I have a few more days to wrestle with this proposal, so I am now out of panic mode. The spreadsheet done by Dave really helps a lot! Thanks so much! This is my first attempt at proposal writing, and my first attempt at estimating piano service for a university. Since there will be only about 30 pianos to start with, this won't justify having a staff technician. I am preparing a cost estimate for routine maintenance, tuning, cleaning, voicing, etc. HOWEVER, I am also tempted to price separately the cost of "delivering" these services because parking will not be available. The best one can do after traveling in heavy traffic for an hour, is pay $12 per day in a far away parking lot, and drag all the tools and stuff up hill and many steps! I am thinking that 4 pianos could be done during a normal work day, and charging a "delivery" fee of $100 per day. Is this reasonable? For instance, if I decide that a piano needs serviced three times a year, and will include tuning, cleaning, voicing and regulation, and that this will be charged at $100 per visit (3 times per year), and the cost to deliver this service will be $25 per piano (figuring 4 a day) should I quote this in the budget as just one figure of $125 or break it down? Do any of you CAUTS have experience with Disklavier-type pianos in your fleets? Do any of your universities use them, and if so, how? Do you use upright or grand disklaviers? Do any of your universities use digital pianos? Silent pianos? How musically useable is a piano that looks like a piece of trash, but plays and tunes acceptably? Most of the pianos I have seen so far are musically useable to some extent. This means that the worst of the useable ones could remain in areas of dormitory all purpose rooms, room with the ping pong tables, and student lounges. However, although the keys and actions work and look just fine, the cabinets are a total mess! Some are missing veneer, legs, music desks and just look horrible! The finish is ruined on all the laquer finished ones. Would it be a good thing to suggest that they take the better of these studio uprts, paint them so they look better, and place them in student lounges, game rooms and dormitory multipurpose rooms? For budget purposes, is maintenance the cost of just labor - tuning, regulating, cleaning, voicing; and repairs the cost of parts plus the labor to install and adjust parts? What is a cheap finish for a piano that is not worth refinishing, and is this maintenance or repairs? I really appreciate your input. I did not seek out this venue, they came after me! So I guess I am learning something new! Carol Beigel, RPT Greenbelt, Maryland Carol Beigel, RPT Grateful for you input!
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