<HTML>In a message dated 11/4/01 2:19:34 PM !!!First Boot!!!, kswafford@earthlink.net writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">The college has a local tech that does regular tunings. The college likes the idea of having an "outside expert" come in regularly, and turned to me after they found out how much it would cost to have a real Steinway tech come from New York.  :) I don't give any sort of discount for my services at this college which presents a real problem for the local tech, since he _does_ substantially discount his services. Therefore, I come in and in just two days use up a rather substantial portion of the annual piano service budget. </BLOCKQUOTE> As of now, I have not been approached by smaller colleges around here, but the Steinway dealer told me he would recommend me to them. As I thought about this, on the one hand it is nice to be asked to be the "outside expert." But on the other hand, if the regular tuner does a satisfactory job, why would they need the outside expert. I wonder, as in your case, Kent, if the local tech was given the money the school promised you, if he couldn't do the same kind of service you are going to give. In other words, perhaps you will charge $1000 to tune and regulate the concert and faculty pianos. But perhaps if the local tech was given the same amount of money, he would be able to the same thing. Perhaps the local tech knows the budget is limited, and wants to keep his price low, so they will continue to use him. This might be a catch 22. If the local tech can do the advanced work, and charges more, he will not get the regular work. If he gives a discount so as to get the regular work, he won't get the advanced work. Before giving a bid to the school, perhaps you should ask the college if they are satisfied with the local tech's work. If they are, recommend they continue using him/her, but offer him/her more money to do the work. Of course, if they are not sattisfied with his/her work, that's another story. At one of the local colleges in St. Louis, the head of the piano faculty, who is from New York, convinced the school that no one in St. Louis was qualified to rebuild the D in the concert hall. So it was sent off to New York to be rebuild by the faculty member's "expert." Several years later I had the opportunity to tune that piano. I did better work in my first year as a rebuilder. Yet, the school thought is was great. After all, it was done by an "outside expert" in New York. Wim </HTML>