lets play the bid game

[boog]

Originally Posted by wellbiz Are you only paying yourself $10 a hour? Plus where is your labor burden. If you are paying your guys $10 an hour it is probably costing you closer to $15 when you figure taxes and insurance. This just seems low. What is your average hourly rate per hour that your company must charge to cover all your overhead including your salary? National average is around $45 a hour. her is what im thinking i have doing some thinking if i charge $60 a hr labor x8hrs = $480 I say job takes 4days that will be $1920 labor the i charge $25 a yard for 26 yards that is $650 + a $ 200 delivery charge that brings me to $2770 does any of this sound right ?? i have no clue how to bid this im tryn best i can this is 1st time i has a job this size and had to hire a crew im just tring to get some help on this deal

[950thomas]

Lawn care business tips

Do u have a mulch blowing service where u are u might get it blown in cheaper and make more profit than doing it yourself

[950thomas]

From your pics I think your price is to high but I don't know what the market is like where u live

[wellbiz]

Originally Posted by boog

her is what im thinking i have doing some thinking if i charge $60 a hr labor x8hrs = $480 I say job takes 4days that will be $1920 labor the i charge $25 a yard for 26 yards that is $650 + a $ 200 delivery charge that brings me to $2770 does any of this sound right ?? i have no clue how to bid this im tryn best i can this is 1st time i has a job this size and had to hire a crew im just tring to get some help on this deal

Well there are a few ways you can go, so here is my 2cents. Most guys in my area when installing mulch charge by the yard installed and not the hour. I only use my company hourly rate so I can figure out what I need to determine my per yard rate. Typically it ranges from 25-45 a yard in my area depending on the difficulty of the job.

Here is what I would do. I would price out my mulch, delivery and my time for the estimate, ordering the mulch, any mark up on the mulch and any other leg work. This is my mulch cost. Then I multiply my mulch yardage by the rate per yard to install. Say for illustration purposes you want $40 a yard to put it down. For the 26 yards that is @$1040 for labor. Add this to your material cost which you said was @$850 and you have $1890 for the job. Then you can add to that any additional cost for other work, bed prep, product mark up, disposal fees, leg work, etc.

For example this is a pretty easy job by looking at the pictures. You can have the mulch dumped right next to the bed on the street and install it. I know myself and a helper can put down @2yards an hour and that is even wheel barrowing it to a back yard. I based the above example on using a two man crew with my productivity. Yours may be different so change the rate accordingly. This job will be a little more challenging then a standard flower bed mulch job because of the angle and you may have to come up with a different transport method besides a wheel barrow, but still not bad.

Now dont use my numbers for your estimate. This was just an example of how I would do it based on rates in my area. Your area and the rate you need to charge to turn a profit and pay your overhead I can guarantee are different then mine.

Let us know what you come up with.

Jay

[FloridaBoy]

I think Jay nailed it down pretty good with his estimate, depending on area and competition you might need to float it up or down a bit.

Here is what i would ask for this job.....I get around $55.00 to $58.00 per yard for pick up and install, then add some for any extras needed. For large jobs my mulch guy will throw me a discount for ordering so much or give free delivery, taking this and your info into consideration........Having it deliverd cuts all that drive time for you out of the equation allowing you to keep the bid low to insure you get the job , but still make money..

23 yards at $55.00= $1430.00
2 guys at $10.00 per Hr-8 Hrs= $160.00
$200.00 for extras ( if needed )

$1790.00 for the job

3 guys should be able to knock that out in one day if you have it delivered and there is no drive time, fuell, etc. If your a little over on the 8 Hrs by them a 12 pack or something , let your guys know you appreciate there hard work, and stayin longer.

This bid gives you a little room to play around with costs if the client isnt sure about the amount.

Give it a try. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[boog]

23 yards at $55.00= $1430.00
2 guys at $10.00 per Hr-8 Hrs= $160.00
$200.00 for extras ( if needed )

$1790.00 for the job

3 guys should be able to knock that out in one day if you have it delivered and there is no drive time, fuell, etc. If your a little over on the 8 Hrs by them a 12 pack or something , let your guys know you appreciate there hard work, and stayin longer.

This bid gives you a little room to play around with costs if the client isnt sure about the amount.

Give it a try. Good luck and let us know how it goes.[/quote]



hey guys thank you for help on this matter now i have more to add to it. now i need 30yard of mulch delivered that is $1381 i think that's way to high but what ever so brake that down say 55 a yard = 1650 i cant pay my help with that .there is a lot this home owner wants he wants
• Trimming of small trees, shrubs,
• Remove trash & debris from mulch bed ,
• Remove certain plants from mulch bed
• Trim plants for regrowth of plant in spring “ Near mail box”
• Roughly 30 + cubic yards of Mulch delivered and installed
• Weeds spray : applied to prevent weeds in mulch
• Removal & Disposal of all trash debris
• Rain drainage ditch
• Edging of mulch bed
• Mulch bed design
• Removal / Reinstall block border “ Along drive “
• Heavy equipment rental

i figured up every thing to be around 57 man hours =456
mulch delivered 1381 456+1381 = $1837 there is no good way to approach this cause i know some one will under bid me on it so im am going to throw my line in the pond at $3,150 to see if i get any bites the guy claims he sold a 130 acre farm so then he wont mind paying this now how would you do this would you mail the estimate to him or arrange a meeting ?

[wellbiz]

Originally Posted by boog

i figured up every thing to be around 57 man hours =456
mulch delivered 1381 456+1381 = $1837 there is no good way to approach this cause i know some one will under bid me on it so im am going to throw my line in the pond at $3,150 to see if i get any bites the guy claims he sold a 130 acre farm so then he wont mind paying this now how would you do this would you mail the estimate to him or arrange a meeting ?

I wouldn't worry about being underbid. Stick to your prices. There is no point in getting a job this big and then not make money. Many a landscaper has gone out of business this way. If customers always took the lowest bid I would have been out of business before I started. I am almost never the lowest bidder.

I would put together your written estimate, and then arrange a meeting. Never mail a estimate if you can present it in person. This way you can get infront of the client and sell the job and your company. Try to build a bond with the client. People buy from those they like. This way you can also answer questions and address concerns.

A few other things. Looks like you have a good idea for your mulch install price. Now you listed alot of other services the customer wants. I would work up a price on those seperatly based on your companies hourly rate (national average is $45 an hour). For example if you think it will take x hours to trim and prune the plants, x hours for the edging etc. Multiply the xx hours by your rate. Also dont forget to figure in your time for the disposal of the materials and any dump fees,equipment rental, etc.

Your price of $3150 seems low to me. Based on all the work, the heavy equip rental, dump fees etc. I suspect if this was my job that my total would be somewhere around $5000. Of course this is just a guess, as I havent seen the job site and my pricing is obviously different then yours. I would however re-run your numbers for the additional work and verify you are happy with the final totals.

There is a reason that you only see a small percentage of guys on this board today that were here last year. You have to price your services correctly or you will be out of business before you start. When you are looking at big jobs like this, break it down into a bunch of small jobs for your estimating. It is alot easier to look at each piece of the job and figure out its cost and them put the pieces back together for the estimate you give the client.

What are your terms for the client? Will you be asking for material costs or a percentage up front?


Jay

[boog]

Originally Posted by wellbiz

I would put together your written estimate, and then arrange a meeting. Never mail a estimate if you can present it in person. This way you can get infront of the client and sell the job and your company. Try to build a bond with the client. People buy from those they like. This way you can also answer questions and address concerns.

Your price of $3150 seems low to me. Based on all the work, the heavy equip rental, dump fees etc. I suspect if this was my job that my total would be somewhere around $5000. Of course this is just a guess, as I haven't seen the job site and my pricing is obviously different then yours. I would however re-run your numbers for the additional work and verify you are happy with the final totals.

There is a reason that you only see a small percentage of guys on this board today that were here last year. You have to price your services correctly or you will be out of business before you start. When you are looking at big jobs like this, break it down into a bunch of small jobs for your estimating. It is alot easier to look at each piece of the job and figure out its cost and them put the pieces back together for the estimate you give the client.

What are your terms for the client? Will you be asking for material costs or a percentage up front?


Jay

Im just nerves this is my 1st job this size i dont want to lose it there is a lot of work the client wants so here is what i have done i figured up 30yards @ $45 a hr like you said that = $1350 i foud a better deal on the mulc i can have it delivered for $850 that's 2200 + i dont have to rent a dump truck that saves me around $700.. i normally charge 65 a yard deliver & install that =1950 l so i have made a price list of my services and and have broke my estimate in segments to explain where the cost is going so i have been over this 1000 times im tired of stressin over it im going to bid $4515 on the whole job i cant stress over it any more he will say to much or lets do it . i know for a fact im the lowest price as far as being licensed and insured cause i called to day to get quotes on it is that wrong ?

""What are your terms for the client? Will you be asking for material costs or a percentage up front?"""
yes sir i will request 50% of bill up front up front as soon as check clears i will start the job thank you for your insite on this it helped me a lot i think i mite half way have the hang of this

[wellbiz]

Originally Posted by boog

Im just nerves this is my 1st job this size i dont want to lose it there is a lot of work the client wants so here is what i have done i figured up 30yards @ $45 a hr like you said that = $1350 i foud a better deal on the mulc i can have it delivered for $850 that's 2200 + i dont have to rent a dump truck that saves me around $700.. i normally charge 65 a yard deliver & install that =1950 l so i have made a price list of my services and and have broke my estimate in segments to explain where the cost is going so i have been over this 1000 times im tired of stressin over it im going to bid $4515 on the whole job i cant stress over it any more he will say to much or lets do it . i know for a fact im the lowest price as far as being licensed and insured cause i called to day to get quotes on it is that wrong ?

""What are your terms for the client? Will you be asking for material costs or a percentage up front?"""
yes sir i will request 50% of bill up front up front as soon as check clears i will start the job thank you for your insite on this it helped me a lot i think i mite half way have the hang of this

I know it is hard not to get emotional. I am the same way when a big job comes in, it doesnt help when the client is holding the carrot of additional work over your head.

My $45 an hour example was an average hourly rate for landscapers. I dont charge that per yard of mulch. I typically use a number close to that for my normal landscaping work like bed edging, plantings, hedge trimming etc. For mulch I charge the price of the mulch plus an installation charge per yard. Around here that labor charge is between $30-40 a yard. So if this was my job, labor for 30 yards would be in the $900-$1200 range... I think you misunderstood what the $45 a hour average was for. Of course if $45 a hour is a common number for mulch installs in your area never mind.


I wish you luck. Let us know how it turns out.

[boog]

Originally Posted by wellbiz

I know it is hard not to get emotional. I am the same way when a big job comes in, it doesnt help when the client is holding the carrot of additional work over your head.

My $45 an hour example was an average hourly rate for landscapers. I dont charge that per yard of mulch. I typically use a number close to that for my normal landscaping work like bed edging, plantings, hedge trimming etc. For mulch I charge the price of the mulch plus an installation charge per yard. Around here that labor charge is between $30-40 a yard. So if this was my job, labor for 30 yards would be in the $900-$1200 range... I think you misunderstood what the $45 a hour average was for. Of course if $45 a hour is a common number for mulch installs in your area never mind.


I wish you luck. Let us know how it turns out.

I have done a lot of research on this found a lot of different prices on how to do stuff so i came up with $65 a yard delivered and installed. this job i cut the guy a deal on this i had a nice presentation and two different quotes 1 he buys and delivers his self, i install @ 35 a yard our i buy deliver install for $55 a yard any way had a good quote but he didnt bite he kinda seemed mad then wanted to argue that he could do the job with 10yards of mulch " i was thinking yea thats y it looks like it dos now " i should have said that but didn't then. he wanted to argue that he could get 10 yards mulch" Red cypress" delivered for total $125 then in the end he told me it was 175 for all so don't look like im getting this job ha ha i got so stressed then it flopped cause he has no clue of what he was talking bout but the day turned out to be decent i got 2 calls 1 for mowing "signed contract" & 1 tree job going Monday to give estimate