Let myself down

[Jammydogg]

Went to look at a job today for local village parish. Pollarding 3limes. Full of leaf right now, quite alot to them, job wants doing in oct time. Quoting agaist a decent long going firm. I just couldnt convince myself that i could get one tree down and done and processed in one day. Im quite confident and competant to have done the work but just not fast enough to keep the price down. Hence i didnt get it. Do all "newbie" climbers get this?

 

 

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[Fredward]

I'm also not the fastest, but I'm a fir bit cheaper (and finish the job to a high standard), so it usually works itself out.. Don't forget, they might have taken your quote to the other firm and they went 'Bugger, okay, we'll do it for a tenner less'. Sometimes what goes on behind the scenes is the reason for not getting a job, you will never know, so don't beat yourself up. You have to think of a price and stick to it.. Too often I think about reducing the price for whatever reason, but once you starting doing that you get into dangerous territory. It hurts us more because every job counts, but you have to value your services accordingly. Did they come back to you to say you didn't get it or just no call back?

[geoff]

It happens, it shows you know where your at, which is good, & you cant win them all anyway unless you want to go skint, some companies will be trying to keep the week full if they are employing people.

It's worth getting to know a good freelance climber, they will give you the ability to take stuff on that you might think twice about, & you will learn in the process.

I'm getting old now, & carrying an injury, I use a local climber for some jobs & it works really well, I'm getting jobs I would have passed up due to a buster shoulder, & it keeps me in the loop while I recover.

[TIMON]

Yes.......

Quite new to climbing as well, but getting faster and better all the time.

Just blitzed a job in 3 hrs I thought would have taken all day.

Last week we did a big conifer job that took 2 days longer to finish than we expected.

Be encouraged!! You have to start somewhere.

As a team we learned more from the job we got wrong than from the one we did quick.

All the best mate

Ti

[hedgesparrow]

I'm also not the fastest, but I'm a fir bit cheaper (and finish the job to a high standard), so it usually works itself out.. Don't forget, they might have taken your quote to the other firm and they went 'Bugger, okay, we'll do it for a tenner less'. Sometimes what goes on behind the scenes is the reason for not getting a job, you will never know, so don't beat yourself up. You have to think of a price and stick to it.. Too often I think about reducing the price for whatever reason, but once you starting doing that you get into dangerous territory. It hurts us more because every job counts, but you have to value your services accordingly. Did they come back to you to say you didn't get it or just no call back?

 

if it was a proper tender then it has to be in sealed envelopes. and are opened on the night of the meeting and discussed. you can under the local goverment act ask for the tender prices. will not show what firm quoted what but you will se your price againts others. may not have been the chepest price but there known do a good job so parish like using them if price is ok. i tendered for a job lost to a bigger firm waited as i knew it would they forgot the parish this year to cut grass went out back to tender. i got the job as they let them down. i know i am dearer but getting a better job.

[Jammydogg]

Thanks for your input fellas, i feel alot happier now, there was no underhand tactics from the other firm, i just couldnt do the job quick enough to beat their quote, and i didnt want to work for cheap or rush the job. Guess im still in the learning my speed stages, but getting faster all the time. I need more climbing work though to enable this. Thanks alot again guys.

 

 

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[MattyF]

If your quoting against, as you put it a decent long going firm my guess is there mind had already been made they just needed other quotes to make it look fair... This happens a lot, don't let in knock you down to where you want to get too.

 

 

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[gensetsteve]

I gained a government contract years ago because we were already doing one off repairs and had proved our selves reliable. When we arrived to service the sets the manager showed us the tenders and we were 3 times the price of the nearest quote so its not always about the lowest price.

[Ian C]

If your quoting against, as you put it a decent long going firm my guess is there mind had already been made they just needed other quotes to make it look fair... This happens a lot, don't let in knock you down to where you want to get too.

 

 

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Yep thats about right, goes on more than people realise.

 

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[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Totally agree with Fredwood, Hedgesparrow, Matty F & IC Trees! Stick to YOUR guns (standards & pricing.) My last 2 parish council quotes (different parishes) have resulted in exposing the PC as corrupt / inept / incompetent.

 

One, I spent a day surveying and compiling a work schedule for a dozen mature trees in or around a play area / skate park and adjacent / overhanging a road. Each tree with different issues and associated priorities attached to the work which had be detailed in the county council report.

 

The council then appointed 'the village idiot' to do the work - coincidence that he is on the parish council....??

 

When I phoned the clerk to get an update on the tender process she said - "oh, you've missed it, the work is taking place tomorrow." I pointed out that there was no road works application in place - a requirement she was fully aware of having previously worked in admin at a local arb training provider.

 

Right enough, the next day, the work was done - of a fashion! I was in the area, so stopped by to have a look at the job. I wasn't alone, there was a lady there loading her car with the logs that had been left on the verge. She saw me taking pictures and asked if I was there to check the work. "Kind of...." I replied and asked her what her connection with it was. "oh, I'm the wife of the PC chairman" she replied.

 

Since I had a copy of the county council survey on my IPhone, I pointed out to her that the "village idiot" had:

 

(a) butchered the Beech which wasn't a priority (and left it in a worse state than before) and ignored the Oak which was the priority!

(b) not remedied the priority hazard in the correct tree

© dropped large chunks of timber from height onto the road surface causing damage

(d) No road works application - major H&S fail as the road was active

(e) chipped into the verge blocking a drainage culvert

 

All in all, a total shambles..... And they were fined for the damage to the road surface. The PC haven't learnt from this though as I heard they are still using the same "village idiot" who recently dropped a limb onto a school bus whilst working adjacent to a highway without SLG and licence AGAIN!

 

The other one I'll be a little more candid about the details as it is currently with the legal department of the county council for investigation. I'll update the staggering incompetence / corruption of that PC once the legal beagles have had a bite at them but suffice to say, it's a beauty!