Ok like the title says, my local water co. Approached me about the possibility of contracting with them to handle all water line break repairs, meter installs, basically everything they do except reading meters and monitoring the towers. I have the equipment, they will supply me all maps( showing locations, line sizes, valve locations, etc.) I have a good working relationship, I have helped them before when they needed an excavator, or just in a situation they neede help. I live just a few miles from the shop, and know the area they cover. My question is what is common practice before we set down with the board. Time and material, contract price per break, ? There is a few other districts that do this but I don't know how they have it set up. Any body have experience doing this? Just putting it out there to see what other parts of the country do. Thanks for looking
Small flat fee per call out, plus T&M at a negotiated rate would be my suggestion. With a multiplier for after hours, weekends, holidays, in other words emergencies.
The company I used to work for was contracted by the local water authority to do this. They supplied all materials. Always had one guy onsite with us. Iwner always kept a backhoe or mini in the shop incase one was needed. I don't know how he charged I believe it was all hourly. We had a specific time sheet to fill out and had to do it more detailed just for the work we did for the water authority.
The little town where I live approached me about this about a year ago. In the end we couldn't agree on numbers because I wouldn't work for part time Grass cutter pay so I passed, but they agreed to pay all materials and stock common repair fittings to their lines and then contract and hourly rate for me and my equipment. Problem was their idea of what to pay and mine were a long ways off. In my "hourly rate" I have to account for hand tools, misc supplies, power tools, mob/demob costs, insurance and all the other overhead expenses. They couldn't understand why I couldn't do it for the same labor rate they paid the previous part time employee and provide a machine without raising the hourly cost of the machine. In the end they hired another $15/hr lever yanker. It could be a nice deal if you can all agree on costs. John
do you by chance know any of the board members to ask ?'s
I know the guy who run things, funny thing is this came about because some of the low rung workers don't want to be on call. The boss man told them to be careful what you ask for. Now the board, who had never thought about doing this is interested because they figured out that they don't need but two people, less payroll, retirement, etc. Now the workers are mad because they might lose their job. Good help huh, want the check not the work . Thanks to everyone