Published on 09/20/07

Landscape cost estimating workshops set Oct. 25-26

University of Georgia

For landscape professionals, job bidding is tough. Bid too low and you lose money. Bid too high and you don't get the job. Estimating costs are even more critical for beginners with no benchmark data to base their estimates on.

To make the job easier and more accurate, University of Georgia horticulturists and economists have developed two software programs for estimating costs. One is for landscape installation and the other for follow-up maintenance. Get hands-on training on either or both at workshops in Athens Oct. 25-26.

The workshops on both days offer everything needed to make landscape cost estimating easier and better. Day one focuses on installation and day two on maintenance. You can attend either day or both.

The all-day programs begin at 8:30 a.m. each day in Room 202 of Conner Hall on the UGA Athens campus. You don't have to know anything about computer spreadsheets. Hands-on training in a computer lab will make you comfortable using the programs.

The workshops will show:

Bidding strategies.
Estimating fixed and variable costs, including overhead and labor.
Structuring bids in contract form to present to clients.
Tailoring the software to fit your own business.

The fee is $150 for both days or $100 for either day alone. That covers refreshment breaks, lunch, handouts and take-home copies of the software shown on the day or days you attend. Hort Management and Hort Scape alone normally sell for $100 each.

Attendance is limited to 40 each day. The deadline to register is Oct. 18. To learn more or register online, visit www.hort.uga.edu/extension/programs/CEJBW. Or contact your county UGA Extension agent at 1-800-ASK-UGA1. For more information, phone (706) 542-2861.

Dan Rahn is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

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