WOW, if we did not bid this way we would conservatively bid 45% of the jobs incorrectly (due to incorrect drawings), 5% correctly and we would just not bid the other 50% because there is no criteria to go by. We do lose some work to the shortcutters and it stinks.
Greg Living Water Fire Protection, LLC 1160 McKenzie Road Cantonment, FL 32533 850-937-1850 Fax: 850-937-1852 -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 10:56 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: Contractor or Consultant How can anyone put a bid together without having some criteria to follow? If each contractor comes up with his own scheme the bids would be meaningless since you probably won't have apples to apples to compare. I would be very leery of that whole deal. They can shortcut the process and just put some sprinklers in the room and come out real cheap but all the while not have a system that would be worth anything. But they can low-ball the bid and then come back after the contract is signed to negotiate the change order for what the Underwriter really wants and what will really work. If you try to do it the right way you probably won't be low bidder and most owners reviewing the bids won't know the difference between one bid or the other, they'll just be looking at the price. You just can't win in those types of situations, and have to ask yourself if it's even worth the time and effort. Craig L. Prahl, CET Fire Protection Group Mechanical Department CH2MHILL Lockwood Greene 1500 International Drive PO Box 491, Spartanburg, SC 29304-0491 Direct - 864.599.4102 Fax - 864.599.8439 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.lg.com -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Dewayne Martinez Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 11:43 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: Contractor or Consultant I am asking as a contractor. In Wisconsin, the fire protection contractor is often asked to determine the design criteria for projects. I have argued with my superiors that if it is out of our area of expertise, we should consult a professional engineer to provide a design criteria. They tell me that it is just for a bid and that companies x,y,z have put together numbers without consulting a professional. I still have trouble believing in the "just wing it" theory of sales. Sorry for the rant.... Dewayne -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Roland Huggins Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 10:24 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Contractor or Consultant Are you asking as a CONTRACTOR or a CONSULTANT? Our industry often blurrs that line without considering the ramifications (ie type and amount of insurance, whether your current insurance actually covers making that decision, etc). When someone ask WHAT KIND OF SYSTEM should be used, does the Forum consider that a contractor or a consultant question? Roland On Dec 5, 2007, at 6:52 AM, Dewayne Martinez wrote: > We have been asked to provide a quote for fire protection of a room > (80' > x 25' x 50' high) that contains 2 very large oil-cooled transformers. > This room is located inside an unheated steel manufacturing building. > The entire building right now is unsprinklered. The insurer for the > business has requested fire protection for the room containing the > transformers only. I read an article that suggested using NFPA 15 and > provide exposure protection but it also stated that oil-filled > transformers should be located outside the building. What is the best > way to protect this room? Is fire protection now required thought the > building? > Thanks, > Dewayne > > _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field) _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field) _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field) _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field)
