Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/75653
70 • AUGUST 2012 • WORLD FENCE NEWS Here is one of our favorite columns from construction estimator, educator and crazy guy Steve Saucerman, in which he presents the 10 things that are absolutely certain to happen on bid day. 1. The eight gate hardware quota- tions you receive the morning that bids are due will be based on eight different quantities. None will be correct. 2.You will add a .5% to your P&O line-item right before you send off your proposal. You will lose the bid by .48%. Twenty-two minutes later – after the bid deadline – you'll receive a fittings quote that would've put you $100 under the low guy. 3. The fax machine will stop work- ing and your internet service goes down. Your receptionist will start cry- ing. You'll give her a raise to get her to stop. 4. The music will start and you'll begin dancing to the increasingly-pop- The gospel according to Steve The 10 truths of bid day BY STEVE SAUCERMAN ular "Four-Step Architectural Shuffle." It goes like this (there's also an easy-to- follow floor template to help you learn!): • The project you're bidding right now will be 40% over the architect's original budget – the same budget through which the architect convinced the owner to award him the job in the first place. • All bids will be thrown out. • The architect will charge the owner to re-draw the plan. He'll blame the "bidding environment" and infer that the bidders are in collusion and conspiring to take advantage of the owner. The owner will pay for the re- draw. • Three months later, you'll receive revised documents, vocally express dis- tain at the degeneration of the design in- dustry, and go on to re-bid the project for as many times as they care to parade it in front of you. 5. Throughout the day, your imme- diate superior – without warning – will repeatedly and hysterically burst into your office with little other purpose than to let you know he's sure you're going to miss something. Special note: Some of the more progressive states are moving to curb this offense. For example, in Kansas, you are now allowed by statute to whack the perpetrator in the side of the head with a rolled-up set of blueprints once the perpetrator has interrupted you for the fifth time in one bid day. (The blueprints must be heavy enough to hurt; generally, a project value of $5 million is sufficient.) Be sure to check your local laws. 6. At some point during the day, Specifically formulated for ease-of- application, Standard Paints exterior Wood DefenderTM stains help protect and beautify wood structures. With one coat you are assured of uniform application with no runs, drips or back brushing. Mildew resistant, Wood Defender stains contain ultraviolet inhibitors to stabilize wood color and provide long lasting wood protection. Our products, techniques and equipment are proven by hundreds of successful applicators that we have trained. INQUIRE ABOUT EQUIPMENT, START UP PACKAGES AND TRAINING REGISTER TODAY! 940 S. 6th Ave. Mansfield, TX 76063 WWW.WOODDEFENDER.COM • (817) 477-5060 • (817) 477-5030 you'll carry on a conversation with someone who will describe themselves as a "Type A" personality. Twenty sec- onds later in the talk there will be no doubt in your mind what the "A" stands for. 7.You will now enter the "addenda zone": PRO PACKAGE • 45% of the subcontractors and suppliers bidding the project will have seen all of the addenda. • 35% will have seen numbers 1 and 3 only, and will demand you to fax them number 2. • 15% won't know what an ad- ST-250 denda is. • 4% couldn't spell "addenda" even if you spotted them the a's , d's , and n. • 1% will be bidding the wrong project. 8. When you arrive at the bid let- ting at five minutes to two and realize that no other bidders are going to show up, you will not even for a moment con- sider jacking your bid up (at least 50%) before you hand yours in. This – of course – would be wrong. 9. At 1:23 PM (the bid's due at 2), when you still have not gotten a re- sponse from the concrete guy – whose number you need desperately to com- plete your spreadsheet – you will gather all of your skill, training, and experi- ence as a professional estimator, hop into your car, drive down to Vinny's Tavern, and get the number face-to- face. 10.You will come back tomorrow and do it all over again. Start planning now for FENCETECH'13 The American Fence Association (AFA) has announced that FENCETECH'13 – the 51st edition of the industry-wide trade show and edu- cation event – will be held in conjunc- tion with Fence Industry Week, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston, February 27 – March 1. It is not too early to start planning to attend (or exhibit at) the upcoming show, and it is easy by visiting www.FENCETECH.com for registra- tion information and show updates. For more specific information about FENCETECH'13 and Fence Industry Week, contact Maria Prior or Moira Fisher at AFA headquarters at 800- 822-4342 or mariap@cmservices.com or moiraf@cmservices.com. AFA said that the expansion re- flects the association's growing com- mitment to industry training and education and will offer attendees a "one stop shop" for the association's training and camps. Guaranteed Fence And Deck Sealer