How much negotiating room is there on most quotes for work ?

[mikeyw]

Hi,

I've had a quote from a builder for some internal work which includes enlarging some openings and fitting steels. The price has come in at £4250 which is more than i was expecting

I'd like to try and get down to the £3500 mark - is this realistic, i'm assuming most builders quote with a bit of padding for movement ?

tia,
Mike.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Get some more quotes. You may be in for some stick on here!

 

[HERTS P&D]

Have you tried negotiating when your at the check out at Tescos's?

Andy

 

[mikeyw]

Have you tried negotiating when your at the check out at Tescos's?

Andy

I'm not going to haggle over a tin of beans but i'd never pay quoted price for a TV / Sofa etc.

Everyone has a bit of movement on price, just a case of trying to determine what's realistic.

Is it an option to offer my labour to help take the walls downs and skip them, more than happy to do this to keep costs down as we've been hit with a large extra by planning elsewhere on the project.

 

[TonyW2]

If you are going to offer labouring work, then you are not negotiating the price of the originally quoted work, but changing the job specification.
Don't confuse the two and if getting further quotes, make sure you really are comparing like with like. Most things can be obtained or made for less, but the quality may reflect that.
There is a new style of obtaining quotes, developing, by which the customer specifies the price and the contractors then competes on only terms of service and quality of offer.
Ie instead of how much to build this extension it becomes how good an extension can you offer for this amount.

 

[Johnmelad]

If you can negotiate a quote down, then the quote was wrong in the first place.

Nothing wrong with asking for a quote with you doing all or some of the labouring in order to keep the costs down.

I have walked away from potential work when the customer keeps on about a discount.

On the other hand, work I do for a local Chinese restaurant I always work out the quote and add 10%, the owner always wants 10% discount and I am happy to oblige him.

Best bet is to get more than one quote and look at the difference and ask for references.

 

[noseall]

we've been hit with a large extra by planning elsewhere on the project.

So you expect the builder to....

to try and get down to the £3500 mark -

However......

The price has come in at £4250 which is more than i was expecting

I suggest you keep getting quotes until you fulfil your expectations. Asking a builder to shave off £750 in the event that you hoik a few bricks and generally get in the way is a bit of a p1$$ take.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Get other quotes.

And/or say to him "sorry - that's just too much - can you suggest any changes to the spec which would bring the price down".

 

[noseall]

say to him "sorry - that's just too much - can you suggest any changes to the spec which would bring the price down".

...erm... i would say "more than we can afford"...

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If you can negotiate a quote down, then the quote was wrong in the first place.

Strikes me as a bad idea for your first offer to always be your BAF one,

Yours isn't, so how do you know that this guy's isn't?

 

[phatboy]

Sometimes a discount can be agreed for prompt payment, a lot of quotes I have received recently include 10% discount for payment within 7 days of invoicing.

 

[noseall]

Sometimes a discount can be agreed for prompt payment, a lot of quotes I have received recently include 10% discount for payment within 7 days of invoicing.

Builders who work in the private world expect to be paid the day they submit an invoice.
We don't go in for al that 30 day, 60 day 90 day stuff. Prompt payment discounts are for the corporate world not ours.

I would be suspicious of such an offer in any case. 10% would be added on to mitigate this irrespective of what they say.

The funny thing is, a lot of my customers would class it as a delayed payment if they paid after say five days.
Me: "I'll give you 10% off if you pay before next Friday"
Customer: "I was going to give you the full amount right now, but i guess if i wait 'till Thursday I might as well have my £500 off."

Stupid idea.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

say to him "sorry - that's just too much - can you suggest any changes to the spec which would bring the price down".

...erm... i would say "more than we can afford"...

Yes - good point.

 

[phatboy]

Builders who work in the private world expect to be paid the day they submit an invoice.
We don't go in for al that 30 day, 60 day 90 day stuff. Prompt payment discounts are for the corporate world not ours.

I would be suspicious of such an offer in any case. 10% would be added on to mitigate this irrespective of what they say.

The funny thing is, a lot of my customers would class it as a delayed payment if they paid after say five days.
Me: "I'll give you 10% off if you pay before next Friday"
Customer: "I was going to give you the full amount right now, but i guess if i wait 'till Thursday I might as well have my £500 off."

Stupid idea.

Not a stupid idea. Maybe its a regional thing then?

Last week I accepted a quotation from a small local double glazing company. The price is £1200, or £1080 if payment is received within 7 days of invoicing. This is for my house, not corporate.

I have never come across a tradesman who expected payment on the day of invoicing. Its either been a standard term on the invoice stating the payment terms, or a weekend 'cash job' where there is no invoice and cash is paid at the end of the day.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Last week I accepted a quotation from a small local double glazing company. The price is £1200, or £1080 if payment is received within 7 days of invoicing. This is for my house, not corporate.

I have never come across a tradesman who expected payment on the day of invoicing. Its either been a standard term on the invoice stating the payment terms, or a weekend 'cash job' where there is no invoice and cash is paid at the end of the day.

All they are doing is applying a 10% penalty for payment after a week. Still, if you think you're getting a good deal .....