OT?-Workdays - Lockdown Reflections

[Jack Harry Teesdale]

Musing about past work experiences, as you do.

I was wondering if some 'old' tenets of the construction industry are still true today.

First chestnut; it takes a pounds worth of labour to fit a pounds worth of materials. Never universally true but a common rule of thumb in electrical and plumbing trades.

Second; in competitive tendering; the party awarded the contract made the biggest mistake with the (under) estimate. Probably less true since the days of computer based estimating.

Third chestnut; You won't always win the jobs you would really like to but you will invariably be offered the ones you didn't really want (but quoted for so as not to be dropped from the tender list).

Fourth chestnut; but probably the truest. If you are not rushed off your feet (busy) you are not making money.

Call me cynical but i heard all the above more times than i care to remember.

What do the panel think/remember?

[John]

It has been said that Arny Weinstock would get his GEC contracts team to prepare very competitive tenders for the CEGB with important parts missing. When discovered some time later, the additional work would added as a variation to the contract and charged for on a day rate basis. In some instances costing more than the original contract. All ready m'boy..

[Jack Harry Teesdale]

Why does that not suprise me!

[newshound]

Certainly a general principle that a lot of such firms made their profits from the variations. But although (in principle) the power stations built in the 1950's and 60's were built under competitive tender, in practice there was a big element of "buggins turn" in the interest of maintaining two or more viable suppliers.

In the end of course it became clear that the UK could not support multiple "state of the art" large engineering firms and they gradually rolled together and the facilities were rationalised. I always found it fascinating that immediately post WW2 we could actually design and build three independent V-bombers, but I suppose that reflects the comparatively healthy state of the aeroplane industry with plenty of work over the war period.

Mostly, the CEGB picked up the variations in the nuclear industry because, to be fair, there was a lot of novel engineering. They did of course take over the consortium that was notionally building Dungeness B.

[spuorgelgoog]

More like £50 to fit a £1 accessory or fitting now. £100 if that's the whole job.

"a broken light bulb in the stairwell of their five-flat block was fixed by factor Peverel Scotland. The invoice was for £35 for "labour" and further cash for the cost of the bulb, making a total of £48.84." and that was in 2012

For a PFI hospital (locked into contracts for 25?30 years) it has been claimed £466 to replace a light fitting, £242 for a new padlock and £75 on an air freshener, £525 to move three beds. Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals trust paid out £8,450 to install a dishwasher, £929 to install a double data point and two double electrical sockets, £184 to install a bell in reception. North Staffordshire trust was charged £13,704 to install three lights in the garden

Owain

[Jack Harry Teesdale]

PFI came in after my working days but i am not in the least surprised at those figures.

The only parallel i would have to that is where a contract was in progress and a variation was requested by the client, that was often the cue for a well padded out invoice to be rendered.

[jon]

.....because the top of the pressure vessel was made too small.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa)]

There is a newer one, My last *inssert trade here* left me with the job half finiished, what would you charge to sort it out? grin Brian

[Dave Plowman (News)]

And look what happened to GEC. ;-)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If someone was called out simply to replace one bulb, of course the labour cost is going to be high. Including travelling time.

[tim...]

Weinstock retired and a bunch of cowboys took over

tim

[Vir Campestris]

Simple arithmetic tells me that if the labour was £35, and the cost of the bulb took it to £48.84, that was a ripoff.

Andy

[tim...]

£35 labour £5.70 bulb (a bit it on the high side, but not out of the ballpark for CFLs, 8 years ago)

20% vat

total 48.84

HTH

tim

[Robin]

+1 - my thought for a block of flats was a 2D

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Depends on the bulb? Lots of discharge types are pretty pricey. Then add on VAT.

The gutter press rarely give an exact breakdown of costs if it would stop their reader's righteous indignation.

[charles]

Our local hospital once had the 'gents' in the reception area only lit by days light from a tiny high level window. A notice stuck up said "Our contracted out company only change light bulbs on Mondays". I hope they'd come more often it it was an operating theatre.

[GB]

Like The Guardian.

--

[R D S]

On the topic of indignation,

Had a guy in the 'shop'* wanting a reglaze, single vision lenses into his own frame. I was charging £15 quid for this, a steal IMO.

I plucked the lenses out of our stock and plonked them on the desk, told him i'd have them done for him to collect later in the day.

He gave the packets the once over and seemed interested so I got the lenses out to show him and sadly provoked the "2 bits of plastic" chestnut.

He pressed me on how much they cost so I told him. 56p for the pair.

56p into £15 quid, he was outraged. I don't give a shit, I can easily justify what we charge. The machine that cuts them costs a 5 figure sum and I need to pay someone to run it.

The best bit though, he ran a hire shop! If ever there was money for old rope.

Have people always resented other's profits, or is it a Money Saving Expert/Alibaba thing?

*Stuffy ophthalmic professional types like you to call it a practice!

[Vir Campestris]

It does. I tend to quote inc VAT prices, or ex VAT - not a mixture, and I hadn't thought of that.

Andy

[Andrew]

IBM always quoted for a computer that was going to be underpowered, so they could charge megabucks for an upgrade (once the company had all their important data running and whatever it replaced had been removed.)