Handrail pricing

[Rlynn]

Hey, I started my side business fabricating trailers and repairing heavy equipment. When I graduated college I was certified in every welding process but my specialty was Tig. I already worked for my family construction company, so after college I just welded on the side. Now my business has grown in 6 months to welding every night. My newest job is welding aluminum hand rails for a air force base. It made a great excuse to buy a Tig so i couldn't resist. I have over 70 joints of 1.5"tubing to weld. I went and bought a AC/DC Tig because the spool gun was a little to large. My question is what would you guys get for a hourly wage for something like this? Any other tips or advice would be great. Thanks

[machavis]

If you are supplying all the wire, gas and other B.S. $50 min. but closer to $65 if the economy will tolerate it.

My 2cents

[Dualie]

depends on where you are. If your directly selling them to the government be prepared to jump through a lot of hoops. pricing is just one bit of it. if your not a licensed business with a federal tax id number your going to be shut out.

[walker]

You might update your user CP to let everybody know where you are, Northeast is a big place, narrow it down a bit and you might find a local willing to help you with a rate.

[Gjertson]

Also with government jobs and work for large corporations some times it takes a very long time to get paid and there is also alot of waiting for signatures and general bs that all needs to be factored into the cost of job. Good luck with you project!

[Rlynn]

Thanks guys, I'm located in central New York. I've been subbed in by another contractor and he is going to purchase them off me and install then, so it would be the same as buying them offline. That way I can do this without a federal tax id.

[Dualie]

if you think that will work more power to you. personally i wouldnt take the risk. especially since its the military. after 9/11 they dont let the small details go un noticed.

[DSW]

if you think that will work more power to you. personally i wouldnt take the risk. especially since its the military. after 9/11 they dont let the small details go un noticed.

Agreed. I used to work for a company that supplied a lot of stuff to the military and there was a ton of paperwork to show where items originated from after 9/11. Most stuff had to have documentation that it was US made. We could get bags made by manufacturers whose products were mostly manufactured overseas for 1/4 what it cost to get the same bags made here. The military didn't care. If you couldn't provide the proper documentation to go with the product, it was "no sale". One of the big sticking points were zippers. There was no US manufacturer for the zippers they wanted attached to the bags. It was cheaper to get someone to start up limited production here with all the associated hassles and background paperwork, than to get clearance to use stock zippers made in Europe.

[Jo Diesel]

I would bill the consumables with a 30% markup and then $50 an hour. That should be fare. I know you will have to estimate the amount of gas, but after a few tanks you can get a feel for how many hours you get out of a tank. In my experiance, people will pay more if they see what they are paying for.