health and safety paperwork!!

[C.S TEK.]

Since starting out on my own in april i have mainly been subcontracting. I have recently started to get my own work in.

I have just done a quote for a local school and they have agreed it but all the need now are the companys liability cover(which is fine) and my companys health and safety documentation!!

Does any body have a template of which maybe i could copy and adjust or maybe someone knows of a website where u can gain ideas.

I fine with the design,installation and britsh standard regs,but when it come to the paperwork i start to fall !!!

PLEASE HELP

CHRIS

Isc systems ltd

[Guest Guest]

email with your details and I will send you some stuff that will help.

Colin.

[Stal.]

Subbying is something that interests me Chris but obviously there are a few doubts in my mind. Maybe you might like to answer a few queries i have.

Who did you used to work for and do you get work from them now ?

What rate do charge and are you given a set time / price to do the job ?

And most importantly, do you feel you are better off ?

[Guest Peter James]

Hi Stal

I hope you dont mind but I would like to offer some advice.

Going self employed is hard work but it is the best thing I ever did.

In your shoes I would write a standard letter to all the companies in your area offering your services as a Sub contractor and see what you get back. This way you can get your sums into action.

We dont normally take on sub contractors (screening becomes a pain) but I know several they charge £135.00 per day but there is London Weighting down this way so you could expect to charge anything between £100 to £150 per day as long as your good.

On the subject of screening you need to keep your CV dates accurate this will help alot.

You need a good accountant I cant stress this enough there are plenty of idiots with letters after their names that charge £150 an hr and cant use a calculator (most local business people you know will reccomend one)

It is very frightening at first but easier for you guys if it turns pair shaped engineers are always needed, good ones are as rare as hens teeth (//.National Installer.// are always trying to recruit)

For me if it turns pair shaped its game over for real especially the way interest rates keep raising.

Plan it and DO IT dont keep thinking about it or before you know its later than you think.

Pete

[Stal.]

for the advice Pete. Know what you mean - There are talkers and there are doers in this world and it ain't a re-hearsal.

In my neck of the woods the going rate for a subby is £15-18 per hour which i would say is fairly good money. Yes, i know there are overheads to be taken into account but i have looked into these and by my calculations there is more to be gained financially and from a personal point of view by sub-contracting.

[Guest orinoco]

planning is the key to success.

you know the old saying

"if you fail to plan you plan to fail"

orinoco.

[morph]

The other thing you need to do, just in case you do have a problem is get GOOD INSURANCE, otherwise it doesn't matter how good you are at your job, it will only take one big problem and you could loose everything. You might also want to consider keyman insurance, as you will loose the comfort of a gauranteed salary everymonth and if you do have an accident, who's going to pay your bills.

Another option would be to run the business in parallel with your job until you have enough work comming in and a few maintenances to help meet your monthly salary level(its a hard slog on the homelife for a while but it would be worth it long term).

Colin.

[C.S TEK.]

Hi stal

I used to work for Initial, and still doing a lot of work for them now.

Before i left i gave them a few months notice and they seem to keep me busy now.

I also do some work for secom.

Most of the nationals seem to like using subbys now days. Theres seems to be plenty of work out there. The tricky bit is weighing it all up and not taking to much on.

A good rate to charge is between £15 - £18 an hour.(depending on location).

Most of my work is done on price and if it goes over hours due to company fault then they alays give the extra(well almost always).

If you ring round a few companys and get some names then send a letter with your details u should get a few replys.

As for the screening issue, I hear that subcontractors can now apply for the Nacoss silver award.

If you can get hold of a July issue of security installer magazine there is an artical on companys using subbys and it seems that they are now in favour.

Word of warning on financial issue. Geta few months worth of money behind u because the ationals take 60 days to pay up from invoice, so u could be waiting up to 90 days for payment.I have made this mitake of not saving enough and now i'm playing catch up with wot i've had to borrow.

Where do you live stal?

chris

[sparky83]

I don't get it why would people want to subcontract themselves when they could be doing the installs themselves (I know you have to get the job first). I mean the installs are the hardest part - why leave the nationals with the bread and butter after service care where all the money is to be made?! Seems like you lot are all doing their donkey work for them?

[ian.cant]

A lot of good work that the nationals get comes from electrical contractors and architects etc.

Getting into the electrical contractors etc is really difficult and most small firms could'nt provide big enough brown envelopes etc. A lot of work is picked up by the Nat's this way from salesmen who have been nuturing these ppl for years.

People buy from salesmen they like and have known for a long time and will often if a slaesman moves on use the salesman's new company.

Salesmen demand big bucks and need a few months to get a good line of work flowing when they move companies.

I know i couldnt afford to pay one or take the gamble that he would pay for himself in a few months time.

This is just some of a long list of reasons why we sub-contract and dont activly seek our own work.

I do get my fair share of enquiries from the yellow pages but generally they are one off jobs that you will sometimes get referals from. I have managed to take work away from the nationals but generally its on price.

Untill the work i get myself becomes my bread and butter subby work will do for me!