[SML] bidding on a project

[Bill Sapsis]

Having run a scene shop for a number of years (in conjunction with the rigging) 

"Get paid for the time spent on a bid?”  Do you mean the company bidding wants to charge you up front for producing a bid?  If so, that’s ridiculous.*

"How much information?”  The more information you provide the more accurate the bid will be.  If you don’t provide things like dimensions, textures, specific materials, etc then you will get bids that are all over the map & higher than necessary.  Shops don’t like to guess and when they have to guess, they guess high.

The amount of time spent on a bid is directly proportional to the amount of information provided.  

*Unless, of course, you haven’t provided any information on the bid drawings/documents and the shop has to do your job for you.  

I once had a designer provide paint elevations done in crayon.  Yes, in crayon.  If I had had the time I really wanted to build two sets, the first in crayon, just to see the look on his face when we set it up.  Looking back now, I should have done that.


Bill S

bill at sapsis-rigging.com
http://www.sapsis-rigging.com
+1.267.278.4561   mobile
+1.215.228.0888   x206


> On Oct 8, 2015, at 9:03 AM, Curtis Phillips via Stagecraft <stagecraft at theatrical.net> wrote:
> 
> I have designed a set for a new company who does not have a builder so
> they are sending out the design for bidding.  They are getting some
> crazy feedback, so  I was wondering if people can comment on their own
> experiences of bidding on construction projects.
> 
> Does one get paid for the time spent on a bid?  lets say you are
> building a set - how much information from a designer do you need in
> order to put together a bid?  How much time do you spend on a bid?
> anything else another should know from a bidder?
> 
> Any info is appreciated.  thanks
> 
> -- 
> Curtis Phillips
> Associate Professor/Scenic Designer
> University of Minnesota Duluth
> 218.491.4019
> cphillip at d.umn.edu
> http://www.d.umn.edu/~cphillip/Curtis_Phillips/Home.html
> www.d.umn.edu/theatre
> 
> "As always, please excuse the typos"
> 
> 
> 
> Sent with MailTrack
> 
> ____________________________________________________________
> For list information see <http://stagecraft.theprices.net/>
> Stagecraft mailing list
> Stagecraft at theatrical.net
> http://theatrical.net/mailman/listinfo/stagecraft_theatrical.net

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://theatrical.net/pipermail/stagecraft_theatrical.net/attachments/20151008/29e5e924/attachment.html>