I don't want you to take a lot of time, but if you could give me your estimate on the following it would help.
I have 15 parking lot lights to mount on 6 existing poles.
There will be 3 lights on 3 poles, and 2 lights on 3 poles.
They will be mounted on 3 light bracket arms and 2 light bracket arms.
The total fixtures and brackets, etc. without mark up is
$ 5258.51
Rental of lift, since I don't have a bucket truck is approx. $ 150 per day plus $50.00 delivery and pick up
I will figure 1 mechanic labor and 1 helper.
the parking lot is slightly angled at the top where 3 poles are located. I will be removing existing lights off the poles, to make way for the new ones.
Right now, I don't know if I'll have to put photo cells on each light or not, or if the whole circuit is controlled by a single photo cell, ( which I would guess it is ). There are a few "unknowns" at this time, which will have to be verified once I know the customer is serious with my bid. I have already figured a bid, just want to see if I come close to some of your bids. I know there could be a lot of variables here, but I would just like your "educated guess".
If you could give me your input from what I have given you, it will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Steve....
Are the new lights the same as the old ones, or will you have to install new mounts too? What type of lights are they? Will they require new wire or is the existing sufficient?
Jimmy, the new lights will be 250 watt HPS floods and will have to have new mounts which is noted in the prices I gave. I will have to verify if existing wire size is sufficient once I'm sure they're interested in the "bottom line price" I give them. No sense in me taking time to go through their electrical system etc. etc., if the price for just changing the lights is too much for them. Thanks, Steve...
2 to 2.5 man hours per fixture plus lift rental. Do not forget to add for upgrading wire if needed, and photocells
Don't forget to mark it up. You don't want to get hung on a job where you lose money.
If it were me, I would add 25% to your total cost. So, you don't get the job. At least you did not lose anything except the job.
You need to become a salesman of sorts in this type of scenario. Why you are higher than others and why quality and craftsmanship are just as important as price.
I have lost jobs over price. But it's part of doing business.
For me, I don't want every job that comes along, I want every job that comes along to be profitable. So unless you have no other work to fall back on, what I would do here is figure out all the costs associated with this endevor, include the proper overhead figure to breakeven, and then double that number and submit it. Work less for more, and reach financial success.
Probably just Gee whiz info but my wife just got a proposal. 13 lights, 13 posts, anchors and run the wire $27,000.
The owners are still thinking about solars at $3000 a pop. I think they are crazy.
Something to keep in mind. If for some reason there is a issue a short time later you may need to rent the lift again. Add labor on that and one bad fixture could cost you X amount. I would say add a bit more than normal to cover any warrenty issues.
I know you said the shoe boxes will be replaced on the existing poles, but I was wondering about a few things:
* Do you need to remove + replace any existing Light Standards ("Poles"), or are the bases & poles devoid of damage issues?
* Did any original standards fall when a strong wind came along (reason #1 for the Client to have Parking Lot Lighting replaced)
* How tall are these poles?
It is going to be a PITA to setup the fixtures with the poles already standing, and the PITA value increases exponentially for every 5 feet exceeding the most smallest of poles (8 foot pole, +30" base, minimum PITA value @ 10'6" above finish grade).
Another PITA extreme will come in the form of removing the existing fixtures (if any), without dropping them on cars, or dropping them at all (large mess to clean up).
You may need to increase your labor an additional 50% to compensate for the "Circuis-Like Work Environment" involved with tasks such as this.
Let us know how things work out here!
Scott
Scott, the poles are approx. 20-25ft. tall. The reason for changing fixtures is that the existing ones do not give off enough light. They are some sort of old flood lighting, I've never seen before. There shouldn't be any cars in the parking lot if I do the job, since this is a church parking lot, and I'll schedule it during a off day of the church. I had to get the bid in before Monday, so I have already called a preliminary bid of $ 9600.00 with exceptions. I haven't done anything in writing yet, til I see if they are interested. Last year they wanted the same thing, and I gave them a bid of $ 6700.00:( This was on a different type of flood light though, but I'm glad they didn't accept my offer then. I will probably know something Monday. Thanks for all the input. Steve...