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Having been on both sides of the fence, I'd have to second paul's opinion,
unless your estimator is also your project manager.  In which case, its not
so much estimating as evaluating.

There are a couple of ways I try and look at exhibit cost to see if the bids
are in the ballpark.  One is on a square footage basis; the other is on a
per unit basis.  Using these and comparing to historic information, is
usually accurate enough (for me).

There is also nothing wrong (in my mind, which may not be saying much) with
asking the prospective bidders what their billing rates are:  eg. for
principal's time, for shop time, for overhead, etc.

Besides, unless you are talking about non-exhibit work, most stuff we get is
so unique, that it would be remarkable if someone other than another exhibit
firm could give you a meaningful estimate.  And don't forget you are paying
for expertise in the field, as well as for 'stuff'.

Whenever I have asked the question about why something costs what it does
(or I've been asked the question), vendors have been happy to provide the
rationale.

Remember this old saw:  "tell me what you want and I'll tell you how much it
will cost, or tell me how much you're willing to spend, and I'll tell you
what I can do."

Perhaps, if you don't already, it would be a good idea to create a good RFP
for your project(s).  This way you could be assured of getting responses
that are apples to apples.


Jeff Courtman
Exhibits & Special Projects Coordinator
251.208.6851
Exploreum Science Center
www.exploreum.net

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