Job Estimates

[SRTCCTV 0]

Hey Everyone,

 

I really need some help determining how to give correct estimates/quotes for labor and materials etc etc. I always seem to be way under my competitors. Please advise how you guys quote jobs.

 

Thanks

[ssnapier 0]

Let's start with four questions.... you may want to PM this stuff.

 

What is your current process?

 

Do you have a formula or fixed markup percentage?

 

What are overhead and regular expenses?

 

What is your labor rate?

[Numb-nuts 1]

There is no ONE WAY to do this. My own system works fine for me and frankly may not suit your way of working.

Don't forget to include a nominal sum for consumables or this could eat into your profit hard.

Another I found is itemize only what the client will get, not what it costs, just give a final figure

because ultimately that's what REALLY counts.

 

I have a spreadsheet all set up and I can change my profit for any job or individual item by changing a single cell.

I copy off similar jobs to a new sheet and modify all from the top down. I have been winning far more work and made a better profit since I started to use a spreadsheet. Open Office has an excellent spreadsheet and it works well for me. Best still, it's FREE

 

Good luck.

[buellwinkle 0]

Some of the low bidders don't take into consideration call backs, training, configuration and such. So if it's just a simple put a camera, aim it, do minimal configuration, that's one level of service. Setting up a complete security system, training, making sure the cameras meet the customer's expectations, providing a security survey takes time. So one bid may be for say $100 an hour to install camera, takes 2 hours, $200. Another at the same rate may be a more comprehensive install with warranty that uses up 5-10 hours overall, configuring the NVR, coming back when the customer says the image is too dark, not aimed where he wants, teaching them how to export video. I typically see bids in the $1,000/camera range not including hardware on commercial installs. Many installers are not that good, so it takes them 10 times longer to do the same job as someone that knows what they are doing, so they have to charge 10 times as much to do the job. I had a guy spend a month, 8 hours a day on a job trying to configure one camera and after that month, time was not set, it was not recording, no motion detect zones created. They were more expensive than the replacement installer that did it in an hour and charged less but I'm pretty sure the guy that charged less made more money per hour worked.

 

I only act as a consultant, I don't bid the installs.

[ssnapier 0]

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