Poll on Field Supplies

I consider these supplies as a cost to do business. I obtain broken water valve boxes for monument boxes when I need to use them which is not often. If they were purchased for a government project or a development project they would be billed separately along with the crew time and other materials needed to set them.
jud

I consider most supplies the cost of doing business. Stuff like rebar, lath, hubs, pk nails, etc. For bigger jobs I'll have a line item in my worksheet for supplies, something like - supplies - $300, and just include it in the quote.

However, I've had out of state clients with rural acreage that wanted fence posts set by the corners and on the property line. I just charge them for the post as a direct expense ($10 or so), and factor my time in the bill. They are happy.

But to single out rebar, stakes, caps, paint, etc into an invoice borders on unprofessional IMO. It's like the auto shop charging per bolt, when they know they need them anyway.

$0.02

I have never itemized supplies on an invoice sent to a client.

They are figured into the balance anyway by some method or another.

Many have asked for a supply list and I let them know that it is a fruitless venture on their part.

I remember setting two rebar for a division of property between two brothers. After receiving the invoice for marking a 3,800ft boundary thru mixed timber, one brother was quoted as saying "that was the most I've ever paid for two little pieces of rebar".

That is one reason I don't recommend itemizing, the meager list of supplies doesn't even figure in to the real cost of a survey.

> However, I've had out of state clients with rural acreage that wanted fence posts set by the corners and on the property line. I just charge them for the post as a direct expense ($10 or so), and factor my time in the bill. They are happy.
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I think that's a good exception to the rule. I've done that in the past on big, rural subdivisions and the owners were fine with it.

Keith,

The only time that we bill out or itemize supplies, is when we set range boxes or alum monuments. Otherwise no, we do not.

(as you know)
Monument Boxes and standard aluminum monuments & caps are expensive.

Cost accounting dictates that, for most of us, those items are placed in "overhead" and not accounted for separately due to the small cost.

You can do it, but Jesus what a nightmare.

Just put a line item for $80 for materials or something to make them happy.

Sit down and do what you used on three or four comparable jobs, make an average and roll on.

You're asking for an accounting nightmare.

How do you figure 33 monuments @ $72 ea. in your hourly billing? I charge for materials and hourly rate is set each year in the fee schedule.

Pablo

Do you charge seperately for materials used?

Yes, charge for everything.
Not a big deal; goes on the timesheet and then appears on the invoice.
One client doesn't allow it so we charge a higher rate for them.

Who Asked?

> I have been asked to start charging my clients for the materials used on a boundary survey. The issue comes up because I made an order to a supply company for range boxes...
>
>

Who asked you to do this, a client or someone from within your organization?

For standard materials, the cost should already be reflected in your field crew rate. If you are the one who set the crew rates, and/or this question came from a client, that should be your answer. If the suggestion came from within your organization and you are not the one who set the crew rates, your answer should be that if whoever did set the rates, didn't factor in the typical cost of standard materials, then they need to adjust the rates.

For non-standard material requests or requirements (monument wells - a.k.a. range boxes, oversized monuments or those that cost significantly more than standard), it makes sense to add the cost of those materials (+ 10% to 15% surcharge for ordering and taking delivery) to your fees.

The downside to charging for actual standard materials used on each project rather than factoring the cost of typical materials used into your rates, is that it gives the impression of being a cheapskate company, dinging your clients for every possible nickle & dime in every possible way you can think of.

It's like when and if you ever look at all the charges on your phone bill, and upon seeing charges for "line user fee" and other such nonsense. Isn't your reaction that the basic charge should cover that? it seems like you're getting charged twice for something that is just a normal part of the service. Same thing goes for when your attorney charges you for every sheet of paper copied, phone charges made on your behalf, and postage. Cheap SOBs!

> hourly rates

Nope, I do Not provide Labor.

> Do you charge seperately for materials used?

NO. Materials are part of the service.

I provide professional services only, if Labor is needed/wanted I have the client pay for those things directly.

If it is a lump sum quote, we always add supplies into the quote, but for hourly jobs, we have always kept up with all expenses separately and charged them separately + 10 percent handling fee (laid out in my contract). This is pretty typical here. If it is just a simple boundary with 4 rebar corners and stakes, it is no big deal either way, but on larger jobs, the expenses for supplies can get pretty hefty, even just wood stakes on a construction layout job. It is a good expense to track to you can get realistic figures on your overhead/expenses. We charge for our prints too.

on day to day jobs (boundary, topo and small layout) field supplies are part of my overhead.

on large construction layout jobs i will account for supplies in my bid.

i don't think it is out of line to charge the client back for bigger ticket items like the monument boxes you describe. it is just ticky tack to try to line item $6 worth of wood and flagging on a small job. you will piss more people off than it will save you $.

On a few jobs, I have had to set precast concrete monuments with embedded brass disks (called "merestones" by the precast company) at each corner. My bare cost on these items was about $75 each, plus the cost of pickup of these bounds, about $30 each. Though these bounds also take longer to install, and therefore cost more for the landowner per bound set, I did not hesitate to charge for these monuments, as they were a "special" or "unusual" expense to me. Otherwise, the cost of rebar, nails, flagging, wood stakes, etc. are minimal, and are included in the hourly rate.

We usually include the cost of basic control monuments in our hourly rates unless we have to set boxes or special monuments which are billed at cost plus. For construction and boundary jobs we have a rate per stake/monument for standard types. If the number is insignificant then we have the option of not charging for the supplies. We have come up with a set price for stakes and monuments that we used in our lump sum estimates and that show up in time and material project.

The cost of monuments and wood is significant, with pointed re-bar going for upwards of $3 each not including white and cap. Setting 80 stakes a day the cost of supplies starts to become a good chunk of overhead. Since a majority of our work is for design, we can keep our rates down for the bulk of our work by charging this way.