Price List Flat Rate

artisanelect

Hello, I am looking for some free information on flat rate pricing. I just got my Ec licence. I am tight on funds right knoq and don't want to spend any money.
I really don't know too much about the current pricing list......Can some please help a newbie...with some kind of list to work off of.

Thanks



high hats
fans
service
lighting etc etc........................

send_it_all

I wish you would have done some searching on this site before posting your question. You about to get the default lecture.

Forry

Wait for it.....

Here it comes....

Duck and cover!

__________________
now i am scared for my future
i've got all ten
smashed a lot of them stupidly before
-john5mt

artisanelect

Hey what did I do wrong.

MAN O MAN

ABLE1

Wow!!!! Do you want the short list or the long list???????

I bleed for you. Wait this every other electrical contractor logs on and reads your post. You may want to consider deleting the post and then do some searching here on Contractor Talk.

Man you are just too hot to touch.

Good luck and blue skies.........................

Les

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ABLE1

artisanelect

Hey what can I say. I just did a search and found nothing that will help me.
It always pays to ask for help sometimes.


Thanks

ABLE1

Might find some kind of answer in here.

http://www.contractortalk.com/search...archid=1178192

Good luck!!

Les

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ABLE1

JohnJ0906

Artisanelect, welcome to the forum.

The first thing you need to do, is figure out your costs of doing business. All of your overhead expenses, insurance, vehicle, etc. Don't forget your salary and PROFIT!

A price that might be profitable for one company might be a money loser for another.

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John from Baltimore
"One Day at a Time"
All replies based on the 2008 NEC

woodchuck2

Welcome and X2 on this advise but remember that your overhead may be alot more than other contractors, meaning you may end up charging more than others because of it. IMO you should also feel out what other contractors are charging in your area for a better idea what to charge.

Jim M

Other factors will effect your prices too. Are you doing service work or is this new resi construction? Is it custom or tract homes?

Your cost to add a receptacle in new work is greatly different than trying to add the same thing in old work with plaster walls.

I feel your pain and understand asking for help, but this is like asking how much a house costs. Is it an 800 sq ft ranch or is it a McMansion on the shore.

There are business forums on other sites that can provide insight also. Just reading the previous posts can help you formulate your pricing.

Try Electrcialknowledge and electrical-contractor.net

excellencee

You need to know your costs before you can price anything. I worked for a guy about ten years ago who billed out at $18 per manhour. Never made money and couldn't fiqure out why. When we parted ways, he gave me a $27,000 rewire that broke down as $9,000 in materials, $9,000 in labor and $9,000 in profit. The $9,000 in profit caught me so I took the job. I feel fortunate the the educational experience of that job was only a $12,000 loss. Obviously me costs and his were very different. I can recommend a website that I use a few times a year to make sure my numbers are ok. http://costcalc.masterplumbers.com/utilities/costcalc/
As a new startup, you'll have to estimate things like advertising and fuel. Don't forget to factor in non-productive time like trips to the supply house. Travel time is easy to overlook, too. Your costs will be different doing new construction as opposed to service ( one job all day vs. 5-6 jobs a day). Find out what yours costs are. I heard a guy this week say if they could do it for that, so can I. Bill what you need and don't forget profit. I'm refiguring my prices right now to cover 5 trucks with well compensated guys. That way as I add truck 4 & 5, my prices are already in place to cover the associated costs.

concretemasonry

One thing about flat rate pricing by opening, type, etc. is that most published flat rates get out and they are based on averages.

The big problem is that you only get the work where you are low and the jobs with the higher prices (where you hope to make up) you never get. The result is you end up doing a lok of low rate jobs, which makes your average revenue go down.

You only get what you are low on and never get the stuff you plan to use to make up the low pricing. - You only dig your own hole. - This applies to all trades that are subject to a different mix of jobs in a project.

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Dick

Engineer, designer and consultant recently active domestically and internationally on construction and design in about 35 countries.

Magnettica

Just keep reading other peoples posts on the subject of running a business and soon enough you'll understand a thing or two about what it takes to make money as a contractor. It ain't easy cus if it was we'd all be out there working for ourselves.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

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mahlere

absolutely 100% incorrect....a flat rate system is not about price...price is the lowest level of importance with a good flat rate system...

if all you do is sell on price, flat rate is not for you...but then you aren't running a flat rate system.

TMG1

Not sure about previous posts but bought this one http://www.electrician-electricalcon...lflatrate.html
you got to do some work yourself but cant beat it for the money.

excellencee

Tmg,
How long have you been using that flat rate guide? Are you happy with it? Is it "user friendly" for your field techs? About how many pages are in the printed books? Sorry for all the questions.

TMG1

sorry excellencee but not here often.

About a year ago. I got 3 trucks and it helped switching to flat rate. some of them out there are 2 xpensive so I went with this one. does the job well and doesn't cost an arm and leg. It didn't come in book but software. you have to print out your own. you also have to do some work on your own. Basically a spreadsheet that you put most of your own numbers in, so you can't take this and use the same day, but like I said before best electrical flat rate for the money that I've seen.
"user friendly"? yeah but depends on how you put this thing together. if I remember correctly got mine ready and printed in about a week.
if you are looking for plug and play or printed books then look some place else but it will cost you more $. I figure give it a shot to see if it works for me and my guys if not then I didn't lose alot of money anyway.
Heard soi much about flat rate pricing method that I wanted to give it a shot but did not want to spend thousands $ trying it. If you do it right and set your own prices then it can work.
But I dont see how prices in San Diego can work for Idaho though. thats why Im skeptical about the ones that already have prices and are printed. My customers aren't paying California prices flat rate or not!

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Just Received a Free Upgrade from these guys. It's the second edition of their flat rate program. Can't believe the difference. It's much better and easier to use. It has a main setup page that the first one didn't and more explanations on how to use this thing. The price went up by $50 to $200 but an even better value than the first one at $150. Here's the link:

http://www.electrician-electricalcon.../flatrate.html

If you bought the 1st edition then it looks like you may get a free upgrade too. They also have question / answer page now. Wish they had this when i was putting this thing together the first time.

jazzbone

Sometimes the money that comes in looks great and sometimes is but keep in mind your profit is going to be taxed so be prepared also liability insurance including workmans comp. is not cheap and thats if you don't use it. for a few years take what you need but save the rest until you figure out the game

jpplumbing

i pluged my numbers in and it came up with $193 hr.

mark@hometowngc

I am new to this site and I like it already! YES you need to know YOUR costs. When figuring your prices you need to understand the difference between mark up and Profit Margin.