[lortech]

The company call Corporate IT solutions called me off platform to find a electrical company to do a estimate of between 1 conduit drop to four drops. Two drops are data and two are electrical.

So I looked up a electrical company in the BBB with a A+ rating and had them come out to the local tire store which is part of chain stores.

There are four "small" estimates for this site. The first is electrical drop from tire rack #1 and electrical for tire rack #2. The electrical will tap into existing junction boxes on ceiling 15 feet away and 22 feet away from both racks.

The second estimate is to run data for both racks in the event of no wireless wifi is uses.

The path to follow would to run conduit from the data room up 30 feet though one floor to the celing, then another bend and conduit going 30 feet across ceiling. Another left hand 90 degree bend at the middle point of the celing to about 10-15 feet above tire rack #1. The conduit then would end at a junction box, or another 90 degree and drop down into a single gang box. IF two cables one for each rack would be installed, then another conduit going off the junction box would lead to the second rack, with a 90 degree bend going down into a single gang box for data drop #2.


The electrical company provided a estimate that runs as follows

$445 Electrical drop to middle of first rack

$835 Electrical and data drop to middle of first rack

$990 Electrical drop to first and second rack

$1155 Electrical and data drop to first and second rack

This rate does not include my rate of terminating the electrical end and supplying parts.


Corporate IT solutions did not return my email for the estimate, and has gone behind my back and put this on a IT technicians board similar to fieldsolutions.com for other technicians to bid on it and have it done TODAY!!! as it was posted this morning. The company is only paying 90 DOLLARS a hour! for four hours to compete this work.

Does CITS understand, the Vancouver region is the most expensive area in north America in which to live and work?

Ever deal with companies like this? We technicians on field nation call these companies Pizza petes, because they can be so cheap in there bids.

BTW, I have considered calling electrical companies if they are willing to outsource voice/data circuits including multi line trunk installing cisco gear. Do you know if electrical companies will often call on low voltage/network technicians for this work?

 

[macmikeman]

Low voltage companies pay their employees about what a hamburger flipper gets. The higher ups have little respect for anybody lower on the totem pole than them, especially "technicians". So they freak out at standard charging rates presented by educated electrical contractors.

I don't bother with them any longer. Last time a lv company called asking for an "estimate" I stopped them mid sentence with "My labor rates alone are in excess of $300 an hour plus so don't waste any of my time unless you are prepared to spend good money for a job well done." He thanked me for my time and hung up, and I went about my daily business.

 

[Giorgio.g]

Low voltage companies pay their employees about what a hamburger flipper gets. The higher ups have little respect for anybody lower on the totem pole than them, especially "technicians". So they freak out at standard charging rates presented by educated electrical contractors.

I don't bother with them any longer. Last time a lv company called asking for an "estimate" I stopped them mid sentence with "My labor rates alone are in excess of $300 an hour plus so don't waste any of my time unless you are prepared to spend good money for a job well done." He thanked me for my time and hung up, and I went about my daily business.

Good for you!

 

[lortech]

They are not a lv company, but a middle man IT company

The thing is with this model, it cuts the pie pieces a little smaller.

You or other electricians may get these calls from time to time.

These companies outsource IT and Telecom work to national board like fielsolutions.com onforce.com and so on.

The jobs are often small, perhaps 2 hours or half a day. Others can be rollouts lasting weeks. Some IT contractors have known to gross as much as $60,000 to $100,000 a year PLUS income from their own clients. This depends on saturation of technicians of the region and location in the country.

What I really despise about these outsource boards at times. The bid information does not tell you who the client is, the location of the site address of the job site. The company will show a map and zip/postal code but that is about it. Us technicians call these "buyers" or paying clients secret shoppers. The scope of work or SOW can be really details, or little detail on what the jobs SOW is. If the job is outside the SOW, we inform them to ask for more time and be paid for it.