Deliverables

Sure it's reasonable. Don't ever think twice about charging for your organization's time and resources. If the client requests it, give it to them.

I mean there is difference in price when ordering a "plain hamburger" compared to ordering a "hot-hamdog-chicken-chili-cheeseburger", don'tcha think?

Thanks. That is what I was thinking.

It just was kind of strange to me as we don't specifically charge for surveying. We just charge our clients X amount to do the project which includes surveying and many other things.

I have always viewed the surveying as something we have to do and I provide the data in whatever format they request.

I don't like to nickle and dime my customers I like giving them turnkey prices for things and sticking to it and it has worked well over the years and I have not ran into things like this very often.

Maybe provide to you client on-line resources where he can convert the data in all of them formats of his choice.

If he wants YOU to prepare it all, charge for it.

It's not just reasonable, it's essential to both your business and your mental health 😛

Most surveyors charge extra for restaking and all kinds of additional work. The fact that they are asking for the data in seemingly every format known to man sounds kind of crazy to me, but it also seems like they are asking for it just because they can—like they're asking for a giant bowl of M&M's with all the brown ones removed.

I have a feeling they'll change their mind if you present them with fees for data in non-standard formats. Feel free to offer it, but make sure you're being compensated for the office time.

A CSV conversion of datums and generation of a KML is a fairly trivial matter, one that could be automated by a software developer with a couple days of software development. I would hire a freelancer to write a contextual menu, so when you right click the CSV you get a "Convert" option that just makes the other files. Then I would continue to charge the client for the time, even though it takes you 2 seconds.

Shapefile generation takes a little more time to develop but still very doable, the OGR/GDAL library would handle everything quite easily.

office time = X
Field Time = Y

X*hours = Z
Y*hours = A
Z+A = bill, period.

FWIW, we collect everything in the oil patch (now) in NAD83 and many of our O&G clients, still require SOME data in NAD27 to fit existing field and geological models. So, it's safe to assume that they really do require it.

BTW, NAD27 will not work on google earth. It will be close, but not right. We make transformations in legacy files, with the final map, to NAD83 for the google earth files so no one raises an eyebrow.

How are you getting NAD27 values? If it's using one of the conversion programs then it's a guesstimation. I would be sure and let them know what was used to convert from 83 to 27. Of course it can be surveyed in NAD27, but no one ever wants to pay for that, I never give out 27 coordinates derived from one of the conversion programs to anything more accurate than the nearest foot. And I write a disclaimer also.

"Is it reasonable to tell them there is an extra charge for this?"

Does your Dentist provide free services?

Does your Attorney provide free services?

Does your plumber provide free services?

I'm pretty sure we are working for the same client. They do use the data and Im not at liberty to say what the end product is but we have several survey techs, 3 RPLS, a GIS tech and multiple field crews for just this one client.

What I'm trying to say is that with most oil and gas clients, you either provide them what they want and the resources to do so or they find someone else.

Not to ask the wrong question but.... what does your contract say?

A detailed Scope of Work that specifies what you will do is important. Anything in the SOW you do for the agreed price. Anything outside the SOW, negotiate the additional fee.

Larry P

Ohh and make sure that you bill for your time. Nothing extra is free

Utilities, Aviation, Marine and Mining all have tons of legacy data. They are also dealing with a pretty diverse set of tools. We negotiate the deliverables up front and provide generic fees for various file and data conversions. The key after that is the dance on what to get paid for.

If you give up your time for free there will ALWAYS be a client willing to take it. Do your best to make sure you cover reasonable expected needs prior to the contract. If you blew it and missed, eat it. If the client changed the scope send a bill.

My .02

> I'm pretty sure we are working for the same client. They do use the data and Im not at liberty to say what the end product is but we have several survey techs, 3 RPLS, a GIS tech and multiple field crews for just this one client.
>
> What I'm trying to say is that with most oil and gas clients, you either provide them what they want and the resources to do so or they find someone else.

We are. I look at your guy's plats everyday. I have been in this business for 20 years and I know that you do what the client wants or they will find someone that will. I just was not sure if it was appropriate to charge more for something like this as surveying is not our primary activity. I did not know if it was the norm to provide data in whatever or however many formats or what. I didn't want to raise an issue about it if people normally just provided that type of stuff at no charge.

I think our scope of work simply states "Will provide submeter locations for test locations". Obviously our positions are much better than that certainly subfoot and probably even better.

> .... The fact that they are asking for the data in seemingly every format known to man sounds kind of crazy to me, but it also seems like they are asking for it just because they can—like they're asking for a giant bowl of M&M's with all the brown ones removed.

My thoughts exactly. My guess is they don't even know what they are asking for, or even know what to do with the data.

Could be some techy kind of support involved to train them, but then realize that over training your client may preclude you from continued work from them. They will do it themselves.

In terms of billing for it - that is a non-issue. YES!! Do not even do it the first time for free. If they won't pay for it, go golfing instead.

> We are. I look at your guy's plats everyday.

Then please let us know if we can ever be of help to you. I can tell you that we have developed proprietary scripts, programs, etc. to provide this required data in a very little amount of time.

> How are you getting NAD27 values? If it's using one of the conversion programs then it's a guesstimation. I would be sure and let them know what was used to convert from 83 to 27. Of course it can be surveyed in NAD27, but no one ever wants to pay for that, I never give out 27 coordinates derived from one of the conversion programs to anything more accurate than the nearest foot. And I write a disclaimer also.

I am using Global Mapper (Blue Marble).

I am only contractually obligated to provide submeter locations.

Have you ever checked it to see how well it is converting to NAD27?

> Have you ever checked it to see how well it is converting to NAD27?

The surveyor provides NAD83 SPC and NAD 27 SPC on the plats.

I did some conversions on the NAD83 coordinates provided and my results were .01 feet off on the X and .02 feet off on the Y from what they show on the plat.