Unsolvable Riddle

[NecessaryCatharsis]

About a month ago we had a builder send us four sets of plans, and ask for pricing to do all 4 large, 28 unit buildings. With buildings that large we tend to give very good prices, especially when there is multiple buildings. These buildings were at address (renamed obviously)
#1 Road A
#2 Road A
#3 Road B
#4 Road B

I got an email from the builder a few days ago, responded, and we have been building on the conversation, so we can each scroll down and see the conversation in entirety. I just got an email from them, at 10:50pm on Saturday, which pretty much put an end to my hope of getting sleep tonight, because I just don't know how to respond anymore, and this kind of thing tends to swim around in brain causing undertows until I've solved it. This one could take a while. The email conversation, with a few details changed, from the beginning.

Hi,
Thank you for quoting our last four projects. Your pricing was very close to but just a little bit higher than your competitor and our backer has decided to go with them unless you can bring your price down a little. We also have two more projects we are going to start in June and were wondering if you would be interested in quoting those? Let me know if your quoting and also if you can get your pricing any lower on the last projects - 2 each Street A and Street B. We could give you all of them? Plans attached. Thanks, builder

Hi Builder, I would be happy to get you a quote on any upcoming projects. I've looked over the plans you've sent me and they are for #4 Street B and #5 Street B. The last quotes I sent you were for #3 and #4 Street B. Was there a mix up in the address, or was it just one more project you want a quote for?
Can you tell me what pricing competitor gave you? I'm not able to authorize any lower price on my own, but knowing that would make it easier for me to get permission for a price reduction from boss if it's possible. If it is possible you could forward their quote to me, that would give me the best chance of getting you the lowest price possible. Thanks,

The projects I sent you were for the right addresses, #4 Street B and #4 Street B are different locations. I'm afraid I can't discuss what price other companies came in at, but you were only a little higher then competitor, you wouldn't have to come down very much to match or beat them, and we would rather have you guys, you did a great job on our last project. If you can get a lower price please resend the original four quotes.

Thanks for giving us a chance to re-quote, I know the guys like working at your jobs, they are always clean and well organized so I went to bat for you. I managed to get you a price reduction based on doing all four, I've attached the revised quotes for your projects at #1 & 2 A street, and #3 & 4 B street, but you'll see the pricing is only good for 45 days. I need to order materials by June 12 at the latest to keep that price, our next material pricing increase is June 15. I will get you a quote for the next two projects by Tuesday afternoon at the latest.

What job is this quote for? I sent plans for #4 and #5 street B, and this is #3 and #4 Street B. And what is Street A? We cannot guarantee all the jobs, as each project has a different backer, so they will be making decisions individually. Do you need to revise the quotes if you are only getting one project? Can you resend those to me. But for #4 and #5 Street B, I don't know what #3 street B or Street A is. Thanks for your time so far, this looks great.

[RootedPhoenix]

I really don't know. O_o

*offers plate of cookies*

[eltf177]

What job is this quote for? I sent plans for #4 and #5 street B, and this is #3 and #4 Street B. And what is Street A? We cannot guarantee all the jobs, as each project has a different backer, so they will be making decisions individually. Do you need to revise the quotes if you are only getting one project? Can you resend those to me. But for #4 and #5 Street B, I don't know what #3 street B or Street A is. Thanks for your time so far, this looks great.

This is the GIGANTIC red flag for me, in that your bid is low as you're expecting to do 100% of the work. This makes it sounds like you may get as few as one building. And are there five or six? I'm not even sure if the person you're talking with has a clue either.

My hinky meter would be going off at this big time...

[RealUnimportant]

Dear Builder,
gibber gibber ftang zwoop out of cheese error.

Yours
et cetera

[earl colby pottinger]

Trust?

I would not trust anyone who claims they can get a lower price elsewhere when they will not tell you the price or the competitor's name.

Anyone can just make that claim up from thin air. Plus you are in business to be a business not a charity.

The company I used to work for was always being told that their competitors were cheaper, but we knew that they had to be selling at a loss in hopes of get future business. The company I worked for always made a profit (sometimes a very small one) on every sales.

It is now 30+ years from when I first started with the company, I don't work there anymore but they are still in business ... the competitors? Not a single one from more than five years ago exists today.

You can't run a business long term if it does not make a profit off it's customers.

[earl colby pottinger]

Names

I just reread your post. I now realize that maybe you had the name but the profit part still stands.

[notalwaysright]

I'm wondering what your company would do if they tried to get you to do only one or two of the sites? At my old job at the roofing company this would happen sometimes, and it never failed to be a nuisance. For example, we send out a bid for a house, and a large shed on the same property, explicitly stating that the price is for both. We get the bid back with the shed part circled and everything else crossed off. Um, no?

Also wondering if you've done jobs for this builder before, because if this is the first time it doesn't look good. Normally I liked dealing with contractors/builders, because they were usually much easier to deal with than homeowners, but this is nuts.

[bainsidhe]

Me: Here you are Builder, I've attached my quotation for 5 apples.
Builder: Price looks great! But what do you mean apples, it's for one Toyota.

I guess what I'm saying is, there may be a reason your price looks so good.

[EricKei]

Aside from getting -- in writing -- which properties the final final triple revised bid will be for, I'd say give him two sets of quotes...One set, at your current price, for ALL FOUR properties, and another, at 10% higher, for a per-property bid (which applies if you don't get them all). Specify on the "all in one" quote that he's being offered the "discount" for giving you all four jobs. In writing.

[Marmalady]

This ^^ a thousand times. I'm getting a distinct whiff of smelly fish here, and I've never had anything to do with building work or the contracting thereof.

[Kittish]

I'm afraid I can't discuss what price other companies came in at, but you were only a little higher then competitor, you wouldn't have to come down very much to match or beat them

Sure, he has a better quote from someone else. Sure he does. I'd lay long odds that whatever quote he got from competitor is HIGHER than what you guys quoted. That, and I'd be getting kind of a skeevy feeling from this guy about now, all the different properties he's talking about and can't seem to keep straight himself about what address is which and what bid is for which address.

I think what I would do is quote him a price for EACH address, and tell him "Look, if competitor is a better price, well, we hate to lose your business but this is the best price we can do, this quote is good until date." Of course I've never worked in this particular business so my ideas may be worth about as much as a snowball in hell.

[Shieldbreaker]

I have to agree with previous posters, reset quotes, and give him cut off. Phrase it as politely as you want and walk away.

[EricKei]

Also - and please forgive me for leaving this out before -- Get in writing from them (on actual paper, not just an email) exactly which addresses he's talking about. The "confusion" on addresses raises a serious red flag for me.

[scruff]

I think what I would do is quote him a price for EACH address, and tell him "Look, if competitor is a better price, well, we hate to lose your business but this is the best price we can do, this quote is good until date." Of course I've never worked in this particular business so my ideas may be worth about as much as a snowball in hell.

I'd give a quote for each property individually, and a quote for the full set (listing addresses), explaining the discount for being appointed for undertaking the full list of properties is only applicable if all these project start within 6* months (*or whatever suits your business plan).
I _do_ work in the industry, and the level of info potential clients give us to work on, which we then need to send out to sub-contractors, can be horribly patchy.
I spend a fair amount of my time apologising to subbies about the poor/confusing info, but we can't send a bid to the potential client without costing the job, however woolly the info is.

[MoonCat]

Dear Builder,
gibber gibber ftang zwoop out of cheese error.

Yours
et cetera

Can't stop laughing, please send help....!!

As for the OP, I suck at math but even I can see he's trying to pull something. At a guess I'd say he's trying to trick you into quoting whatever price HE wants to pay, but without any actual guarantees about ANY of it.

And how does he expect you to come back with a price that matches or comes in lower than a competitor when he won't name the competitor's price? Even if there's really no competitor, he's asking you to GUESS what an "acceptable" price is.