Bigger Projects - The little things make all the difference!
11 April 2022
Each new job we work on is bigger than the last. We’re learning new things all the time, so we don’t take for granted all the small things that need to be considered. Here are a few examples of things that can be helpful to consider when starting a job:
Plans
We’ve got some great estimating resources at our disposal, and we want to get it right for you, the first time. Getting the plans all together will save us guessing when we arrive on site, which will save everyone time and money. Accurately quoting a job without a Power + Data plan is quite difficult. Whilst we may be able to estimate based on what we do have, we can’t see what you or your clients really want, and this could turn out to be a problem.
“We had to quote without Power + Data plans. We did some guesswork to get the quote submitted. When we eventually received the plans we were able to resubmit the quote with accurate information.”
Getting Started
This part of the planning process can trip people up - assumptions can be made about what is being delivered and what isn’t. You know what they say about assuming…!
If you accept the quote as it stands, written approval with the quote as a reference is the best way to go about it. Or if your company operates with Purchase Orders, that’s great, so do we! It’s easy for us to incorporate them in our system, and it gives our team and you the certainty for what work you’ve signed off on, and how much the job is going to cost.
“The customer approved work to begin without quote approval. We had to do a bit of guesswork as to quantities, and rely on the plans instead of an agreed scope. When it was approved with a PO we had certainty on what we had to complete.”
Lighting Specs
It’s a great idea to have a chat with us about our relationship with our usual fantastic suppliers. They are relationships we’ve been building for several years, and we know we can rely on them to take care of us, so we can take care of you, and get the best possible outcome.
During this crazy time of international uncertainty, it’s very likely that international warehouses aren’t stocked with the lights you’ve requested. The sooner you can get us your fixtures schedule or specifications for pendant lighting, the sooner we can order them. We’ll check up on their lead time, let you know, and if it’s too long, we’re ready to source something similar that’s in stock for you, pronto.
It’s always best to spec with Australian suppliers. Not only do they have better stock availability, but they only sell to Australian Standards. International retailers do not have to abide by Australian Standards (but they’re allowed to sell to us), and as Electricians, we are not legally allowed to install something that does not meet our standards.
“The interior designers wanted to order pendant lights from an online international retailer. They did not meet Australian standards, so we presented them with an alternative pendant that was very similar-looking, with a similar price point. Not only was it in stock, but it could be delivered to site within 7 days.”
Clear Timeframes
A clear handover date is absolutely crucial when it comes to completing a job. If the handover is soon and things are running behind for one reason or another, we know we need to throw some more resources onto it to get it done. If we don’t have a timeframe from the get-go, things may get slowed down, and we might not even know it until it’s too late.
“The project had a very very early handover date. We allocated more team members to work on site to meet the clients needs.”
Changes on site
“The customer wanted power and data to the boardroom in the middle of the room. We were not allowed to core holes in the slab. We installed under-carpet duct from the middle of the room to the closest wall.”
“An issue we had was there was nowhere to hang the track lighting upstairs. We came up with the solution to use unistrut between the trusses to hang the light tracks off of.”
Often, it will turn out that some things haven’t been considered in the original design, these are generally discovered when we get to site for the first time. We can’t expect everyone to know as much as we do about electrical installation; through our experience, we know how to identify the gaps. Some flexibility can be required with your budgets so that we can do the job to the required standard. A lot of the time though, some items that have been planned aren’t actually required, so that will end up saving you money. It all balances out.
Other times, the future tenant (your client) may want additions to what was originally planned. We are more than happy to help them out where we can. Our team are pretty great communicators, and we like to have a very open dialogue with Project Managers. Usually additions aren’t a problem and we’ll issue out another quote, we’ll just need that new or updated PO, if you use them, or written approval.
We’re here to help you with getting your jobs quoted accurately, stock in on time, work completed, and invoiced exactly how you want it, on time, every time.
