How To Bid Parking Lot Striping
Bid Parking Lot Striping Per Foot vs. Per Stall…?
Sometimes it is as easy as; Paint…plus…labor…times (2) = the bid.
That said…divide that number by the footage would equal a “Per Foot” price…for THAT job.
Next…here are the problems with the; “Per Stall Pricing”. ( Yes…there are (2) problems. )
1) if…if…IF…everything is Head In…fine. Bid it Per Stall.
Let’s say 100, “head in” stalls = 450.00 = 4.50 per stall = .25 cents per foot.
But…what if there’s a Centerline?
What about Parking Lot Stencils ?
What about Diagonal Lines…inside the walkway associated with the Handicap Stencils?
AND…what about the actual Handicap Parking Lot Stencil…?
What if there are OTHER stencils?!!
Therefore…If I have a 100 car lot…ALL head in…NO STENCILS…I get it…it’s 4.50 per stall.
BUT,..if the 100 car lot is divided into two rows of 50?
That means I ALSO have (2) Centerlines…( 25 x 9 x 2 ). ( 450 additional feet. )
AND…what if there’s 4 Directional Arrows?…!!!…in EACH aisle…! = 12.
AND…AND…what if there’s (8) Handicap Stencils ? ( AND…what about the diagonal lines associated with those walkways ? )
Now the price is 1800′ + 450′ for the Centerlines and 200″ for the Diagonal Lines…( for the Handicap Stencils ).
That NOW equals 2450′ x .25 = 612.50. ( That alone is over 6.00 “Per Stall”…ish…! )
THEN…add for the (12) arrows AND…don’t forget the Handicaps. ( That may be another 400.00. )
Bottom Line…you cannot bid parking lot striping with a ROCK SOLID Per Stall price…because EVERY parking lot is different.
Here’s problem (2);
People who say that they bid parking lot striping by the stall…also say this; “We charge a simple 6.00 per stall.
And…we simply DO NOT charge for the Stencils or Hashed Out areas.”
Next…If the customer ever has another bid…the proverbial “bottom line” tells ALL.
That company would NOT get the job with 100 Head In Stalls. Their price is too high.
And…if they bid 6.00 per stall on Lot # 2…they’d be low. ( That lot was around 10.00 per stall. ) Then what? Do you NOT re-stripe the stencils?
Do you ask for more money…at the job?
In other words…the Second Trouble with Per Stall Bidding is this; you may have trouble.
My best advice is this…treat your client like you’d treat yourself. IF…IF…they ask for a “per stall” bid…let them know how that cannot be consistent. Then…give them a “Lump Sum” bid = 1,000.00.
And…say this…( it’s in my book; How I Stripe ) …
Re-Stripe To Existing Layout and Pattern
Includes; Paint; Traffic White / Yellow / Blue
Includes; All Existing Stall Lines. All Existing Directional Arrows. All Existing Handicap Stencils.
Cost…1000.00.
Try that.
It works for me.
Then I walk away. I hope I get the job. I’m NOT saying; do not follow up. I am saying; sleep well.
DO NOT care about the other bids. If you leave 100.00 on the table…to a point…who cares?
As long as you are happy…bid it AND WALK AWAY.
I’ve been higher than all three other bidders…who cares…that’s how I saw the job…they can have it.
( I GOT THAT JOB. INDOORS. )
I’ve bid “low” to get a job close to me…I may have left money on the table…but…I made exactly the amount I predicted…and had another job close by.
I fretted over another job. I ended up being the ONLY bidder…!
What about multiple trips? BlahBlah…!
Bid each job as YOU see it.
Last…most of us bid parking lot striping; per foot. Then, we add the stencil price. Then; curb, if any. Etc.
And…we bid; Lump Sum = one price for the entire job. We don’t “break it all out”. ( How I bid is shown in my book. )
I hope I helped.
Let me know.
Let me know.
Dan
Dan you are a 100% correct on the per foot price it just works better and I have done it from day 1. Plus I charge more or less depending on my product I use.