Work Speed.

I think the availability of retainer or progress payments would be a factor. If I had to get it done before any payment I'd want to get it completed ASAP.

Excellent point. There is no retainer, but this is a government client, and guaranteed to pay.

If it gives your guys steady work for a year let them have it , but if its getting in the way of potential projects that are more lucrative knock them out as fast as you can.

> Would you hire additional personnel to get them done as fast as possible....

Would you be able to keep the additional personnel busy after this project was completed? I'd hate to hire good people and have to let them go after 6 months because of lack of work.

I'd rather pay my current, good people, over-time than lay people off later.

Dugger

Overtime opportunity ?

Derek

:good: :good: :good:

> Let me ask a question here. Suppose you had several survey crews. Suppose you got a series of large tracts to survey and had a year to get them done. Which way would you go? Would you hire additional personnel to get them done as fast as possible, or would you work at your normal pace and gradually get them finished over the alotted time?

Look at the situation from the prospective if your client.

If you were able to magically wave your hands and have everything finished this week, would that be a good thing for the client?

Governments often work within different constraints that private enterprise. Talk to the project manager and ask them what would be best. They may have the funding stretched out and prefer a slow pace on the work because it helps the finances.

No matter the project you should strive to have a very happy client when your work is done. Often the best way to figure out what it will take to make that happen is to ask.

Larry P

We are in a similar situation and it seems this has come up over the last few winters. Our MO has been to use it as fill-in work (when appropriate). The contracts provided for a lump sum price - a retainer and the remainder billed in increments based on percentage completed.

I say BOTH. Hire some crew, and keep them all winter, on the govt work. Then, when spring hits, you will have a good crew to hit it with.

This was a friends recipe. He would low ball govt contracts, get them, and put his BEST crews on them, IN WINTER, when construction was slow, to none. Then, he still had his best crews hot to trot when spring hit. This was construction staking in Chicago.

N

Have a company meeting and ask their opinion. They may want the extra overtime, or maybe they will feel overworked??? If you have good people, keep them in the communication loop so as not to loose any of them over this great opportunity for your company.

....always liked to survey large tracts in the winter months . Just so many ways extra options for planning traverses when the leaves aree down and the brish is more cooperative.
If one delays, then you might find yourself looking fo extra bodies to finish the job to meet the deliverable date.

Since I have a financial stake in this First I would take one of my most competent Party Chiefs and put him or her in charge. Then Second I would assign crews that became available to assist. You need to realize that the more people you have on a payroll the less profit the company will have. Being more effecient with the people and equipment you have available is the key to completing a large project in a timely manner and you will showing a profit at the end of the year.

The sooner the money is out of the client's pocket and into yours the better.

Profit? Who said anything about profit. We're just working to keep busy.

Don't hire any new crews until you get additional work that is too good to turn down. Then hire additional help.

:good:

Go to work, Pay the men, pay The Man... repeat.

I would work on the large tracts all the time until they are done while having a couple crews (depending on your size) keep busy on "new" work as it trickles in... I would also be very selective and charge top dollar for new work while I had all my men busy.

If I had to get help right now I know to many good surveyors to hire some guy off the street... I may sub out jobs to people I know and trust, but that is it.

I agree.

I would look at planning the jobs out such that your crews could address areas that will be the most time consuming if the leaves were on the trees during the winter months. Have them work as much as needed on those areas while the conditions are favorable. It is so much easier to not miss finding a corner on the first trip out if you can see more than 10 feet in front of you.

If that requires a few additional people, hire them. I would expect there are a number of survey techs that would be pleased to have plenty of work to do over the winter. Make it clear to them that the job may end with the project ending.

If spring hits and you have enough work to retain some of the additional personnel, great. If not, they at least were able to make money during some of the generally slower months and might now be able to find work elsewhere.

Then, your regular crews can address the remaining boundaries in a timely manner during the remainder of the year you have to complete the work.

> Would you hire additional personnel ... or would you work at your normal pace..
One has to assume a lot of things to answer your question. Do you have equipment standing around unused? Is there a surplus of really competent personnel, including office talent, available in your area? What happens when this work is finished? What else is going on in your area? What does the future look like?

If you are thinking that things will be cooking along in a year then this job is a good chance to gear up for the good times to come. If you are thinking that this is a one time deal then you go at your normal pace.

But reality is that it shouldn't be an all or none proposition. Maybe add a person or two. When it's over you evaluate who is the lowest performer to drop. That's business.