Why do you need to get three quotes for your concrete project?

Hiring a concrete delivery service can be intimidating for you for three main reasons: 

• You really don't know how much you should pay for that product.
• How do you make sure you choose the right concrete mix-- with so many product variants (class, strength, aggregate size, age, slump, shot, and admixtures)?
• How do you ensure you get the right level of quality and service when small providers may not have enough capacity and larger providers may get lost in red tape and unwilling to accommodate your individual needs?

How do you know if the price you are offered for your concrete is a "good" price? o How do you know what you are getting and if you are paying too much?

Consider another product that you are already familiar with buying, such as a television.

You can see prices online or in brochures, you can go to a store to see for yourself, you can read reviews online or ask your friends. He gets to decide exactly what features he wants (such as size, resolution, or sound) and why he's willing to pay more.

This kind of price transparency typically doesn't apply to concrete, but that's starting to change. Lueste is now the only concrete producer in Mexico that: 

1. Post prices online.
2. Provides comprehensive documentation to help you select products.
3. Increasing the strength specification from minimum to maximum can increase the price by 30% or more, or lowering the age specification from 28 days to 3 days can increase the price by approximately 20%. This is because a higher proportion of cement is required in the mix.

How concrete service is priced

The client had still worked with that third quote and knew that they do quality work, but at a significantly higher price than other concrete companies in the area. He also knew that he rarely bid, preferring to design his own projects.

The price of each mix is related to the amount and cost of raw materials used in production.

A basic concrete mix may consist of 10 to 15% cement, 60 to 75% aggregate, 15 to 20% water, and 0.02% admixture.

Aumentar la especificación de resistencia del mínimo al máximo puede aumentar el precio en un 30 % o más, o reducir la especificación de edad de 28 días a 3 días puede aumentar el precio en aproximadamente un 20 %. Esto se debe a que se requiere una mayor proporción de cemento en la mezcla.

The choice of aggregation also has a major impact. For example, andesite (for class 2 concrete) typically costs much less than limestone or basalt (for class 1 concrete) or ingredients such as marble, tezontle, silica, rhyolite, pumice, barite found in use in special concrete and other ingredients.

You may also choose to use special admixtures or additions such as colorants, accelerators, retarders, water repellents, air-entraining agents, or fibers) that can change the color or improve the placement, waterproofing, or long-term performance of the concrete.

Lastly, the add-on service you choose affects the price. The price of concrete is usually for:

• Local delivery (approximately 20-25 km).
• Basic gutters.
• Service during normal business hours. 

The special service offered by your concrete supplier has a cost, but offers greater convenience. For example, concrete pumping services greatly improve the speed and quality of installation; overnight placement can reduce construction time.

Different providers, different prices

With so many options to choose from, it's understandable why different providers may offer you different prices. They may be referencing completely different products, or even the same product, they may have different total costs, raw materials, or service cost structures, and they may have different product formulations.

But equally important and often overlooked is the choice of vendors to bid on projects.

Pick three qualified vendors and you'll get comparable deals.

“With apples and pears”

We speak with our customers regularly to understand their motivations and consideration for price.

For one project, we quoted $60,000 for a medium-sized, but fairly complex project. The client also considered two other suppliers: one he had worked with before and the third was a nationally known brand.

Quote 1: $60,000
Quote 2: $50,000
Quote 3: $115,000

Why quote 2 is cheaper? Maybe a math error? No, the customer explained that quote 2 was actually bidding on a completely different product, and that there were also differences in quality and logistics plans, which was enough to explain the price difference.

The big, nationally recognized brand boasted a wall of awards and typically does quality work, but this client the brand was unwilling to provide personalized service or offer pricing flexibility, such as volume discounts or special pricing on hours. less active.

The client had still worked with that third quote and knew that they do quality work, but at a significantly higher price than other concrete companies in the area. He also knew that he rarely bid, preferring to design his own projects.

Imagine if the owner decided not to bid on the project and only accepted the price for Bid 3: You'd never know you're paying $65,000 more than you had to!

Business customers should apply "The Rule of 3" to end-to-end relationships, not every single order.

Effectiveness, efficiency, trust and loyalty are the hallmarks of a good, long-term, mutually beneficial business relationship.

Customers benefit from volume discounts, reserved capacity, order prioritization during peak hours, free or deeply discounted services, dedicated account executive access, free site visits, factory tours, and expert consultations.

Suppliers benefit because long-term relationships save them time and money; Confidently plan new capabilities and geographic expansion. These savings and improvements can then be reinvested in existing relationships, fueling a virtuous improvement process.

Even if your personal purchases are small, long-term, stable customer relationships are important because they represent a consistent and reliable source of income. In fact, two-thirds of most companies' sales come from existing customers.

It is counterproductive for business customers to bid for every single order: instead, they must occasionally dig deep into the market to understand the strengths and opportunities of potential suppliers, as this allows them to negotiate long-term strategic contracts with discounts and special services.

Conclusion: The key is to get three quotes.

With a little research and planning, you should be able to get the same quality product at a more reasonable price. Lueste's free tools and price transparency make it easy to understand what concrete and services are required in your offer or how they compare.

With a good spec list, three qualified and comparable vendors, their offerings should be pretty close to each other.

Two quotes are not enough to trust an offer; four or five is too many, and if a vendor has only a 20 to 25 percent chance of getting the job, their incentive to bid is greatly reduced.

If you think you need more information about concrete or are waiting to get in touch with a professional ready-mix concrete distributor in the concrete area of ​​the city and we have coverage in the main neighborhoods such as Polanco, Anzures, Juárez, Roma, Tlatelolco , Del Carmen, Centro and many more colonias, you can contact our team at +52 (55) 5598-9348 or contact us online. We are always willing to help.