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Yes & No, Robbie. I believe if you use Spons without understanding it, it can throw your figures out. I have access to the full guide, but end up using the Small Spons Landscaping Guide as a pricing & reference aid.
The Guide is based upon 'standard' labour & production rates, so straight away unless you know your rates to replace the book rate you will be incorrect. Using it should be part of a working with a structured approach / pricing methodology that refines itself over time as you build up your rates.
My take ? One of the best £20 books I have bought as it also helps your terminology when preparing professional quotes.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Estimating-Groundworks-Landscaping-Gardenin...
Go on, treat yourself. It's nearly Christmas ;-)
Our landscaping team purchased the full version and it tends to just sit gathering dust. The prices do seem high and by the time you have adapted them, it seems quicker to methodically work out the costs from scratch. The jobs and approach seem far more commercially focused than domestic. Perhaps the small guide would have been a better option, but I'm not sure if that was around at the time.
I had a look 20 years ago and reckon I would never have won another job! The best estimating tool is experience - you soon learn from your mistakes!
The full book is an overkill for most and is not the answer, unless doing civils etc, hence the Small Guide which came out a few years ago.
If you just pick up any of the Spons books and use, it will never work.
You need to utilise with your own charging rate and experience for your locality.
As said, it forms part of a estimating/pricing methodology.
Its another tool, that forms part of your toolbox.
How good your toolbox is...is down to you.
In our "other" business we use Sam Hassel's LibeRATE landscaping estimate software. It is excellent, free trial and helps you do estimates/quotes once - not write it out and then repeat for the actual quote. Try it.
http://www.landpro.co.uk/
TrellisDirect said:
Well spotted Gary - the LibeRATE is separate entity and is so much better than SPONS as you edit it to YOUR specifications and times, quantity etc.
We have a copy of Spons Small Groundworks. We find that the prices it quotes are what we would call the "absolute minimum" with such fine margins. We only refer to it if there is no other way of building a price up.
Similar to above I pick it up very occasionally as a reference manual alongside our current successful methodology but certainly not for conclusive pricing. It helps with standard industry spec and wording certain aspects that you are not ordinarily familiar with so does benefit in those terms.
Hi. Just to clarify; Yes I write(and calculate) the Spon's book each year and yes The LiberRATE database and software package is similarly updated regularly.
However in no way are the two databases even remotely connected except that they both concern and address Landscape and external works costs. Spon's addresses a national guide price and intends to provide overall guidance for both contractors and consultants in project planning whilst LiberRATE tries to be more contractor specific and detailed in its buildups and is specifically for contractors. Obviously any experience gained from my work is often related to both databases but thats where the similarity ends. Both are excellent tools for the slightly different purposes.
Sam