In going on line, I identified three or four contractors that I felt could do the job and had reasonably good ratings. I drafted a Request for Quote (RFQ) and sent it to them. The first company that responded sent me an estimator who quickly and erroneously measured the job, showed me some samples and a couple days later sent me his quote.
It was as high as I expected, maybe even higher, outrageous as most construction bills are these days. I could have bought the material and built the goddamn fence myself, but I felt that I had passed the age for this kind of punishment.
It returned a result that pulled apart the cost of that exact type of fence, shortcomings in the offer and the complete labor cost estimate based on an expensive place like Park City at the current working rates.
It showed me step by step how to negotiate, including what to say and not say, and suggested I aim for a 25% reduction, noting that I would be quite happy if I only could obtain a lesser, 20% discount.
That’s what I did with the best bid I had received, and after quite a bit of wrangling got to my ultimate target. Thank you AI! Tomorrow I’ll share with you my take away from that first in-depth experience with AI as a negotiator...
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