I think the challenge is how to decouple the value of a survey from the number of hours it will take to complete it. Hours per task is a concrete, easily quantified value, but they rarely reflect the actual value of the deliverables that we produce.
Over 20 years of reading similar sentiments on this board and predecessor boards and this is still something that takes constant attention to keep from falling into the same old rate X hours = price trap.
Other professions train their people how to run a business. Surveyors hold everything close to the vest. Hence, all the complaints about not charging properly to make a profit and a professional salary.
Hence, problem getting people into the profession.
The economics of surveying needs to be talked about more than anything else. But no one will do it.
Ideas wrapped up in your statement have been suggestions on review forms for CPD classes for many years. I don't think they are only being written in by new licensees. There is an interest in being better at business out there, but I think many people get overwhelmed when they try to start self-learning in that arena. It's not the same as reading a tech manual on a new piece of equipment.
There also are not many people who are willing to even begin to teach a professional development class on technical aspects of surveying. So getting into something like business, management, client relations, etc... is even more difficult to find speakers on.
Some of the key folks that used to share their insights are no longer around to do so.
Apparently my question was something of a faux pas. Please forgive me. I gave a client a fee estimate for a project and took it pretty much on the chin time-wise. I'm giving her an itemized bill, and was just looking for some idea as to going rates for various functions. Again, I most humbly apologize.................
PS I found it interesting that some of you charge more by the hour than local attorneys I deal with.
PS I found it interesting that some of you charge more by the hour than local attorneys I deal with.
Value added.
@sergeant-schultz I don't think your question was a fox paw, or a bloomer either. Seemed quite reasonable to me. We surveyors tend to be insular so how else are we going to know if we are giving away the farm, as some do.
I don't consider your question out of line Sergeant Schultz. However, I don't answer those questions for many reasons.
I can say through the grapevine that some local senior engineers charge 250-300/hr, that presumably some local surveyors charge 50/hr (might explain some of the crazy bids I've seen), I'm between those prices.
I'm happy to discuss my rates, mind you I am a solo operation.
I start at $1400 for any boundary under an acre. I add on if it is more if its really steep or a long drive, etc. A report of survey(just marking the corners) is $1100. I won't do them for anything over an acre.
Boundaries over an acre start at $2.00 a linear foot. The price goes up based on terrain. If it's flat mowed pasture or wide open I will sometimes go a little less than $2.00 a foot. I am extremely liberal in measuring the boundary in GIS when I am giving a quote and I typically round up to the nearest $100.
Topo is $2500 an acre on top of boundary costs.
I charge $250 to record a plat, $350 if I can't e-file it.
Subdivisions are $550 per lot plus county/city fees in addition to the boundary. Recombinations are $400 plus fees.
A simple house stake starts at $550 per trip and it goes up the more corners the house has. IF I have not surveyed the lot previously I add in a report of survey if its a small lot.
Elevation Certificates are $1500.
In one of the counties I work in I have to sometimes do a steep slope report and I charge $1500 for those.
These are my prices and in no way am I saying that anyone should do anything I do.
What hourly rates do you folks use for:
1) 1 person field crew
2) LS
3) Computations & drafting (CAD)
and if you estimate & bill jobs lump-sum, do you end up making the above rates?
Thanks! SS
I think the question is.... do you charge different rates for different tasks?
I thought I needed to do that for years, since it was what my competitors did. But then I realized that myself and my people did a number of different project tasks every day and it was cumbersome to track it. So for project estimating purposes, I had just one hourly rate for every project task since I could not be sure who would be working on it in advance.
PLS hourly rate...
Based on the time I'm allotted to complete projects I believe it.
I have billing rates for standard TS, GNSS,... work and seperate for laserscanning jobs.
Prep is hourly, staking is per half day and surveying jobs lump sum per day.
Deliverables are calculated by time spent
Don't have a cow, Holy. It's only dangerous if the discussion gets specific enough to trend toward specific prices for specific types of work, or toward an agreement to set specific $ amount rates.
The company I work for uses about a 2.8 multiplier and almost never employs lump sum. We don't have a lot of competition in most of our market area and have historically had about 80% of estimates convert into contracts. Over the past 2 years, we would have stayed plenty busy and increased profits if using a 3.0 to 3.25 and probably still would have had a 60% or better estimate to project rate.
I've tried to get the owners to increase the multiplier and make greater use of lump sum contracts, but so far, they've declined to do either. Seems silly to me, but I don't have an ownership interest, so I just chug along doing my job.
