Working trackside. labour price advice.

saint · Feb 1, 2013

Hi
I have a small electrical and PV company. I have the opportunity to price quote a lot of work for rewiring buildings close to rail track.This will be a fair bit of travel and some of the building are in quote remote locations. i.e. lumping tools and materials. Install is metal clad, galv trunking and conduit etc. Lighting, power and heating.

We have not worked in these locations before and i would like to know what labour rates we should allow for fully qualified spark/s and sparks mate.

Any other advise or knowledge would be welcome.
Thanks
Andrew

Knobhead · Feb 1, 2013

Don't tender for the work. If you have to ask these questions you'll end up getting you're fingers burnt.

KAS1 · Feb 1, 2013

Sparks don't have mates they have trainees, apprentices, labourers lol

Guest111 · Feb 1, 2013

Another point before you even think about price is the rail safety courses,if working near the track you will need a certificate of competency (ptss) these courses arent cheap also you will have to buy orange hi viz as all rail workers must wear hi viz and it has to be orange.

Knobhead · Feb 1, 2013

HiVis, I can feel a Clarkson moment coming on!

saint · Feb 1, 2013

Thanks I have a general idea of the paperwork and training but wasn't aware of orange hi viz. that would have been embarrassing turning up all in yellow.
Any knowledge on pricing? Day rates? Quite high risk work and effort to get involved so I would have thought rates might be more?

Knobhead · Feb 1, 2013

Have you priced the training?

saint · Feb 1, 2013

Yes it will be divided over the 50 building contract

Guest111 · Feb 1, 2013

apart from getting thrown off the job the police may turn up if you wear yellow hi viz,theres that much crime on the railway these days the train drivers are straight on the phone if they see anything that doesnt look genuine.

Stocksie · Feb 1, 2013

Before I started on my own I did alot of work for a sub contractor who did rail work.
A company called Spencer had the work sewn up for years as far as I gather and the Guy I worked for still made fantastic money and beat them hands down on price.
I don't know any figures involved though. We were getting £16 ph 10 years ago almost and not at all pushed on productivity, got boring though but did some good install work.
PTS is a doddle, nothing to it.

OWLelectrical · Feb 1, 2013

Stocksie was that Spencer 're fit if so done a bit of work for them few years ago was good money being paid by them.

Essexboy7 · Feb 1, 2013

I worked in the office for metronet a few years ago on the underground and i know the subby supplying testers was charging £450 a man for an eight hour shift

I think the rule of thumb is whatever you are paying your blokes say £150 a shift,add the same on for yourself and then a bit more to cover training,plant,health and safety stuff

The sums involved in these contracts are astronomical and it is an absolute insult that the sparks at the sharp end are geting a pittance in comparison

Stocksie · Feb 2, 2013

Yeah it was, I think they lost a lot of work back then as they were taking the mick with prices.

Me and a mate did such a good job of rewiring the switch room at Durham station the co we were subbying to got a load of work off the back of it. We got nowt more than a few fliers from it.Happy days back the though, easier than working for myself as I do now.

Phillcbr400 · Feb 2, 2013

Do you have competences to undertake the work in the locations? I.e setting up your own safe system of work. Depending on where you are working you and your lads will need Pts minimum. That's just a start.