[Robert T]

Hello everyone,

I am glad to see you guys are still here, i have been away for almost 2 yrs going thru a very bad divorce and finally got back on-line.

One of my goals in the next 2-3 yrs it to at least bid on Some Government projects, and MAYBE get into the loop.
How do you go about or where do you go to find out about bidding on these jobs. I am interested in mostly seeding along the newly constructed roadways.

Would i even be considered since i have never done this work before?
80% of my business is seeding new lawns mostly residential, and last year We did 4 larger commercial lots. Largest being 6 acres.

Any thoughts would be great.
Robert

[Paydaze7]

robert,

thats about 80% of our business now seeding and landscaping on municipal,county,state road construction. it takes A LOT of calling to get in with the contractors. i belong to a few bid services to see what contractors got what jobs and call them to see if they are taking bids on what we'd like to bid on.. some guys wont want to talk to you and some guys will. but once you get in with them your golden... every day we get request's for prices on stuff. you'd also have to call around to find out what you need to do so.. like in NJ i have to get a cert. for prevailing rate work and thats about it. also some jobs weve been on want at least 3 million in insurance.. but i can tell you i wouldn't go back to doing any type of work... the money IS GAURANTEED and most engineers usually aren't ball busters they just want a good job done without headaches.... if ya need any more info pm.. good luck..

[bricknblock]

great info from paydaze, I personally would be interested in hearing anyone else's experience in this field....I think this would be a great oppurtunity to add growth and credibility to our company

[PSUscaper]

My best advice would be to get in touch with bigger excavation companies and construction firms who do the type of work you are interested in and see if they could use your service.

You really aren't going to be directly submitting a bid to the state for most work. Most the time, large firms and what not bid out an entire project and then submit you bid as part of the total package.

You also really need to read up on how to go about working for gov't bid work, as state laws are all different, along with local municipalities. There are some great changes not just state to state, but township to township also.

Also, talk to alot of people if you can. You really need to network things out to get all the info you need and hints.

For instance, if you were hydroseeding, you would want to fill your tank and set it up OFF the job before you go. If not, you will have to pay prevailing wage to fill it up on the site. There are not just a lot of rules and regulations involved in this kind of work, there are a lot of 'tricks' and round about ways to do things. For instance, a irrigation company will assemble all its valve boxes and what not at the shop, and bring them to the job pre-assembled, along with putting all the nozzles and as many fittings together, hek, they even prime all their pipe at the shop before they go. This way they aren't paying prevailing wage to someone stroking primer on pipe all day. There are limits to some things you can do, but the key is to be efficient as you can. When bidding against an efficient company, you will be very high in comparison and wonder how they did it. This can have a lot to do with it. Anything you can do to cut labor on the job is key.

A lot going on with prevailing wage work, but in the end, it can be very rewarding.

[Robert T]

Thanks Paydaze,

I have been researching this today and found some more info on the Indiana DOT web page. Looks like i have to register to be a vendor, which i will do. Your post brings up my next question , are the projects all under one bid and the General contractor is responsible for hiring subs if they need them?

Thanks again

Robert

[Paydaze7]

this is so true.. for instance a skidsteer operator i think is in the $47 per hour range. but yet our toro dingo isn't considered a piece of heavy equipment because you dont actually sit on it, so anyone who runs it is considered a laborer with is around $27 an hour last i looked depending on teh county.

Originally posted by PSUscaper
If not, you will have to pay prevailing wage to fill it up on the site. There are not just a lot of rules and regulations involved in this kind of work, there are a lot of 'tricks' and round about ways to do things. .

the main thing you need to work in NJ is your prevailing rate certificate which is quite easy to get. record keeping is CRUCIAL ive seen guys go out of business over night once they debar you from doing prevailing rate work. the paperwork is going to be a little tougher than dealing with commerical people but its not horrible and there is no room to screw around with anything. We are also a SBE, small business enterprise and a WBE woman business enterprise. this is gives us an advantage on the jobs because of our status. on a lot of big work the govt dictates lets say 10 to 15% of the total job to be given to sbe, m/wbe companies and since the contractors do most of the big work that usually leaves landscaping, lighting, guide rails, striping etc to be subbed out. i would highly recommend at least applying for your SBE status, this is a big thing now because of all the law suits going on about woman and minority owned business's being reverse discrimination. most states usually have an office just to handle sbe, wbe and mbe certifications i would start there first then they might be able to point you in the direction to get working with the state and different agencies.

Originally posted by Robert T
Thanks Paydaze,

I have been researching this today and found some more info on the Indiana DOT web page. Looks like i have to register to be a vendor, which i will do. Your post brings up my next question , are the projects all under one bid and the General contractor is responsible for hiring subs if they need them?

Thanks again

Robert

Originally posted by Robert T
Thanks Paydaze,

I have been researching this today and found some more info on the Indiana DOT web page. Looks like i have to register to be a vendor, which i will do. Your post brings up my next question , are the projects all under one bid and the General contractor is responsible for hiring subs if they need them?

Thanks again

Robert

i would say about 95% of projects are bid on by the GC and they are in charge of hiring and deciding what to sub out. most of the big guys around here dont even touch seeding, planting etc because for their union guys to do it its not worth it they dont have 10s of millions of dollars in equipment to plant 100 trees...

[bricknblock]

this is all some great info, might be a good topic for the project Stonehenge has begun