Bidding for back-to-school jobs is here and it’s getting serious. With school about to be out for summer vacation, you only have a few more weeks to finalize all your plans, proposals, and the how and when you’re going to get your sourcing done.
School and Districts
According to the National Center for Education Statistics 2019-20 data breakdown, there are around 128,961 public and private K-12 schools in the U.S. For pre-k, elementary, and middle there are around 88,909, secondary and high schools make up 27,155, and other various institutions make up the final 12,897.
And with student numbers rising in each district, HVAC systems in schools are continuing to be run ragged. Upgrades are needed not to mention full system overhauls. That’s where you come in!
What should my bid proposal look like?
Start your bid proposal off with why you should be their final choice. Confidence is key! Give prior work experience, why you want to be the one to successfully tackle this job, and whatever else that might catch the individual’s or committee’s eyes. Things such as having children in the district or having once been in a school in the district make great examples. Other great examples would be wanting to make a positive difference in the children’s and staff’s lives by providing them with a safe and healthy building to work and learn in.
You’ll also want to give an estimate on both timelines and project cost. Provide a timeline that works in considerations for if things go sideways such as part back orders or discovering something new within the project that needs to be addressed. The shorter the time in which you can complete your project is important but so is honesty in addressing any number of things that could derail your carefully planned timeline.
Your total project cost should also be provided along with how long key features of the project will last. What is the life expectancy for certain parts and components should be answered along with how often something should be replaced and the long-term savings that could be accumulated if you were to make one choice over another.
Experience and Work Ethic
Remember, it’s not always the lowest bid that wins. Experience and work ethic also come into play. Questions like “Will the work last?” or “Would your child or mine be safe in this environment?” will be asked and answered before your bid is accepted or rejected. It’s jobs like these that make the 3M’s of HVAC more important than ever. The work you do is important but so is the education to your customer so they can keep up with it and manage it. Need a refresher so you can educate your customer as to what they need to do so your work lasts through the school year? No worries—
- Maintenance: do regular work to maintain the system
- Management: manage the different aspects of the system to ensure peak performance
- Monitoring: monitor the system and its many sensors and applications so that it is running effectively and efficiently
When you combine all of this, you’ll be in good standing for having your bid accepted! Kele is here to help you tackle your homework and get you back to school and ready to succeed. Call or visit us at kele.com today and let us help you shop…we mean source…for back to school! Good luck and we know you’re bound to ace your school projects this summer.
