If your landscaping business is ready to start taking on mulching jobs, you have come to the right place! The first step to winning any job is submitting a great project bid. That is why ProMatcher has put together these tips to help you get started pricing mulching jobs.
We asked the mulch companies in our network
how they usually bid on jobs. The top answer was "Flat fee (based on number of hours and material cost)". The material is usually priced by the cubic yard or the cubic foot.
Key Takeaways
1. Whenever possible,
visit the project site yourself or send one of your employees. There is no replacement for professional expertise when it comes to estimating the size of a job. Visiting in-person also gives you the chance to establish a relationship with the customer. Just make sure to show up on time and act professionally.
2. Don’t just think about time and materials when you are calculating your project estimate. Your prices need to be high enough to
cover overhead costs, which include things like insurance, equipment maintenance, worker’s compensation, and marketing expenses, if you want to make a profit.
3.
Put everything in writing. Your quote should cover the full scope of the job and specifically detail what project elements your business is responsible for. This will help prevent disagreements between you and the customer as the mulch installation begins.
4. In the quote you submit to the customer,
make the payment terms crystal clear. Include payment due dates and whether or not any advance payments are required. If your business is responsible for ordering and delivering the mulch yourselves, you may want to require a down payment in case the customer wants to cancel the job later.
Use ProMatcher to find more marketing ideas for your mulch or landscaping business.
Important Mulching Pricing Criteria:
1. Size of the project. How large is the site you will be mulching? The square footage is going to be the biggest price factor. For instance, are you lining a residential driveway or mulching several large garden beds?
2. Mulch depth. How deep will be the mulch be? Three inches is the average depth of a typical garden bed, but some projects may require more or less mulch.
3. Mulch type. What type of mulch does the customer want? Organic or inorganic? Hard woodchips or soft woodchips? More expensive mulch types will raise the overall project price.
4. Job location. Are you working in Los Angeles or suburban Florida? The location of the job site will impact the cost of delivery and labor.
5. Travel time to job site. How far will your delivery truck have to travel to drop off the mulch? How much gas are you using to travel out to the job site to install the mulch?
6. Order and delivery. Is customer ordering the mulch through your business or do they already have the mulch? Will your landscaping business be delivering the mulch to the job site for installation?
7. Project type. Is this a residential or commercial mulch installation? Is it a playground or dog park? Are any special permits required before work can begin?
8. Site conditions. Will you have to dig out the earth before installing the mulch? Does the ground need to be leveled first? Do any weeds need to be removed?
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BONUS TIP:
As you can see, there can be a lot of variation when you are pricing a mulching job. If you are just starting your business, sometimes putting together job bids can be a little overwhelming. Buying a bid proposal template can help streamline the process. Templates give you a great starting place by standardizing the quote process but are still flexible enough to be customized to fit your needs.