School district contracts

[Wallace Scherer]

I was invited to bid on tuning the 86 pianos in the Hampton, Virginia
public schools. My bid price was 30% less than my standard first tuning
price of $68. Needless to say, this didn't even come close. The winning bid
from the previous year was $15 per piano and $10 per hour for repairs,
regulation, etc. (Not a PTG member of course.)

The school district of Palm Beach County, Florida has an interesting way of
doing it. (This is their first year to using the bidding system.) Besides
the normal two pages of small print instructions that apply to all bidders
for any job in the school district, there are seven more pages of special
conditions relating to the piano tuning and repair jobs including all sorts
of insurance requirements, agreement not to lobby school board members, and
an agreement not to subcontract out any work. The reward?

The winners of the bids will be placed on a list of approved piano
technicians from which the individual schools can choose to work on their
pianos. In other words, there is no guarantee that a bid winner will
actually get a job from it! Hey, there's still time. Bids must be in by 2PM
tomorrow, April 29th.

Here is a question for those of you who have won school district contracts
in the past: Has tuning pianos for the schools significantly increased your
other business by having contact with music students and teachers?

Wally Scherer, PTG Associate Member, Norfolk, VA, USA
E-mail: WallyTS@iName.com (Please use this new address now!)
Web page: http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/2411
"Old piano tuners don't die - they just go beatless!"