I'm just looking for any advice on installing conduit for our local cable company for fiber optic services. We have done all kinds of electrical, gas, and communications lines for local contractors and homeowners and have always charged by the hour with mobilization time included both in and out. It was always simple and fair to all as it took into consideration complicated landscapes, rocky conditions, distance, etc. etc. The cable company wants to know roughly what it will cost to install drops for them to their customers. They say their average distance is 90 feet. The conduit must be 12"-14" deep, sod cut and reinstalled, and any repairs to sprinkler systems done. We are in the irrigation business so this isn't an issue. Our thoughts were to have a minimum staging charge of $75.00 or so, a minimum equipment charge of $75.00 figuring an hour worth of equipment time for sod cutter and trencher, 3 hours labor @ $60.00 to clean out the trench, dig out the ends of the ditch for the conduit, lay the conduit, backfill, and re-lay the sod. For this base, if you will, we would trench up to 75', repairs to sprinkler lines would be added as needed, and anything over the 75' would cost $2.00 a foot more. Extenuating circumstances such as really bad soil or really complicated landscapes would be negotiated individually. What do you think? If anybody has any experience with this, your thoughts would be most appreciated. Thank you.
Correct me if I am wrong or not understanding your estimating. $75 mobilization $75 equipment fee $180 for labor Total $330 for 75' of trench That's $4.40 per LF. $2 per LF for anything over 75' Honestly, I don't see how you can make money with your base rate of $330 for 75 LF. You have to mobilize a truck, equipment and crew to the jobsite. In a perfect world you could breeze in and out and on the next job but that estimate is too tight, especially when your jobs are not located close to each other. Also I would charge at least what my base rate per FT is for anything over the average.
You are correct at the $4.40 per LF and the $2 for anything over 75'. We calculated this from our best guess estimate, if we were to do it T&M. Again, you are correct in the fact that everything would have to go well. And, as we all know the perfect world rarely exists in excavation work. We used the $2 for anything over 75' because we would already be at the job site, staged, and crew on deck. This is a small town, so travel from one job to another isn't a huge deal, but you still have to load and unload which takes time. I really appreciate your input. I don't have any idea what these companies use for a comparable standard for this kind of work. I know they use nation wide averages, my reason for requesting advice. With the economy like it is I really don't want to, and can't afford to pass up something worthwhile, but by the same token you have to make money. A friend of mine has always said, "you don't lose money on a job you don't get". I have tried to remember this over the last 30 years. The bottom line is it has to work for both parties. Thank you.
Just something to keep in mind with the economy the way it is even the big companies have been stiffing us, used to be they were the gold standard for paying... sooner or later at least.
just to give you some of my experience, Ive done these cable drops for a large company around here and the spec on them was 24" deep in conduit and in two years of doing it I've never seen anyone do it this way. Id go around and check other peoples work and see whats really going on, I was doing 3-5 drops a day with a 3 man crew by hand with a compressor truck at about 6" deep no conduit.
Thanks for the input, food for thought. The main problem is this is a new project for the most part, no one to compare to. We have to put the conduit in, they are supplying it. I know the specs never get followed on these projects, the one problem of bidding them. There is always someone that under bids you and usually that is why. This being a small town, there will lots of sidewalk superintendants to keep track of us.