For landscape managers, job bidding is tough. Bids have to be low
enough to get jobs and high enough to turn a profit after
covering costs. That makes cost estimating even more critical,
especially for beginners who have no benchmark data to base their
estimates on.

A University of Georgia workshop in Athens March 21-22 will
introduce managers to “Hort Management,” a computerized
cost-estimating and job-bidding module the UGA faculty has
developed.

Participants don’t have to know anything about computers. With
hands-on instruction, they will learn:

• Bidding strategies.
• How to estimate both fixed and variable costs, including
  overhead and labor.
• How to structure bids in the form of a contract for
  presenting to clients.
• How computers make the bidding and estimating process more
  efficient and accurate.
• How to tailor “Hort Management” for their own business.

Even people who don’t bid directly on jobs will find the program
useful in estimating labor costs, time and task data and cost
comparisons.

The workshop is limited to the first 28 people who register. The
$60 fee includes a copy of the $50 software, lunch the first day,
refreshment breaks, handouts and instruction.

The deadline to sign up is Friday, March 15. To learn more, call
the UGA Extension Service horticulture office at (706)
542-2340.