Big job, or "yob". It may be a soft "j"

Commercial
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[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]I have the chance to bid on one of the biggest jobs yet for me.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]It’s a HUGE school and they need it done before the last week in August. I’ve been told that schools are generally cheap when it comes to hiring contractors or service professionals, so I don’t want to go crazy. I would also like to do it mostly myself with a WFP and then bring in someone else when I do the insides of some of the windows.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]I will need a few new items, i.e. boar’s hair brushes, more hose, fan jets, reach around and maybe a few more items. It’s an hour away, so I also need to factor in gas. These are my specific questions:[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]1.) Is my pricing fairly accurate?[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]2.) For the items/gas that I need, would I just build it into the “per pane” price or include a “misc.” fee on the proposal?[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]Here is the total pane count and what I am thinking of charging per pane. These are [I][FONT=Verdana]just the outsides[/FONT][/I] [I][FONT=Verdana]only[/FONT][/I]:[/FONT][/COLOR]

[U][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]3rd floor[/FONT][/COLOR][/U][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]: 1440 panes [B][I][FONT=Verdana]$2.00[/FONT][/I][/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
[U][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]2nd floor[/FONT][/COLOR][/U][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]: 836 panes $[B][I][FONT=Verdana]1.25[/FONT][/I][/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
[U][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]1st floor[/FONT][/COLOR][/U][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]: 1674 panes [B][I][FONT=Verdana]$0.75[/FONT][/I][/B][/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]Here is the pane count and dollar amount for windows that need both the inside and outside cleaned:[/FONT][/COLOR]

[U][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]front lobby[/FONT][/COLOR][/U][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]: 216 panes (2nd story height) [B][I][FONT=Verdana]$2.50[/FONT][/I][/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
[U][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]back lobby[/FONT][/COLOR][/U][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]: 204 panes(2nd story height) [I][B][FONT=Verdana]$2.50[/FONT][/B][/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[U][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]auditorium ceiling[/FONT][/COLOR][/U][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]: 60 panes (3rd story height) [B][I][FONT=Verdana]$4.00[/FONT][/I][/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
[U][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]green house[/FONT][/COLOR][/U][COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]: 216 panes (3rd story height, outside only) [I][B][FONT=Verdana]$2.00[/FONT][/B][/I][/FONT][/COLOR]

With tax the total at these rates came to just over [B]$7300[/B].

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]Here are some pics of just the front. The rest of the building is made up of wings. In all, I’ve only attached pictures of about half of all the windows:[/FONT][/COLOR]

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Here are pics of the rest of the front, the inside/outside of the 3rd story auditorium windows and the outside of the green house (the ceiling of which goes in about seven panes) in that order:

Staples High 043.jpg800×600 69.1 KB

Staples High 044.jpg800×600 57.2 KB

Staples High 056.jpg800×600 51.5 KB

Staples High 023.jpg800×600 54.4 KB

Staples High 017.jpg800×600 70.9 KB

Staples High 043.jpg800×600 69.1 KB

Staples High 044.jpg800×600 57.2 KB

Staples High 056.jpg800×600 51.5 KB

Staples High 023.jpg800×600 54.4 KB

Staples High 017.jpg800×600 70.9 KB

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Here are pics of the “lobbies” that need both the inside/outside done:

Staples High 014.jpg800×600 69 KB

Staples High 036.jpg600×800 56.7 KB

Staples High 001.jpg600×800 42.9 KB

Staples High 011.jpg800×600 57.4 KB

Staples High 030.jpg600×800 50.1 KB

Staples High 014.jpg800×600 69 KB

Staples High 036.jpg600×800 56.7 KB

Staples High 001.jpg600×800 42.9 KB

Staples High 011.jpg800×600 57.4 KB

Staples High 030.jpg600×800 50.1 KB

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Hey Ken,

I assume you’re saying 2 panes equal 1 window right? Man, just my opinion but you seem to be in the real cheap end of the spectrum.

I usually charge at least 5-7 dollars per window for a three story height. I can understand with a schoolboard though, they always seem to want it done as cheap as possible.

My advice, give them some mid range prices, at least, and the day after you turn in the bid call for a reaction. If they say they are still getting bids, ( in other words looking for the cheapest), tell them those 8 powerful words, [B]“What can I do to make this happen”. [/B]

I’ve done this many times when I bid real high, and actually got the decision maker to negotiate with me. They dont want to spend all day looking at bids, they just want to get their windows washed.

Hope you get it!!

windowman

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I’ve been suffering from a streak of not getting customers because of high bids, so I went at this one lower. My first thoughts were to charge closer to your range at first.

I actually counted each and every pane and just basically averaged the price. I like to have a formula that the customer can easily breakdown. This was tough though because of all the different sizes of panes.

I do think that it would be wise to rework my price though. Thanks for your advice.

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A man’s gotta eat, right!

But don’t get them down too low. You know what your time is worth. Bid what your gut tells you to. Another factor to consider is the price per hour or hourly minimum that you want.

Good luck, I’d love to hear how it turns out, both with the bid and later with the job.

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I agree imo schools are cheap but why won’t the custodians get up there and clean that glass? Looks like a nice job man. Good luck and I hope it works out well 4 U :smiley:

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I know what you mean about the competitive pricing. Ours is a profession that pays a lot less than it did even ten years ago. But you prolly could have got ten

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Wow, looks like a lot of work.

Hope the price keeps it worthwhile for you, if you get it.

I’ve got big jobs that I wish I never had.

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Looks like a job for Waterfed poles!:smiley:
Hope it works out for you Ken!

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Make sure you charge extra for the places you will have to ladder up to. From the pictures looks like there was atleast 1 spot you would need to. Break it down into hours it would take 1 person to clean. Make sure you go with the high end on how long it would take because on a job that big little things can add up to a lot of extra time.

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Just an update:

So as it turns out, I didn’t get this one. I decided to raise the price slightly higher. The first price I mentioned here on the forum ended up being to high for them anyway, so raising the price didn’t seem to break the deal.

Thanks for all the help with this one guys. Every situation is a learning experience. I know now what I would do different next time.

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I hate to see a guy miss out on good work, especially when sometimes work isn’t easy to find. But, I am glad that you are o.k. with not getting this “yob”. You may have worked your A$$ off for not much if you had got it.

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[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]Thanks Bert.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]This particular “yob” was in southern CT, close to the NY border where people have money trees planted behind their 7 car garages.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]The problem is that there are too many window cleaning, or more specifically general janitorial companies that price wicked low in that area. They pay their “illegal” employees really low and make sweet bank.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]You are right. To drive an hour and a half for only a few hundred bucks a day would be counterproductive.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]To replace this, I’ve had a few other schools to give estimates to. We’ll see what happens.[/FONT][/COLOR]

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If you’d like the job, offer to do a partial clean at no charge. You determine how much you want to do, but do enough so they can see what the difference is between a general cleaning company and a professional window cleaner.

From now to November is when most of these places are working on next year’s budget. When they see the difference, it’s very possible they will work your quote into next years budget to have professional results.