[oreunited]

Doing an annual maintenance bid for client living on a tour players championship course and having hard time with price. She wants bi-weekly maintenance or 20 visits. We propose doing everything from individual plant care to a four step lawn fert program, plant fert, watering, small projects less than 4 hours long, cleanups, sprinkler mait. brick mait. basically the works but not actually cutting the grass the association does this. We are proposing that we do 20 visits all fert material ect included, but if she wants extra plants ect this will be billed a small markup to actual price. Anything where we do an actual job more than 5 hrs we will charge as a project not mait. This is top quality mait and I would like to get an idea of what some scapers out there would charge. Keep in mind the land is about an acre maybe 3/4 and it doesnt need tons of work to start in good condition, we are thinking 40 hours at most. But has to look better than the other million dllar houses next door. Based on the dempographic and work what do you think for annual mait no grass or snow just extra detailed plant lawn mulch and clean up care.

[sandim]

I can imagine something like that would be hard to bid...don't know if this will help but here is what I think I'd do if I had to bid a contract like that...

If you have some type of hourly rate, try to figure out how long it would take you to do this maint. each week. Mark it up a tad (not a lot) due to the type of grounds you'll be working on and the extra meticulousness involved. (I'm sure you're meticulous all the time, but you get the idea). Multiply that weekly amount by however many weeks you'll be taking care of the grounds and then give her the proposal. Be sure to include all the details when you give it to her just like you did the forum even though she knows what's being done. Include as many details as you can so she really knows what she's getting for her money. Our clients really seem to like that.

Hope that helps.

[Dale Wiley]

Originally posted by oreunited
Doing an annual maintenance bid for client living on a tour players championship course and having hard time with price.

small projects less than 4 hours long,

Anything where we do an actual job more than 5 hrs we will charge as a project not mait.

we are thinking 40 hours at most. But has to look better than the other million dllar houses next door.

[Little yellow smilling face waving a big red flag]

1. Living on a TPC course ?? Having a hard time with price ??
This item needs NO disscussion. Expect more trouble down the road here.

2. I have SEVERAL small projects, I need done. 1 this week, 1 the week after, 1 the week after that, 2 the week after that.

3. 5 small projects at 4 hours, oh and by the way as long as your doing that can you add this in, it won't take hardly any time at all.
20 hours of extra work that you do not intend to charge for ?? That is $ 720 of work AT COST - NO PROFIT that you are going to do without and extra charge ??

Squash that idea all together. Bill for ALL your time.

4. 40 hours total ?? Per month per year..what is this time frame ??

[/little yellow smiling face waving a big red flag]

[jwholden]

I'm with Dale on this one. Time and materials is the only way to fly. Make sure you cover, and make a profit, on the cost of your truck and equipment as well.

If this person contacted you because they heard you are good they should have no problem paying you what you are worth. If they contacted you because they heard you are cheap expect to play the nickel and dime game.

There is a post about a similar 'quandry' I had in the gold oak section. There is some great input from other members there.

[oreunited]

this will be bi weekly, 40 man hours times 3 or 120 man hours sorry for the miscommunication. 20 visits.

What i mean for the material is ill do the workas outlined but if she want s a new arb ill charge her cost plus delivery ect.

Do you think i should charge as i go, i haves estimated all materials im including basically fertilizers and mulch herbacides, that is all that is included the rest is at cost. The work is over estimated about 20 hours as I was saying but probably will use of the time.

Hard time with price becuase i dont want to undercut myself and dont want to over shoot, after everything said what do you think would be good price? Just wanted general ideas.

Projects over 4 hrs will be billed at its own price, like a normal job not for free plus cost, if its not outlined in the maitenance then its not included.

[TrickyDick]

It sounds like what you're saying is that you are not charging for additional work if it is under 4 hours. Maybe that's not what you're saying but that is what Dale was responding to and he is right...you absolutely cannot include extra stuff without charge unless you put an allowance in the contract for it.

[Mac]

We do bed maintenance at our hourly rate with a one hour minimum... most days we end up with over 100% efficiency. Mulch is seperate charge as is bed fertility

[Dale Wiley]

Mac gets it...

Also consider this.. most landscape companies operate at about 85% to 80% labor efficency. Meaning you ahve to add more money to that on site hourly rate when doing T & M work.

1 hours work has to be charged at 1.15 hours to cover support time and costs. Need to raise the hourly rate if bidding outside the contract.

[jwholden]

…most landscape companies operate at about 85% to 80% labor efficiency…1 hours work has to be charged at 1.15 hours to cover support time and costs.

I just got a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach.

[Dale Wiley]

Originally posted by jwholden
I just got a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Must have been something you ate this morning.

[cutntrim]

I would give an outline of all the services you will provide then a firm price on the fert program (paid in full in advance) . Bed maintenance I would invoice T&M at the end of each month. Extra planting I would invoice on the day it's done.

[Mac]

Originally posted by Dale Wiley
Mac gets it...

Thanks to COMPASS... where is Rick and Rob anyways?

[Dale Wiley]

I have not talked to Rob in a couple of months, Rick I did a couple of weeks ago.. he started a new maintenance company up and is doing well.

You would be surprised at how many people were not doing the 1 hour minimum charge on any maintenance service.

We have a 2 day minimum on construction.

[Mac]

Originally posted by Dale Wiley
he started a new maintenance company

I cant say that is a surprise... for him its like printing money