Bill, I've read the other posts and wanted to throw in my 2 cents. I believe your question could be phrased differently since many people seem to think you are asking "who gets a bigger paycheck?" which I don't think is your question at all. I think you are trying to seriously ask where is the greatest exposure for "losing your shirt" on a job?
I agree that all aspects are very crucial to the success of a project but for the sake of answering your question, if the salesman (owner/president) did a good job of estimating, and the designer did a good job on his/her design, then I have always believed that your field crews are where your money is made or lost. For the most part, the labor is really your only true "unknown" on each job. Given enough time, an estimator can layout a project and come up with a fairly accurate cost for the materials and your designer should be able to give you a fairly good layout/shop drawing within budget since you have fairly accurate history to go on. Once it gets to the field the whole game changes. If your company has more than 1 or 2 field crews you (as an estimator) have to either cover your labor for the worst case (slowest crew) and take a chance on losing the job since your price is too high, or bid it with a reasonable amount of labor $$ and hope that things go well. Even the best estimate and design can be screwed up by poor field installation but a poor estimate and or design can be salvaged with an exceptional field crew. Your field crews are the most visible to the GC. Your trucks are the most visible to the general public. Your field crews are working with all of the other trades. Your company, like it or not, is known by your field crews. Train them well, buy them quality tools to work with, get them dependable, well maintained vehicles and pay them what they deserve and your business will thrive and prosper. All aspects are important, but once the dust settles, your $$ is made or lost in the field. IMHO PS: I've never worked in the field (other than helping out some of my crews) so this isn't an old "field hand" talking. Cliff Whitfield Fire Design, Inc. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 11:35 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Who's the most important person? Who makes the most money for a typical sprinkler company? 1. Owner/President 2. Designer 3. Field Super I see the owner deciding which jobs to chase and what the final price should be - I see the designer figuring out the most economical piping system - I see the field super making sure the crew is working most efficiently. In each case, a slip-up sacrifices job margin. Bill Brooks William N. Brooks, P.E. Brooks Fire Protection Engineering Inc. 372 Wilett Drive Severna Park, MD 21146 410-544-3620 Phone 410-544-3032 FAX 412-400-6528 Cell _______________________________________________ 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)
