He should have also asked to see evidence of previous similar reports and he would have then been able to see what he was getting for his money. There is a huge variation in the quality and content of a report, the depth of the survey and the competence of assessors.
Compare also the quality of the guidance given where action needs to be taken- whether the assessor takes the time and trouble to make specific recommendations and to suggest cost effective solutions or simply points out deficiencies as many of them do.
And any company worth their salt will volunteer a package of information, methods statements, summary CVs, insurance, clients lists for references and exmples of previous work. Most clients cant be bothered to ask and so are prey to the cowboys out for a fast buck.
We dont advertise ( except a little on google) we are 150% stretched and all our work is through recommendation. One of the major insurance companies has seen what we do and much work comes from their recommendations.
Some work in bands, others by floor area. I work by estimating the time taken to do the job x company hourly rate plus travel. If I give an estimate it will build in a couple of hours buffer, but if possible we will visit and give a quitation first
Time on site depends on nature of building, age, nature of business, whether sprinklered or not (sprinklered buildings always take a fair bit longer as invariably the nature of the risk is out of step with the hazard classification, contents or storage modes) and process. For every hour on site it takes two hours to produce, print and check the report. Then it is delivered to site and explained to the RP.
I quoted and didnt get a job in a building similar size to the one described recently but with basement- we were too expensive at £850. In a normal building of this size I would have expected the fee to have been less than this but on visiting to give the quote I had noticed a few problems - a bricked up exit wih signs still in place and excessive travel distance, steelwork supporting the upper floors was unprotected, chemical mixing and drum filling plant unbunded and gas space heater adjacent, and an area potentially subject to zone classification (DSEAR and ATEX).
Another very much larger distribution centre job I recently quoted for and didnt get because my quote of £1500 too expensive for them - so they appointed someone who quoted a couple of hundred less who did not comment that their mode of storage and contents were way outside the capabilities of some of their 23 sprinkler systems and that their uncaged aerosol storage was a problem.
The building you describe would probably come out at around £450 - £550 in my area for an in depth report, though several competitors can get away with charging three times this figure by employing glossy publicity, smart suited salesmen, a postal address (mailbox) in London, pictures of the Sydney opera house and low overheads employing off duty fire officers on a part time fiddle at £250 per job. All front and no substance.
Yes theres a few of those about.
