"Emergency Service" Bid

DynamicDetails

DynamicDetails

New member
I had to do an emergency service last night for a hotel. I cleaned 2500 sqft of concrete and rinsed A LOT of mud/clay off of a 15,000 sqft parking lot.
I'm not quite sure if I'm on target with the bid so I wanted to check before I submit it.
I worked it up at 3 cents/sqft for the concrete and 1 cent/sqft for the parking lot. Came to approx $400.00 I also was not sure if I should charge an emergency fee or just leave it alone.
I drove and hour to get there, it took me about 2 hours to complete the job.

Thanks in advance I appreciate any input!
 
I charged an additional $200 last year the day after Thanksgiving morning to go clean up blood at a murder scene. Blood all over a store front. I got the call at 1:30 AM so I charged additional travel time and my regular services on top of the $200.
 
Wow I would say that you way underbid that job. I wouldn't clean that amount of concrete for less than $ 750.00. Did you have gum to remove? I would have charged at least 1500.00 to rinse off the black top. If you price the job for what its worth then you don't have to worry about charging extra for emergencies. I am not trying to break balls here just a tip on pricing.
 
I would leave the quote alone and let them know your not charging them extra for the emergency service. And then try and sell them on a cleaning every 3 months or somthing like that.
 
I agree more with the $550 in fact I would probably jack those pennies up a bit also. Sounds a bit low for that much Concrete Cleaning and rinsing on such short notice.
 
Tomdurbin said:
Wow I would say that you way underbid that job. I wouldn't clean that amount of concrete for less than $ 750.00. Did you have gum to remove? I would have charged at least 1500.00 to rinse off the black top. If you price the job for what its worth then you don't have to worry about charging extra for emergencies. I am not trying to break balls here just a tip on pricing.
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Your getting .30/sqft to clean concrete???? and .10/sqft to rinse??? I want to come work where you are. I have never heard of anyone getting that much.

$575 would have been my price.
 
$400 sounds a lil low. As the others have said, put it in the $500-600 range and still try to get them on a regular.

Go $525 plus $150 emergency fee and waive that if they go with a plan.

Good luck!!!
 
When I had an equipment problem a few years ago before we did any flatwork we spilled 1/4 quart of oil on a parking lot. It was mixed with water so we didn't know it.

The PM called our (now) competitor and I watched his guy spend 5-10 minutes with cat litter and cold water. I got the bill - it was $325.00 or so.

I called the company to ask for a reduction as a professional courtesy. He basically told me to f off and lied saying it was an emergency call in the middle of the night (9:15am) that took 3 guys to do (1 illegal). When I told him I watched the entire 5-10 minutes work he hung up on me.

That was two years ago and we now have ALL that PM's work including emergency service which we start at $150.00 + normal charges. My goal is to take all the work he has and make him go back to work hauling illegals up from Mexico full time.

I don't mind competition and I've passed on bidding some jobs because I've watched guys working their butts off doing the best job they can at a fair price. But I liar and a cheat can fend for himself.

Thats our pricing $150 plus normal rates.
 
I got 4700.00 for 4 hours of "emergency" work last week. Out of state company that needed us to clean a football sized tent

I have learned to not be afraid of the price you would love, then negotiate down if necessary.
 
What made you decide on $400. I'm not saying it was wrong. $200 an hour is a good rate. In my opinion too many people ask for help with pricing help on bids. Everyone's market, overhead, business plan and lifestyle are different.

I would take all the work I can get at $200/hour. When asking for bidding help I think people should ask about how much time something should take rather than how much to charge. I know this situation is different since you have already done the work.

Your customer may really appreciate the fact you did not charge a rush fee and could lead to big thing. Just my opinion.My opinion may be worth exactly what it is costing you "nothing"


good luck
 
Danny Bates said:
Your getting .30/sqft to clean concrete???? and .10/sqft to rinse??? I want to come work where you are. I have never heard of anyone getting that much.

$575 would have been my price.
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Hey Danny,

You can get that kind of money anywere. The mindset has to be changed for pressure washing. If not the prices will continue to drop until there is no money left to be made. Not taking away from the poster but that is a hell of alot of cleanig for two hours. So you know $ 165- 250.00 an hour should be the going rate for this type of cleaning if bidding by the hour. That is why we never bid by the hour. It is always by the job with a few rare exceptions. At the prices I mentioned I would have spent four to five hours on location with two hot water blasters and two men. We take our time while still moving fast and do a very good job.

Too many pressure washing guys don't realyze their worth. You are providing a service that few do well Charge accordingly.

We have actually lost jobs because people thought we were to high. So what at least we didn't just trade money. Remember no matter how desparate you think you are hold your pricing. Reductions only show the customer that you were too "high" in the first place. I have also had customers hire my so called "competitors" to do the work. Then come crawling back a few days later and ask if we will still do the job. Of course we go do the work but at our original price.

If you are having a hard time getting the right price for lets say fleet washing. Forget about that kind of work You all have specialyzed equipment and knoweledge of the cleaning process. Get more into industrial cleaning. Explain the difference between cleaning and washing something down. Most people will buy on value these days not price alone. If they are just cheap don't even bother with them as they will be nothing but pains in th a** forever.
 
Tom Durbin said:
Wow I would say that you way underbid that job. I wouldn't clean that amount of concrete for less than $ 750.00. Did you have gum to remove? I would have charged at least 1500.00 to rinse off the black top. If you price the job for what its worth then you don't have to worry about charging extra for emergencies. I am not trying to break balls here just a tip on pricing.
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Tom Durbin said:
A perfect example were this comes in handy. We recently cleaned the inside of a factory. Ceilings, walls and floors. We had a total area of 88,000 square feet to wash. The building was really greasy and the city was not about to take that water without it being treated. The ownser of the factory was agast when we gave him our price of $ 66,860.00.
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Tom Durbin said:
Ask yourself do you want to fight over the same tired hill constantly dropping prices until all you have is a job? Or do you want to take it to the next level by slowing down, using the right equipment, use less chemicals, protect the enviornment and do superior work building the reputation as the go to be the Best Cleaning Contractor in your area.
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Check this guys ip - I think it's really Jim Gamble back on PWI






The preceding was a JOKE for those who get it. It is not directed against Tom, who I liked right away, and makes really cool equipment.
 
I did an emergency graffiti removal several weeks ago at ASU. Got the call at 1:30 am. Needed to be done before sunrise. I charges $500.00 for the emergency call out, plus $55.00 per man hour, plus materials.
 
Tomdurbin said:
Hey Danny,

You can get that kind of money anywere. The mindset has to be changed for pressure washing. If not the prices will continue to drop until there is no money left to be made. Not taking away from the poster but that is a hell of alot of cleanig for two hours. So you know $ 165- 250.00 an hour should be the going rate for this type of cleaning if bidding by the hour. That is why we never bid by the hour. It is always by the job with a few rare exceptions. At the prices I mentioned I would have spent four to five hours on location with two hot water blasters and two men. We take our time while still moving fast and do a very good job.

Too many pressure washing guys don't realyze their worth. You are providing a service that few do well Charge accordingly.

We have actually lost jobs because people thought we were to high. So what at least we didn't just trade money. Remember no matter how desparate you think you are hold your pricing. Reductions only show the customer that you were too "high" in the first place. I have also had customers hire my so called "competitors" to do the work. Then come crawling back a few days later and ask if we will still do the job. Of course we go do the work but at our original price.

If you are having a hard time getting the right price for lets say fleet washing. Forget about that kind of work You all have specialyzed equipment and knoweledge of the cleaning process. Get more into industrial cleaning. Explain the difference between cleaning and washing something down. Most people will buy on value these days not price alone. If they are just cheap don't even bother with them as they will be nothing but pains in th a** forever.
Click to expand...


The prices are slowly moving in the right direction, FINALLY. I atribute it to the fact that so many companies are folding. I check craigslist and Ebay daily and there seems to be a new rig up for sale daily. So with that in mind I have begun to increase my pricing on new customers, not anywhere near your prices but definately up from a year ago. When I can get the money you are getting i'll be hittin you up for a new system:clapping:
 
Tom (Tucson);

I've know Tom Durbin for several years and he's a respectable an very knowledgeable man, same as Jim Gamble. Only difference is Tom Durbin doesn't live on the left coast.


tomtucson said:
Check this guys ip - I think it's really Jim Gamble back on PWI






The preceding was a JOKE for those who get it. It is not directed against Tom, who I liked right away, and makes really cool equipment.
Click to expand...
 
That is far less than my call out rates. But I only get called out for a certain type of emergency, and it requires specialty equipment. Which reminds me, I have something I need to go build.
 
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