Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
(OP)
All,
Recently, a GC called me about a building where a vehicle had demolished a part of a building. The event had just happened, the building was in-use, and the owner needed direction on how to secure the building immediately.
I was directed to drop what I was doing, right then, travel to the site, and provide structural engineering advisement as to getting the people out of the building and how to temporarily shore the building until a plan could be developed to make the building stable so it could be used.
I was on-site well into the night, telling the GC how to shore. Then, I made return trips as the temporary shoring system was installed. I also made the call as to when the building was structurally safe to reoccupy.
All that said, this type of service, delivered the way it was, is, in my opinion, at maximum risk to me and my business....and....jumped in front of all my other work.
This has value, over and above hourly rates.
How do you guys handle taking that risk and timing into account when determining a value for something like that?
Recently, a GC called me about a building where a vehicle had demolished a part of a building. The event had just happened, the building was in-use, and the owner needed direction on how to secure the building immediately.
I was directed to drop what I was doing, right then, travel to the site, and provide structural engineering advisement as to getting the people out of the building and how to temporarily shore the building until a plan could be developed to make the building stable so it could be used.
I was on-site well into the night, telling the GC how to shore. Then, I made return trips as the temporary shoring system was installed. I also made the call as to when the building was structurally safe to reoccupy.
All that said, this type of service, delivered the way it was, is, in my opinion, at maximum risk to me and my business....and....jumped in front of all my other work.
This has value, over and above hourly rates.
How do you guys handle taking that risk and timing into account when determining a value for something like that?
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
1. Preferred client rates - where client sets up with us an on-going general engineering service agreement to streamline contracts and they tend to use us for everything.
2. Standard rates
3. Special rates - for higher risk projects, construction related engineering services, hurry-up projects that "show up" like yours.
4. Court/deposition rates
1, 2 and 3 are within 5% of each other.
4 is double the standard rate.
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
I believe there are two rates at work here....in my case:
First - The on-the-spot, off the hip, emergency service has a rate. In this case, there was no time to consider, calculate, draw, etc etc...the situation. I had to, on the spot, tell the guys what to do, and do my best to see what the dangers might be, given the conditions....and see it through, on-site. This is where I draw from 30 yrs experience. This is HIGH risk.....as portions of the building were teetering with full collapse. I think that should be double standard rate.
I was successful, damage was limited, and nobody got hurt.
Second - After the dire emergency of the initial situation is stabilized, working thru anything else should be normal rates.
That's how I see this situation.
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
Ron: "I see dead buildings"
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
Had an attorney recently ask me why I hated buildings! Told him I don't hate buildings, just bad construction.
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
I went to a partially collapsed basement one time. Walls were noticeably bulged inwards in a curve and the walls were stripped with 1x4s that had 1/8" paneling over them. I got as close as I was willing to get to the wall and explained to the Owner that the paneling was currently holding the block wall in place. The paneling was stretched tight as a drum. The Contractor that was present told me I was wrong and went to snatch the paneling loose with one hand as he was saying that the paneling is only on the wall for looks. I took off running to the basement entrance. Once at the entrance I advised the Owner to move to the entrance also. The Contractor decided he was not that confident I was wrong and left the paneling alone. Later, after shoring the floors up, when he slowly removed the paneling the blocks finished collapsing inwards but it was a somewhat controlled collapse.
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
Emergency requests that mean dropping or delaying another client's paid job, plus dealing with the situations described in the couple of posts above, ought to be yet another premium above that.
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
Not even billing mileage separately.
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
A perceived scenario:
Lawyer: Ron why do you hate buildings?
Ron (with judge looking on): I’ll answer your question if you first answer me why you hate judges so much.
Lawyer (sideways glancing at the judge): I don’t hate judges, just bad judges. Answer the question.
Judge (wondering whether the lawyer thinks he’s a bad judge)
RE: Invoicing Emergeny Engineering Services
Don't forget to charge the client for the use of the boat!
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA, HI)