to PAT or not to PAT

[chris day]

Hello Guys

PAT testing for me has always been a little chargeable favor for clients however i have just been offered a job which is more than i would like 1000+ items, I only want the job as it will lead to proper installation works later.

I normally charge an hourly rate however i dont want to on this
occasion, what is a fair competitive price for booth parties testing each item (not licking and sticking).

Has anyone done large hotels before with any advice on the logistics?

 

[westward10]

Get a piece of paper with all the room numbers, tick them off as you go. Obtain a room list for the vacant rooms and if you are nice try and get a pass key knocking on the door before you enter. Speak to chef about best time to do kitchen, if they have meeting rooms check their availability. Doubtful you will get thevrooms done all at once due to occupancy.

 

[Rpa07]

£1.50 minimum an asset at that amount (1000), would pay your labour on site and still be reasonable price to charge.
You'd have to be covering 50 + a day but the end game is a foot in the door for installs.

 

[Octopus]

Unless you charge well under £1 per item you won't get the work.

My bid is £2.50 per item ...

 

[Rpa07]

Unless you charge well under £1 per item you won't get the work.

My bid is £2.50 per item ...

Exactly, rather walk away for less than a pound an item, labour included! PA testing is exhausting mentally, 1000 items Yuk! (Unless it's raining outside!)
If the job is His anyway then just quoting a good price is what he needs to do for a future with extra work.

 

[chris day]

Thanks for all the responses guys, I'll give a half descent price and be prepared to not get the work as 1000 is yucky stuff

 

[bigspark17]

£1.50 minimum an asset at that amount (1000), would pay your labour on site and still be reasonable price to charge.
You'd have to be covering 50 + a day but the end game is a foot in the door for installs.

Thats £1.50 @ 50 items = £75 a day. You must be having a laugh.

Id be going in @ £2+vat for a good customer or £2.50+vat for a not so good customer looking @ testing 100 items in 10 hour day(10 per hour) £200+v or £250+v a day then.
This sounds about right to me for doing a mind numbing task that can be monotonously soul destroying.

 

[Stspark]

Any less than £2-2.50 per item isn't a realistic price to test an item properly. Unless all equipment is placed in the same room with easy access to it.
'Professional pat testers' charging less simply won't be testing/checking the equipment properly. I've seen numerous badly nicked cables, cracked casing's, loose and bent plug pins, with stickers a few hours old!

 

[Rpa07]

Point is though that this job is his foot in the door for other install work. The PA testing isn't the tendered job issue it is the follow on work that will go with it.
Recent testing I did at £1.50 per item (less than 20) and my 1st hour rate then my hourly. I then had remedials that I went back to fix at my 1st hour rate.
The 1000 assets is the important bit here. The word of mouth and the networking is the end game but that's my opinion!

 

[Stspark]

I wouldn't bother lowering cost with the sniff of possible future work. I suspect a large hotel would have a duty holder or hierarchy that understands their duties of electrical maintenance, and would prefer a quality job as opposed to saving a couple of hundred at your expense.

 

[The Ghost]

50 + a day

Sure you must mean 50 an hour? As stated before PAT on four sites done in two days less than £1 per item, must be two thousand items over all the sites. Badly done mind you lots of mistakes I come across.

 

[draelectricals]

If you already have a foot in the door with the hotel then chances are the price isn't going to matter too much; sell it on what you need it to be - so how long do you expect to be on site for example.

How many rooms in the hotel, how many appliances in each room, what the access is like. Make sure you get a master key and lists of available rooms. Doing a hotel can be a nightmare unless well managed. Access to rooms is generally restricted to between check out and check in which reduces how many you can do each day too.

Would you not be better teaming up with a reputable company in your area to do the PAT for you then you don't have to do it but still get the link to the hotel for your other work.

Hello Guys

PAT testing for me has always been a little chargeable favor for clients however i have just been offered a job which is more than i would like 1000+ items, I only want the job as it will lead to proper installation works later.

I normally charge an hourly rate however i dont want to on this
occasion, what is a fair competitive price for booth parties testing each item (not licking and sticking).

Has anyone done large hotels before with any advice on the logistics?