Tides of Fate Swamp An Engineer's First Bid

In 1956 the author arrived at the office for his first day of work at the company then called Kreisler Borg in Westchester County, NY. The firm was one year old and had completed its first two jobs with a total contract value under $75,000. He was welcomed with jovial sentiments, then promptly prese...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ENR 2012-03, Vol.268 (8), p.48
Main Author: Florman, Samuel C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bidders
Construction contracts
Construction costs
Projects
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:In 1956 the author arrived at the office for his first day of work at the company then called Kreisler Borg in Westchester County, NY. The firm was one year old and had completed its first two jobs with a total contract value under $75,000. He was welcomed with jovial sentiments, then promptly presented with the plans and specifications for the next project to be bid. He was able to speak somewhat knowingly on the telephone with owners of piledriving companies as well as with experts in marine carpentry, and most important, with a diver named Barney who specialized in underwater welding. The cost, including a small contingency amount, and a 15% mark-up, amounted to $105,000. Barney's work represented about $20,000 of the total. To their surprise and delight, they were the low bidders.
ISSN:0891-9526