Pricing.

[Dave Appleby]

Usual an I too high question.

Before I say what I quoted....

Pricing please to change 140 flat panel ceiling lights for led.

Panals supplied but nothing else. No switching or zone changes. Apparently no other trades in

Full small supermarket but closed for change of ownership.

36 hours available for job including overnight.

Over to you.

Thanks
Dave

 

[timhoward]

An interesting one. One contractor in 36 hours, that would be 4 units an hour straight through, not going to happen and unsafe!

I think I'd be pricing based on 3 people, 3 units each per hour, working 15.5 of the 36 hours each obviously with breaks.
That way if and when more units/hour are achieved it's a bonus.
So about 46 man-hours whether 2 or 3 people. Not sure what going local hourly rate is.

I'll get things going and take a punt at £2000 for labour alone based on £40/hour. That wouldn't include waste moving or removal at all, any re-termination fittings/ joint boxes, whether 3 x wheeled scaffold towers are needed, and whether current zone sizing is ok for in-rush current.

Let's see what others say - I'm often told I'm way too cheap!

 

[DefyG]

Is (140/36 = 3.88 (say 4/hr)) feasible? If so 36x your hourly rate for starters and build on that.

@£15/unit (£60/hr) = £2100.00 plus any premium for overtime/overnight if necessary.

 

[Dave Appleby]

I was cheap then...

They've taken a quote for £600……!!!

I priced at £2100

 

[Dustydazzler]

CRICKEY

£2100 was dirt cheap

I would have been £3500 take it or leave it on this kind of job

 

[DefyG]

They've taken a quote for £600……!!!

Ditto CRIKEY ....... how can anyone do that job for £600???

 

[Dustydazzler]

£600 would be below min wage , I don't see how any vetted insured contractor could do this job for less than 2 grand and that would be if you were absolutely desperate for the work

Im manic the past few weeks and barely get 5 minutes to even take a breather , some jobs I'm quoting at nearly £500 for a half days job and still people biting my hand off

 

[Dave Appleby]

He did ask if I was prepared to match the price.....

Very short answer.

 

[MJPD29]

I was cheap then...

They've taken a quote for £600……!!!

I priced at £2100

Wow. I'd love to see who is doing that for 600 quid

 

[Dave Appleby]

Wow. I'd love to see who is doing that for 600 quid

Yeah. But not the aftermath

 

[Dave OCD]

I hope it all goes horribly pear shaped , so many people only want the cheapest of everything, so short sighted.

 

[GBDamo]

Usual an I too high question.

Before I say what I quoted....

Pricing please to change 140 flat panel ceiling lights for led.

Panals supplied but nothing else. No switching or zone changes. Apparently no other trades in

Full small supermarket but closed for change of ownership.

36 hours available for job including overnight.

Over to you.

Thanks
Dave

Really need to know what Consumables will be needed, JBs, Cklik Flow plugs, flex etc..

Are the current fittings hard wired or on plugs?

Whats the state of the existing wiring, is it all secure or slung across the tiles?

How many are emergency fittings and how are you intending to convert.

Once you get into a flow you can easily do 15-20 an hour, depending on how they are currently wired.

This requires four people.

One removing the old fittings, one putting plugs on existing wiring, one putting the plug on the fitting and one fitting the new panel.

It's full on and relies on unrestricted access. If your having to move things to get to the fittings the time disappears.

So, based on a snag free install I be looking at 80 man hours, however you charge that (£30/hour?)+ Consumables, say £5 a fitting, about £3,100 + VAT.

Could double that if it's a pig though.

 

[Dustydazzler]

I simply can not see how anyone could do this £600

As above my price would be £3500 and for this I would be a neat and tidy job

I could see someone doing it for 3 grand and still being happy and making some good profit if it all goes smoothly

But 2 grand is really far too cheap imo , allows no time for problems , call backs etc

The 600 quid jokers are making a mockery of the trade im afraid

 

[catdog1121]

140 fixtures for £600, thats £4.29 a fitting, and thats only if there are no consumables needed.. At £35 per hour you would need to do them in about 7mins per fitting.

Its either gunna be a rough job or someone is trying to get their foot in the door or really desperate. Obviously whoever quoted that has never done large jobs, just moving the light fittings, unboxing them moving waste etc all takes time.. I mean potentially you could be looking at about 20mins per light fitting so based on £40 per hour to take into consideration any consumables your looking at best part of £2k and thats with no VAT.

 

[telectrix]

i done some in 4 Spar Stores. all straightforward, between 2 and 30 panels per store. I charged £20 per panel and end of the the day, was too cheap. should have been £30 each. so on that basis, OP's job for 140 comes out at £4200. but on a bigger job, this could be shaved a bit, so £3500 is about right. Customer to dispose of the scrap.

 

[Dave Appleby]

Thanks everyone.

I think a consensus has been reached.

1) I'm cheap
2) I wonder if there's anywhere for the horses to eat.

 

[Dave Appleby]

Thanks everyone.

I think a consensus has been reached.

1) I'm cheap
2) I wonder if there's anywhere for the horses to eat.

Regarding point 1.
Yes I know...
I immediately noticed the connotations, do your worst...

 

[Dustydazzler]

i done some in 4 Spar Stores. all straightforward, between 2 and 30 panels per store. I charged £20 per panel and end of the the day, was too cheap. should have been £30 each. so on that basis, OP's job for 140 comes out at £4200. but on a bigger job, this could be shaved a bit, so £3500 is about right. Customer to dispose of the scrap.

We have all been there Tel and well under estimated a job. I did a load of panel light swaps a while ago and like you I quoted over the phone £20 per light labour only (I did this over the phone rookie mistake). The job was a pig of a job, I had to move loads of carp to get to the light switches, some of the ceiling was knackered so the lights were a pig to replace.
All in all I should have estimated £45 per light.

Funny how we only regret the jobs we underprice , we never regret the ones we over price

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

I have just quoted for a job doing similar - replacing 130 or so lights and my quote was for supply of good quality colour changing led panels, fittings, waste disposal, skip hire and and labour. all in it came in at nearly 7K....
client currently asking me what my availability is so they haven't run a mile from the headline price... as i broke it down by saying x lights over y days is approx z minutes per light which is reflected in the labour cost and days required.
If somebody is offering to do it for 600 quid then its either something to keep the workers busy as there is no other work ,better to be making a small loss and cover some of the wages and bills than have no income coming in mentality or its unqualified labourers cash in hand work.

 

[Dave Appleby]

I have just quoted for a job doing similar - replacing 130 or so lights and my quote was for supply of good quality colour changing led panels, fittings, waste disposal, skip hire and and labour. all in it came in at nearly 7K....
client currently asking me what my availability is so they haven't run a mile from the headline price... as i broke it down by saying x lights over y days is approx z minutes per light which is reflected in the labour cost and days required.
If somebody is offering to do it for 600 quid then its either something to keep the workers busy as there is no other work ,better to be making a small loss and cover some of the wages and bills than have no income coming in mentality or its unqualified labourers cash in hand work.

I suspect the latter

 

[Dustydazzler]

I would rather make no money and sign on the rock n roll than work at a loss

 

[Dave Appleby]

And......

Guess who called me at 11 last night?

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

 

[timhoward]

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Not Bueller, he would have been on line 2

 

[DPG]

Free Ferris!

 

[nicebutdim]

And......

Guess who called me at 11 last night?

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

I'd have paid good money to listen in on that call.

 

[Dave Appleby]

I'd have paid good money to listen in on that call.

Wasn't actually very long... ??

 

[Electrics]

£600 would be below min wage

Nah, 36 hours for the job, £600/36 = £16.66/hr.

Which is crap money for the job but someone's obviously happy with it.

 

[Dave Appleby]

 

[Vortigern]

140 x 60 £8400 plus disposal at £3 per tube 560 x 3 1680 (optional) Sensors, change switch arrangement, sort out any probs 1k to 3 K around 14k in all. Never been interested in prices that don't motivate me and make profit. Based on 20 mins per fit. That is with panels. Without - 3.5k less. No disposal less 1680. bringing it down to circa 8-10k

 

[123]

Nah, 36 hours for the job, £600/36 = £16.66/hr.

Which is crap money for the job but someone's obviously happy with it.

You are assuming 1 person could do it and no materials would need to be supplied, it's not necessarily purely labour only. As per post #14 its £4.29 a fitting. Add in something like a click flow, and it's down to about £2 a fitting.

As the OP has been called again, I guess it's all not worked out too well???

 

[Electrics]

You are assuming 1 person could do it and no materials would need to be supplied, it's not necessarily purely labour only. As per post #14 its £4.29 a fitting. Add in something like a click flow, and it's down to about £2 a fitting.

As the OP has been called again, I guess it's all not worked out too well???

If the price is for X hours then that's X hours no matter how many men are on the job. If you charge for 2 you get it done twice as fast.

With everything supplied and you just doing the fitting, it's £16.66 an hour and you need to do 4 an hour.

 

[nicebutdim]

Which is crap money for the job but someone's obviously happy with it.

Someone might have been happy, but subsequent posts from the OP would suggest it wasn't the customer.

 

[ipf]

If it's a respectable supermarket, for £600 I'd be expecting free weekly shopping for the next couple of years, as an Arthur Daley cushty. ?

 

[rapparee]

View attachment 90402

Right so

What happened

 

[LukeD]

View attachment 90402

And remember the customer will at this point not have much money..... We have all seen it ,done it , been there etc .Never get involved .Put the phone down with a smile and forget them

 

[Dave Appleby]

Apparently, and I quote the incredibly informative customer.

Nothing is working properly.

 

[rapparee]

Apparently, and I quote the incredibly informative customer.

Nothing is working properly.

Are they expecting you to get involved?

They need to get the £600 guy back

 

[Dave Appleby]

Are they expecting you to get involved?

They need to get the £600 guy back

I'm tempted to quote silly money.. But, honestly, I don't give a s*it.

Their choice

 

[Vortigern]

Well you should. And quote properly. At least everything is in situ. Rescue them get a loyal customer and nice bit of wedge. But....if it has really been b***lsed up then, maybe not.

 

[123]

If the price is for X hours then that's X hours no matter how many men are on the job. If you charge for 2 you get it done twice as fast.

With everything supplied and you just doing the fitting, it's £16.66 an hour and you need to do 4 an hour.

It's a priced job, not an hourly rate, and from OP only thing supplied was the panels. If having to supply parts it could be under £2 a panel. I guess that's why nothing is working ???