Jump to content

Competitive bids


Phil Palmer

Recommended Posts

Thanks Noah, I agree with everything you have stated.

Do you have a boiler plate rental agreement you could email me?  Feel free to X out any personal information or anything like that.  I'm putting one together and would like to see what you have been using.

Thanks,

PWP

phil@palmeraudio.net

Sure thing.  Anyone else who would like one, feel free to email me.

nvt

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Noah (sorry for not knowing, or forgetting) what state do you primarily work out of?? (FL?) it seems cali is getting the most should we say trouble or shit or hassle for these standard agreements or bids.

I'm in New York, but as often as not the production companies are in LA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Frank: if you have no objection why not post the file here and we could all have access to this boilerplate rental agreement. I suppose it should be a Microsoft Word doc, of course, and you might think about editing it first so that there is nothing personal or specific to the document.

Let me know what you think about this (or email me privately).

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

I would love to post the rental contract, I am not as tech savvy as most of you. and dont really know how to get the contract on jw's site, but I can for sure scan and email a blank contract to anyone ( I already got two requests) there is the front and a back side where most of the legal writings are.

btw,

if any of you have any old rental contracts from a vendor (coffey, lsc, trew, gotham etc.) they are all pretty standard. as rsharman was saying , if most mixers start using a "standars" rental contract, then maybe in a few months most of the studios or prod co's. will start to recognize the verbage that can help mixers clain FULL REPLACEMENT costs when there gear is stolen or damaged

I will work the rental contract this week.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sure thing.  Anyone else who would like one, feel free to email me.

nvt

Noah, do you think you could post an MS Word document (the file) and then people could customize their own. If only a pdf a scan or something is posted, that will not be easily editable. You could email me the file directly and I could post it here.

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Jeff,

I think I'd prefer not to post it in public, although I would be happy to email a copy to anyone who requests.  Just please include a return email address in the request, thanks!

nvt

Noah, do you think you could post an MS Word document (the file) and then people could customize their own. If only a pdf a scan or something is posted, that will not be easily editable. You could email me the file directly and I could post it here.

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 years later...

Was wondering if anyone has found a streamlined approach to these requests for 'competitive bids?' I am starting a Pilot for Sony Studios and they've asked for 3 CB's. I'm hearing the rental houses are not providing them anymore and this topic has not been brought up in years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I explain that I am not able to get competitive bids --- if they want to get a competitive bid they will have to do it themselves. I supply them with a list of the equipment I will need for the production (which, of course in my case, involves a lot of gear that isn't available from any other company) and then suggest that they contact any or all of the companies they wish to have bid on supplying the items on my list. I sometimes go further to suggest to them, if they seem to be unaware, of the usual suspects (dealers) in my area.

 

What I try to accomplish is shifting the responsibility to them to "shop around" for a deal. As a rental company (which my company is), I am not going to shop for deals from other vendors --- why would I? For the production company, if they seriously want to shop for a deal and they can even get a company like Trew Audio or Location Sound to give them a quote, they wil discover that the quote from me is several thousands of dollars cheaper than any other company.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a recent thread on this, which I started.

I like Jeff's approach. It has worked for me before, but it also hasn't.

If you do business with local vendors, they might supply you with a bid which you can re-use for any job. Just change the date. They'll even list a price which is competitive, yet still much higher than yours.

You might also ask colleagues and friends with similar gear to supply bids.

But seriously, I would ask if they are getting their camera house to supply bids from other camera houses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like Jeff I do not get into competitive bids.

If a production wants me for my skill and experience let's talk.

Otherwise if I really need the job OK what do you want me to charge to close it.

 

Insurance - well all the American dramas and commercials I have worked on (including Disney)

give me a certificate of insurance to cover my gear.

 

mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

radar: " I'm hearing the rental houses are not providing them anymore "

from who ?

 

from our usual suspects ??  from your favorite usual suspect ??

 

as noted, there is a newer thread on this topic...

by definition, a competitive bid would come from a competitor, so production should solicit them, if they want or need them, right ?

OTOH, if you help obtain these "competitive bids", then you will assure that you win, right ?  thus they are not really competitive bids..? right ??

 

I still like Robert's suggestion that we cover each others backs by supplying "friendly" --and higher priced-- competitive bids for each other...

Edited by studiomprd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

RVD: " The trouble with "fellow" soundies providing "competitive bids," is that not everyone uses the same gear.  Also, not everyone "throws in" the same items within their "package." "

well, if the idea was for really competitive bids, this is an issue,  but these are bids that we come up with only to show that our bid is better, thus what exactly each of us includes is moot.

right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I was ever asked to get a competitive bid, I would remind the producer that when you rent MY package, you get adapters, spare cables, and dozens of widgets that make location sound easier. If you hire me to work rental gear, all those little extras stay home. The bid is one thing, the value of my package is another.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Come on, people!

Competitive bids are just paperwork. Nobody gives two shits who supplies them or how much the bid is for. It's just ticking the boxes on some stupid "suit's" to-do list. Believe me, the people in the office hate it as much as we do. While some will do it willingly, others will expect you to do it. Is it another thing you want to fight against, or would you rather stay in the good graces of the production office?

I'll send anyone here a competitive bid on my letterhead for a "comprehensive production sound package", and I'll be sure it's a bit higher than what they've agreed to pay you.

Robert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would it be cheeky to ask our dear vendors make such things generically available for basic job categories?

 

Would our dear producers take offense were they to find out about such a practice? 

 

No addressee or date.

 

Suppose we'd need to know the font they used so we can photochop.

 

If it's really a game, take it to the next level.

 

Fact is, vendors probably already have such things laying about. I would.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...