Not All Bird Control Projects Are The Same
Not all bird work is the same. Far from it, in fact. Removal of sparrows from a warehouse or supermarket is wildly different from the installation of a bird wire or bird netting system on the facade of a historic building in an urban downtown.
In this case, the difference is obvious. The tools of the trade are different. The personnel involved need different types of training.
Often, the same kind of bird work can be an entirely different job from one site to the next. Heck, it can be the same tasks of installing bird netting or an electric track system, even at the same building, but the requirements are more extensive from one time to the next.
Here’s an example for you. Let’s say that a few years ago, you installed bird netting over a courtyard at a commercial building. You did a site visit to take your measurements, see what was needed, and supplied a proposal to the building manager. The property manager contracted you directly, gave you a purchase order (maybe even a deposit), and you showed up day one with your materials and your crew ready to go. A day or two later, the job was completed. Then, with any luck, 30 days later you got paid.
Fast forward a bit and the netting got ripped out when they decided to do an HVAC equipment and roofing job down in the courtyard your netting job was protected. So far it sounds good to me. You have a shot at getting to do the job again. But this time it’s different. Very different.
I’ll even say you got lucky. The facility manager who gave you the job the first time gives your name to the Contractors bidding on the new larger HVAC and roofing project. So you may have a shot at doing the job a second time (and getting paid for it a second time). If you’re really lucky, they left all the anchors in place and you can reuse your old hardware to install new cable and netting.
But a lot can happen from this point that changes the pricing model puts your opportunity at risk.
The contractors are not just going to take a price from you. They’re going to go out to bid for the subcontract installation work from other bird control installers and you may not get the work. So start by “sharpening your pencil” and lowering your margins.
It’s also possible that the Owner went with a contractor you were unaware of and you did not even get a quote to.
Aside from just getting your quote out to the contractor(s), the rules of engagement are different. You’re not just in and out. And so ensues “The Dialogue of Documentation.”
To learn more about construction style bird control work from someone who has been through it all, click here to schedule a quick consultation.