I tend to agree with you on this, I was comparing some of my #'s from past invoices through the years and I am making on an average about .25 less across the board.
I used to be a prime and know how the game is played, grease the MSO personnel and meet the dead lines on the work you do receive, common business practice but what has changed is the growing # of primes and worse the inexperience concerning bidding projects, as the bean counters gain control (Thanks Rigas) the low bidder always gets the projects, it's no longer up to the GM's, PM's or field supervisors that know who will give them the best product for the money, I have been in the room when MSO upper management found out that the prime that has been screwing up their plant for the last 2 years just got the contract again! ANY dick and Harry can pick up the insurance needed and submit a bid and it's gotten out of control. As primes go, it used to run right at 70/30 concerning contractors now it's around 50/50 or worse, the primes got spoiled on Adelphia prices, their life styles projected this but once the bottom fell through and this combined with the amount of primes jumping on board the bidding wars began to wipe out profits, and who gets it in the end? That's right, the contractor. I had a lady friend say to me a couple months ago, (she is a prime) "Since when has it become a crime to make a profit?"
In my opinion it's gone as low as it can possibly go, most systems are out dated and squeezing by, MSO's are pushing 25 year old MC2 systems to a gig, some thing is going to give, if it doesn't well satellite & FTTP will clean house, it's so easy to sit in an office and convince yourself everything is just fine but get out there and try to sweep some of the junk they have in the air, hey work a retro for a couple weeks, the system guys don't know the injection levels or what levels to sweep the rev at, (but that's your fault) the modems are crashing every night, (yup your fault again) AGC's are failing hard because of faulty power packs, or dropped carriers, (that's right, your fault, didn't see many TWC trucks out there at 2 in the morning) the old 59 noise floors are clipping, oh and then materials, hell I'm not even going there I have too much to do today so I can drive 7 1/2 hours tomorrow, check in to the curry hilton, and gear up for Mon. God I love this Sh1t!
Re: Sounds like Ana'
Member #: 163
Registered: 1996-2001
Posted:
678
Name:
Doug Cohen
Name:
Doug Cohen
Company:
Self
Occupation:
Constr/splicing/sweep/you name it.
Location:
New England
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