Them: Please sign the following contract and be out there tomorrow.
Me: Attached is the PSA I sent before, please sign and return with retainer. We ask for a 48 hour lead time for any staking requests. Please send specific requests to me as soon as you know what they are.
The proper response. Don’t let any construction contractor bully you into a compromising relationship. That being said the big boys value the services of a good construction surveyor and a decent retainer with monthly T&M bills promptly paid should be the norm. After all, it’s only a few percent of their monthly construction costs so they’d be crazy to stiff you and delay their operations. They also know you can slap a mechanic’s lien on the project and really cause problems.
That being said if I have a good relationship with a construction contractor I’ll waive the 72 hour lead time if he/she has an emergency (changed plans) and show up at dawn to stake enough for earthwork to continue that day and restake the rest on the weekend for an overtime fee. Conversely it’s great when the contractor calls up and says he/she’s got a problem with your stakes, could be I used week old plans or I actually screwed up, let’s talk. Or the call that the whole project is shut down for three weeks, gov’mnt or financial problems, so no need for crews on site ’till next month. Lets me reschedule other work.
The main feeling I seek is we’re a team with a common goal and my fee is trivial compared to the big picture. Any contractor that thinks I’m a profit center by lowballing or minorly stiffing me will not be a repeat client and I’ll stick to the contract concerning lead times, monthly payments, etc., and stop work immediately if he/she bends the rules. Kinda wakes up even the worst contractors if your contract is solid. Are they going to sue you for $5,000 while their $100,000/week mass grading operation grinds to a halt because of no stakes? Most pencil it out and pay you.