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PLUMBING CONNECTION
SPRING 2015
M
any plumbers out there would much prefer to
spend their time knee deep in the proverbial than
in paperwork. But unfortunately, when it comes to
running a successful plumbing business there’s a lot more
involved than technical know-how. Estimating on jobs is an
essential part of contract plumbing, and it’s imperative that
it’s done accurately if you don’t want to get burned.
Andy Farrell, in the face of adversity, has developed
a system to make it easier for the rest of us. On May 7
2000, Andy, who was then a fourth year apprentice, had an
accident that would change his life forever.
“Ever since I was 11 or 12, I competed in water ski racing.
When I was 21, I raced in the Bridge to Bridge Water Ski
Classic on the Hawkesbury River in Sydney. I had a great
start and was coming second, but about three quarters
of the way through the race I fell head-first in the water
and dislocated my neck. That resulted in me becoming a
quadriplegic,” Andy says.
Obviously this sort of injury was life changing, and meant
he certainly wasn’t going to be able to work ‘on the tools’
any longer. But instead of accepting defeat, Andy started
working in a friend’s office taking care of the paperwork
side of things and helping to quote on a few jobs. This led
to Andy meeting, and being mentored by, Paul Funnell who
developed the
Sharp Estimator
software, and going on to
make a career out of estimating.
“At first it was just a way for me to make some money and
get back into the industry,” says Andy. Until, during a stint in
hospital, Andy decided to take it a step further, and began to
create
The Plumbing Pack.
“I had to have an operation on my spine, and subsequently
spent about three months in hospital for spinal rehab. So
while I was there I decided to start making up standard
rates. I was getting asked to price people’s jobs and if I knew
of an easy system for estimating.
So I thought I’d create a system
that’s super easy to use and it just
grew from there - that was four
years ago now.”
The system works on the
‘standard rate’ method. A
standard rate is a unit of
measurement that includes
labour, materials and expenses
broken down into a per metre
figure.
SYSTEMISE YOUR ESTIMATING
ANDY FARRELL HAS DEVELOPED A BUSINESS-SAVING ESTIMATING SYSTEM THAT TAKES THE GUESS WORK OUT
OF QUOTING ON JOBS, AND ALL FROM THE SEAT OF HIS WHEELCHAIR.
JACOB HARRIS
REPORTS.
COVER STORY:
ESTIMATING SOFTWARE
“To create a standard rate you start by working out
the labour, materials and plant costs of a given job. For
example, if the rate is for 100mm PVC pipe in a trench that’s
averaging out at one metre deep, you’d work out how long it
would take you to install a metre of that pipe, what materials
are involved, and what it would take to excavate/back fill it
etc. Now you have a per metre rate for laying 100mm PVC at
one metre deep,” says Andy.
“If you were going to install 75m of that pipe, all you need
to do is enter the rate with a quantity of 75, and that would
allow for everything that’s required with one quick, easy
formula. The biggest bonus of this method is that when the
job’s done, if for example it took you 10% longer than you’d
allowed for, then you can easily add on 10% to your rate. So
theoretically the next time you do it, it’ll be more accurate.”
The Plumbing Pack provides step by step instructions to
guide you through the process of estimating.
Andy Farrell