Competitive Quotes - sublime to the ridiculous

'How can anyone do the work for that!'  A favourite line from a respected local Surveyor who has taught me a lot over the years, but now finds himself in direct competition.  Until starting up a business it was always an amusing moment, now it becomes a frustrating reality.

It is true every now and again you will lose a job to a competitor who has completely lost the plot and submitted a tender which is designed to win the work and not make a profit.  We've all done it in the early stages to gain work or carry favour with a new client, but sometimes you start wondering "am I really quoting for the same job with the same specification?".  Sometimes you know you are the cheapest, but still the work goes elsewhere because of existing loyalties or recommendations which are both accepted when the numbers involved make the difference in the tens of pounds!

The main problem comes down to the information provided, and the final product you are willing to accept.....

What we need from you

Every Survey company is different, every Architect wants something different displayed on their plans hence the need to tailor a survey for the client, and not provide a mass produced uniform survey for every site.  But remove all of the quirks there are still some basic requirements a Surveyor will need to price a job for you.

1) MAPS  -  An accurate site plan clearly marking the site area you are interested in.  We don't want a vague red line encompassing a massive area around the small extension being planned.  Be concise as it will affect the price.  But don't just provide a map, the actual address is essential to find the site on Google Earth or Bing.

2) PURPOSE  -  The final purpose of the survey can be a factor as it will affect whether we can use a local grid or national grid, whether every little tree in a woodland is essential or an unnecessary luxury, or if the heights of surrounding windows will have an impact.  It will also raise the question of whether you will also need a sight line survey for the proposed access point.

3) USER  -  as well as the surveys purpose, the nature of the end user is also useful to determine how the results need to be produced.  If you have appointed an Architect or Developer it will always be useful to consult them first before approaching us, or let us approach them directly to discuss the work.

4) ACCESS  -  As Surveyors we can often be found in unusual places, we need to know that the right people can be informed of our presence.  Farmers with itchy trigger fingers need to be on our side, and the police might not understand the reason we broke into a site because a key was not provided!

5) TIME - Whilst we will bend over backwards to try and return a tender within the timescales requested there will always be times when getting an e-mail at 5pm asking for a quote by lunchtime the following day will not be possible.  Ideally we need at least 48 hours notice to prepare a tender depending on the complexities, but we will always get a tender out in some format.

6) PHOTOS - Whilst google maps is a wonderful tool, there is nothing that can compete with recently taken images of the site showing us the areas of interest (and the fact they are not heavily overgrown or hidden behind a massive advertising hoarding - it happens!).

What you'll get back

Our most competitive price, clearly outlining what you will get included for that price.  We will also provide an indication of timescales to complete the work but if you are in any doubt of the timescales it is always best to call us first as our work is constantly changing one week to the next.

So if you do need a tender please get in touch through our website, www.rlsurveys.co.uk.

Alternatively keep in touch through Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

Double Edged Sword

Damned if you do, damned if you don't!

Running your own business is a tricky business, and is certainly not for the faint-hearted.  You need to be able to compartmentalise everything in your life to avoid the constant conflict and worry.

When you're busy you worry the work won't get completed.

When the work is completed you worry you've missed something critical.
When you issue the invoice you worry about being paid.

When the tender goes out you worry you've put in the right price.
When you're quiet you worry where the next job is coming from.
When the tender comes in you worry if you can get the work done.

I need therapy............

The essential key is the one to the office, make sure you lock it at night and leave all the worries behind.

You can't control the markets, you can't control the clients, but you CAN control your product.  

Remember why you started on your own, the benefits really do outweigh the negatives in the long run.  You can chose your hours to a point, you can do the school run or play with your children while they want to play.  

Short and sweet this time, but you can always find out more through our website, facebook, twitter or LinkedIn.

Whilst you're there could you just......

Whilst you're there/here could you just......

This used to be a question commonly associated with setting out, with Engineers frequently being asked to do a little bit of extra work not previously accounted for.  For them it was merely a time issue as most of the jobs were quoted on an hourly rate.  Such luxuries don't exist in the world of fixed price tenders, but the questions are ever more common.  Is there a solution to this situation, or is it just an accepted practice in the current climate?  Even with fixed tenders a price is submitted based on a surveying a certain area, then the client comes back asking for a little bit more!

Sometimes work does allow diversions in other areas, away from the original specification.  With the advent of laser scanning Surveyors are increasingly finding a lot of down time on a job.  Scans can take anywhere from a minute to a couple of hours depending on your resolution - so during an hour scan once you've sketched your control, observed any control with the total station you really are twiddling your thumbs for forty five minutes in every hour before the next burst of activity.  However the results of the laser scan show the benefits of letting technology take over.

Where to draw a line...

As an SME you are always at the mercy of your clients, so long term going that extra mile will always pay dividends but are you making a rod for your own back?  Each time you agree to that little bit more the expectation is that you will be able to achieve this all of the time.  There is no rule of thumb on what can & can't be added into a tender before the cost is affected, of course when the shoe is on the other foot and they ask for an element of a survey to be removed this is always followed by a question on how the price will be affected - the answer to that one is never NOT AT ALL!!

Advances in technology mean the Surveyors time on site is ever decreasing to complete similar activities, and whenever this technology is sold the common selling point is you can still charge the same amount but getting the work completed on site sooner means your two jobs in three days becomes three jobs in three days.  The reality in a competitive market is that the time saving is passed onto the client as reduction on man hours on site.  Thus Surveyors never truly benefit from the time saving of a new technology in a fiscal sense, they can just do more work in the same time!

As always we will try and accommodate a clients requirements within the fixed fees provided, we haven't found the breaking point yet - but that is not a challenge!

For more information on the services we offer & the product we produce please website our website at www.rlsurveys.co.uk, or follow us through the world of social media (facebook / twitter / linkedin).