stop in the shop and get a check. He stops in opens the check up a Cool $5k. Turns out the company and to pay him back wages for the time he was on that job making apprentice wages he should have been getting Journeyman wages.

I won't want to make that mistake to many times.
 
Call the local union shop and the state if this guy gets the bid. Tell them he isn't paying prevailing wages. I would hope one of those entities would know what to do.
 
I had the exact same thing happen to me on the same size job. GC calls me up and asks me if there is something I can?t do with the numbers. So&So contracting came in lower.

I put up a huge stink.

First I brought to his attention that the amount of the fines that he/me would be responsible for(use profit and fines in the same sentence).

Second I played the ?I only ever make just enough to cover overhead and a little profit? BooWhoo.

Then I reminded him that though no fault of his or mine if any employee got hurt/disgruntled/whatever and the time sheets don?t match up both of us could get black balled from doing those kind of jobs ever again! (not really but it sounds good)

THEY REALLY DO CHECK THOSE TIME SHEETS. They do!

They check the hours on the time sheets, pay check stubs, and employees bank statements (if see if your checks cash).

It worked, I have the next three jobs, said he trusted me. OH how warm and fuzzy. Nice Nice mmmmmmm.

Stand up for your self. If he gives the other guy the work make some phone calls.

If the GC would really cheat on a federally fund job then he is a chump, ditch him. He is just trying to see if you?re a push over.

Never ever screw with money that Uncle Sam hands out! Never ever ever.

NY electrician $75, really?!! Are you sure?!!
 
Think about it who would work for cheep for tax payer money? That?s nuts. I could not live with my self. Really. Crazy Crazy. Tax payer money, then some dude comes along and will work for less than what he is to receive by law!!! WOW. I put up with wired things in my life but that is way to much!!! YUK :confused: :mad:

By law you gotta get paid, but NO guys will work for less. WOW
 
Thanks

Thanks

I think I'm going to see where the cards land on this one. Hopefully they do the right thing, and if not hey maybe they'll have some state visitors. I forget the exact amount but NY State PV is in the 70's. I know Local Union gets about 46/h plus another 20/h something in bennies. Some men are worth every penny. Thanks
 
we bid prevailing wage work in massachusetts. If there is a way low bid, someone in the pack always seems to file a protest in which they have to go over the lowest bidders numbers to make sure he figured prevailing wage rates or didn't forget something big, etc.
See if you can protest the numbers - maybe they will throw out his bid. It certainly is worth a shot. Competitive public bidding is a dog fight - don't be afraid of loosing a customer - low guy will always win - it's nothing personal. Move on to the next one if you don't get this one. Protest if you are the 2nd lowest.
we figure the lowest number we can do it for covering all our expenses and labor with a bit of profit and a small cushion. send in the tight bid and don't blink an eye. get tough skin and move on to the next bid.
thats all you can do.
 
yup, believe it!!

yup, believe it!!

s.sparkomatic.r09 said:
NY electrician $75, really?!! Are you sure?!!
Click to expand...

When you get closer to new york city, (New City's local), wage plus benies = big $. 5 yrs ago, when I was working for a contractor, I worked at a HUD funded nursing home in New City local, and the scale was $52/hr. total. So I bet that closer to New York City must be much higher. If you live in that area, it has an extremely high cost of living, so it is a wash. But if you lived where I do, within Local 325, binghamton, ny where it is dirt cheap, and you travel just an hr. east and make that kind of bread was pretty sweet!!:grin:
 
One of my BILs is a self employed carpenter. He has been working on a series of Habitat for Humanity homes and he got about a 50% raise because for some reason they have to pay PW to him. It was a major, and pleasant surprise when he found out.
 
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