Electrical contractors often win the bid and lose the margin, because estimates do not keep up with material costs, change orders go unbilled, and retainage ties up cash. Hopium Island reviews the numbers and builds a practical plan.
Electrical work lives and dies on the estimate. When material costs jump between the bid and the job, when change orders get done without being billed, or when crews are not as productive as the estimate assumed, the profit you bid for disappears before the job is finished. The work gets done, the customer is happy, and the margin is gone.
Hopium Island looks at how your company actually performs against its own bids: estimating accuracy, material cost swings, change-order capture, crew productivity, and the retainage and slow payments holding back your cash. Then we build a plan to protect the margin you priced in.
An electrical contractor can keep crews fully booked and still lose money because the profit is decided at the bid, not in the field. If material prices rise after the estimate, if change orders are not captured, or if a crew takes longer than priced, every busy week locks in the same thin margin. Staying busy on bad bids just loses money faster.
Break-even for an electrical contractor is the monthly revenue needed to cover trucks, tools, material, electrician and apprentice payroll, insurance, licensing, bonding, and your draw. Once we know your true overhead and your real margin after material swings and change orders, we can calculate the billed volume and bid markup you need to consistently come out ahead.
Sensitive documents are only shared through a secure process after confidentiality terms are discussed.
Usually because material costs rise after the bid, change orders go unbilled, or crews take longer than estimated. The profit is set at the bid and erodes in the field. We review your estimating and job results to find where the margin disappears. Call (239) 610-0676.
We help you compare what you bid against what jobs actually cost so you can see your estimating gaps — material, labor hours, and change orders. Tightening that gap is one of the most direct ways an electrical contractor improves profit.
Retainage holds back a portion of each payment until the project is complete, which can tie up real money for months. We help you see how much cash is locked in retainage and factor it into your planning so it does not catch you short.
Yes. Saturday strategy sessions are built for owners who cannot leave the job during the week. Coaching is $295 per hour. Call (239) 610-0676.
Saturday strategy coaching is offered at $295 per hour. Tell Robert about your business and he'll determine whether a session is a fit.