I won a bid to clean the ouitsides of a aprtment complex. this was for a one time only. The way it was presented afterward it seems they will be getting them cleaned once a year…but will go out to bid each time. Heres my issue…I gave them a good price. after I win…they tell me I have to go thru this “third party” management company. Basically this company gets the vendors info…insurance etc. for the people who send the bids out. they want me to pay $95 for this service…and its a yearly service. Secondly after agreeing to myself and them to do this…I get my insurance cert. for them…and now they want to see my workmans comp. I said I am sole proprietor…no employees. they said they still need it. my question: do you think it would be worth to pay for the service fee and get workmans comp.? this is the only time I have been asked for any of this. the job is only $800, and not guarenteed more than one time. Anyone go thru this?
If you have no employees you don’t need workman’s comp. Perhaps they are thinking of a PDI (personal disability insurance) policy. As for the fee I’d let them know that I would have to add that to the bill. I’ve bid some storefront jobs where you were dealing w/ corporate offices and after I gave the bid and they agreed to my terms they send a 6-7 page contract that adds fees to me and changes terms we have already agreed to. I just tell them what my terms are and send them a note spelling out the changes that have to be made to their contract before I’ll sign it.
Tony,
I thought the same about the workmans comp…and I tried to tell them that, but i was talking to a wall. they would just read from a script when I asked them something…I am going to try to work this out. I not only have to talk to the “third party”, but I want to let the “apt complex BOD” know whats going on too.
I’ve only had one account be sticklers about the worker’s comp issue. I showed them the state statute that said business owners do not have to carry worker’s comp on themselves. Also, I drew up and signed a form stating that I would not hold them liable in the event I was injured on their premises, and submitted it along with the copy of the statute. That was enough for them.
Your insurance agent should be able to get you copy of your state’s statutes regarding business insurance. That’s where I got mine.
There are some places that will require workmans comp. even though the state doesn’t. Usually it has something to do with their insurance company, that every contractor must have both GL and WC. I have done work for 2 places like that here. I explained the state law to them, and they explained their ins. requirements to me. I told both that if I had to get W.C. just for this job I would pass the cost on to them. The first one said fine just do it, the second one saiddon’t worry about we’ll figure it out, just give us the GL.
Also here I was able to get my W.C. just for the month I worked that job, then I cancelled it. The state sent me a form letter asking why I thought I no longer needed it, with about 4 possible boxes to check, mail it back to them, and that was the end.
