How long to get quote?

Addle

Hi - just wondering if there's an average response time when you put a job out to tender?

BryanF

3/4 weeks
But you need to ring before, during and again the week of return and set a firm date for return.

sydthebeat

Addle wrote: »

Hi - just wondering if there's an average response time when you put a job out to tender?

on a 'ready to go' job?

Addle

sydthebeat wrote: »

on a 'ready to go' job?

Yes, I think so, in that money is there to be paid to people to get work done asap!

BryanF

I should have said, by 'job' i assumed a house or extension

Addle

Apologies - a construction job, an extension.
Planning, money all in order.

sydthebeat

4 weeks would be absolute maximum in my opinion... but it depends on the specification.
if there is simple PC sums for the "known unknowns" such as choice of bathroom ware etc then 4 weeks is more than enough.

however if your specification is very detailed and every fixture and fitting is prescribed, then it may take at least 4 weeks to price every item.

Addle

Thanks for the replies.
I'd consider it a very straightforward job.
Shouldn't have to wait much longer for quotes so.

BryanF

Addle wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.
I'd consider it a very straightforward job.
Shouldn't have to wait much longer for quotes so.

Did you or your arch set a return date ?

Addle

No. And I realise now that we should have. No architect involved.

Gumbo

Addle wrote: »

No. And I realise now that we should have. No architect involved.

Then you will have to get on the phone promptly and ask if they actually plan on sending a price back. A lot of builders are actually up to their eyes at the moment and will ignore tender packages very often.

galwaytt

...if you didn't put a date on it, and there's no-one chasing it, then frankly you're not going to get many responses. Builders are just too busy.

I had a 'walk-in' enquiry this day last week for 600m2 house............he was telling me that he was find it very difficult to get anyone to price anything. And, from dealing with builders on a daily basis there's a very simple reason. At the moment, there is an awful lot of work being priced, and it has got to the stage of builders are having to make a decision on which jobs are 'shovel ready' or are pricing exercises. Simpler jobs are more likely to get priced first, and complex or big jobs less so. And, there's the fact that a lot of builders can price straightforward jobs themselves with reasonable confidence/accuracy, whereas if they have to hire a QS for a big one, the first question is who pays the QS. It is not viable to pay to do some quotations as they may never get to a build process.

Even to a certain extent I have the same problem. The UK is our main market, and I have/am doing several where the full pricing exercise and a preliminary design scheme is being done on an 'abortive fee basis'. That is, they are paying a certain amount of fees to us to take the process to a level of a structural scheme done by our S.E., we are doing construction drawings, and we pricing accurately off that. They are then sitting with their local contractors/arch etc and making a fully informed decision on whether to actually build it or not. If they do proceed those fees are not re-incurred and we use the data in manufacturing etc. It is probably better to spend a couple of grand to find they are working off real numbers, and finding out if they can really afford to build at all, than to do a 'Grand Design' type of job: you know, like the ones on the TV where they get about 1/2 way into the job and run out of money and then re-remortgage etc etc. Nightmare stuff.

In my own case, I would estimate to receive an average of 1 job a day to price. In the 8 working days of January so far, I've received 9 sets of plans to price. To the extent I've actually hired an AT specifically for pricing etc. And even at that, it does take time to price stuff properly.

Addle

Well we're shovel ready.
Only thing is it's not a big job.
It's something that has to be done, so we're not looking for best price, any price will do!
Builders don't know that obviously!

galwaytt

..if you're doing follow up calls, would be worth telling them you're ready to go.

Drift

Get on the phone ... and contact everyone you sent it to. It's the only way.

Also even with a main contractor taking care of every detail you're going to have to spend a lot of time on the phone over the next few months. Be prepared!!!