I can't take it any more!!!!

[EasyPro]

The Astrix shows the winning bid . . .The lowest go figure! I talked to the school district and asked them if they are going to enforce the contract this year . . . In the RFP it states all side walks to be edged once a month . . . last year the side walks were never edged . . . . This bid is for 5 schools here locally and it takes about fifteen hours with a 3 man crew (one on a trimmer/edger other two on mowers) this price also includes mulching and trimming all the shrubs at the school . . .. ARE YOU SERIOUS ALLL THAT FOR $650 dollars a week!!!!!! There is no way this guy is making money . . .I would even venture to say he is loosing money!!!! This is the kinda stuff that really gets my blood boiling!!!!!

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__________________
DJ Carroll
EasyPro Property Services
502-525-3279

Lawn care business tips

I totally know how you feel. I just put a bid on a huge municipal job. One of the jobs is a 3 acre cemetery. It would take me 3 hours to do a real nice job clean up the mess and leave. I charge $45.00 per man hour so that would be 2 guys at 1.5hrs each = $135.00 per cut. Guess what the winning bid was on that job.....$20.00 per cut....and I am not joking...that same company bid $7.00 per cut on other jobs. Now that got me pissed beyond all belief. You would think that after spending $30K on equipment that I could charge professional rate and people would take quality over price. Instead they give the jobs to a guy who doesn't have a license and rides his craftsman riding mower from job to job. Geez.

[Steve]

The Astrix shows the winning bid . . .The lowest go figure! I talked to the school district and asked them if they are going to enforce the contract this year .

Do you know if this is the same company that serviced it last year? I wonder if they know that they just don't have to put in the extra work. If no one checks up on it, maybe they figured a way to cheat the system?

How did you get this form? Did you just ask for it? It is very useful information for you.

[EasyPro]

Originally Posted by Steve

Do you know if this is the same company that serviced it last year? I wonder if they know that they just don't have to put in the extra work. If no one checks up on it, maybe they figured a way to cheat the system?

How did you get this form? Did you just ask for it? It is very useful information for you.

They sent it to me in the mail with the letter stating the winner . . .. yes its the same people as last year . . .. I guess I should recognize that this type of work doesn't fit my business model

[Steve]

The thing I wonder is this. If you get such a contract and no one is going to check up on you how you do. Then what's to stop the winner from doing the bare bones minimum?

Is there any downside to not providing all the services set forth in the agreement? What is the worst they can do? Could they simply just fire you or would there be fines associated with it?

[EasyPro]

Originally Posted by Steve

The thing I wonder is this. If you get such a contract and no one is going to check up on you how you do. Then what's to stop the winner from doing the bare bones minimum?

Is there any downside to not providing all the services set forth in the agreement? What is the worst they can do? Could they simply just fire you or would there be fines associated with it?

Its not about what they could od to me its the fact that i don't want people knowing that a lot that looks like **** is done by EASYPRO

[legendlawn]

D.J.

I saw the form. With this guy beating your price by almost half, the likelihood of him being insured and paying taxes is minimum. Is there any way that you can find this out? Did you have to provide proof of ins. or anything to bid? Maybe if they are not insured you could point this out to the customer, however I doubt that would solve much at this point. Also. with the other two bids being closer to your price, but still cheaper, do you think you overbid at all?

[EasyPro]

Originally Posted by legendlawn

D.J.

I saw the form. With this guy beating your price by almost half, the likelihood of him being insured and paying taxes is minimum. Is there any way that you can find this out? Did you have to provide proof of ins. or anything to bid? Maybe if they are not insured you could point this out to the customer, however I doubt that would solve much at this point. Also. with the other two bids being closer to your price, but still cheaper, do you think you overbid at all?

Over Bidding is not in my vocab . .(not trying to be a smart ***) but i know what i need to make, anything less than that is unacceptable and could possibly cause me to loose money

[Steve]

Its not about what they could od to me its the fact that i don't want people knowing that a lot that looks like **** is done by EASYPRO

This is a very good point. It sounds like this job is just a non-winner unless you are a lawn care operation that doesn't care about what the end result looks like.

I'd love to see some pictures taken of the job they do.

[FaccLndscpng]

Basically what we all have to accept the fact that anyone from the kid home from college trying to make some money to the old man who drives a beat up pick up truck and uses “Craftsman” equipment can be a landscaper. Now we as professionals know it takes more than just that but a majority of people are just looking for the lowest price. There are customers out there that are looking for a quality job but you can’t just wait around for them. And no, those people probably aren’t paying for insurance or taxes and you would expect this from residential accounts but not from commercial. So what should we do lowball and get every job, put competition that wont lowball out of business? I have lost numerous jobs because someone came in and had a lower bid, never by half though…(but it makes you so much angrier). I have even lost a job to someone who came in a bid higher then me and one other person his cuts were like $20 more expensive at a church, and I bid to make some money on the deal but this guy was extreme, it was more or less robbery. But there is not much we can do about this but I always tell customers that a professional knows the proper time to prune your rose bushes, they can identify pests and diseases, and that we are not here to just cut your lawn and leave, we are here to treat your lawn and garden like our own. I don’t say that word for word but I give examples of how it’s better to have a professional treat your property than these so called landscapers. And oh well then if they go for the lowest price than F them they get what they get!