Steel and Precast Detailing Services

Author: admin

  • Standard Hooks and Cogs for Precast

    Standard Hooks and Cogs for Precast

    D500 N BAR
    dia d, (mm)    		Pin dia factor f,
    (Pin dia meter dp= fxd
    a    		180 deg hook
    b    		135 deg hook90 cog
    c
    104 for fitments100/105120140/155
    124 for fitments110/115130/145155/170
    164 for fitments / 5 dia 80120/130150/165185/205
    204 for fitments / 5 dia 80140/150200/220220/240
    244 for fitments / 5 dia 80170/180200/240265/290
    28
    32
    36
    40
  • Create Radius with Polygon Cut

    Create Radius with Polygon Cut

    Important points.

    Do not pick points along the Arch to do a polygon cut.

    Select Extreme end of the Arc and Create tangent to circle at those points.

    Use the intersection of the tangents as one polygon cut node.

    Other nodes should be outside the Arc.

    No node of the Polygon should be on the Arc.

    2 Nodes on the tangent outside the arc.

    1 Node on the Tangent intersction

    4th Node to close the polygon as needs to be.

    The video says any point on the arc. Any point will not do- extreme points of the arc is necessary

  • Videos on Precast Projects

    Repair of Foundation
    Safe Work Practices on Precast

    Tilt Up Panel erection

  • Working in a big name firm, does not necessarily mean “better”

    There may be a perception that “big is better”.

    i.e. that working in: Tata Consultancy / Microsoft / Facebook / Amazon or

    …is better than working in smaller companies with “unknown” names and with headcounts of less than 150……but why?

    (A) Job Security?

    Is your job really safe(r) at these “big” companies?

    These companies sometimes fire entire departments of people – it may be rare, but consider carefully whether it really is “safer”.

    The only safety you have is working hard. And this applies in small and large businesses.

    (B) Small Cog In a Big Edifice

    If you’re working in a large corporate office: you will be a commodity resource – an employee. In other words:

    • you will typically have a very defined role – a small cog in a big wheel, with little independent autonomy, and little room for creativity. That might be stifling for some people. In other words, it is hard to be big AND “agile” at the same time – more people means more politics. More people means you have to play it safe. More people means your competition will counter-position your offering.

    (C) Benefits of smaller offices:

    • in a small office, your role matters a lot: you will be directly responsible for the success / downfall of the office.
    • greater exposure to all sorts of problems. You will become a more rounded employee. Small firms do not have dedicated departments for each distinct function of their organisation like Amazon. We do not have dedicated “customer care” teams. YOU ARE the customer care team. We do not have a compliance department: YOU ARE the compliance department i.e. you need to make sure that all applicable regulations / standards are being followed. This means you are more likely to become a “complete” worker.
    • The ability to promote your own name / reputation. We give opportunities for staff to promote / market their work and knowledge on our platform. This means that once your name is established, you will be secure, perhaps forever. I do not know any other firm who does this, and gives such opportunities and freedom to their staff. Why not take advantage of it?

    (D) Bigger Pay

    Perhaps you might get more today at a big company rather than a “risky” wage increase tomorrow at your current company. But consider the pay implications of smaller businesses: if it grows: you’re getting in at the first floor. Especially so if you help in “grow the pie”.

    Maybe those things don’t interest you. Maybe money and brand is the only thing that matters. If so, then switch. But if other things do matter, consider them carefully before leaping.

  • How to choose a good detailer / draftsperson?

    You’ve got 2-3 quotes for a precast or steel detailer or draftsman / draftsperson. Different prices. Who do you pick?

    When comparing (prices), make sure you compare apples-to-apples:

    • are you also comparing quality and/or
    • other deliverables?

    Consider the following when assessing candidates:

    1. Assess on QUALITY, not price!
    2. Deliverables?
    3. How long have they been in business?
    4. Past Projects
    5. Past Reviews (this is a loose guide only)
    6. Documentation of Knowledge
    7. Documentation of Training
    8. Test Their Knowledge!
    9. Legitimacy of their operations
    10. Understand Internal Processes
    11. Understand Pricing: terms, supply vs demand for their services
    12. Staff: who are they? How long have they been there?
    13. Accreditation

    Warning: Assess on Quality, not on Price

    • A bad detailer will cost you your entire project: whether that’s $10,000 or $20,000,000 m, they will destroy your reputation, your cash flow, and your business. To me it makes no sense to assess on price alone – it is insanity to do so – you must assess on quality.
    • e.g. Story time: I went to meet a big fabricator in Melbourne – who wanted shop drawings for $6.00 / panel. That was an order of magnitude cheaper than what I was quoting. I said how is are you going to do that? He quoted an overseas firm whom we know (this firm is a client killer – they destroy clients but seem to churn enough to stay alive). Fabricator wanted me to price match at $6.00 / panel. I laughed and said: “I can’t do that. Impossible. Good luck with$6.00 / panel!” He was smug. I was astounded at how smug he was – because he did not know, and could not foresee the danger that lay in front of him – for himself, and his employer. This guy was awarded the precast project – it was a prison job – and he then flipped his project to $6.00 detailers, and that detailer basically killed him, and the job. The fabricator lost the contract, and it eventually landed in our lap. That manager essentially killed his employer and the last I heard of him – he was transferred out of his Melbourne position into a role interstate. I could have told him that he was heading for trouble, but this guy wouldn’t have listened to me. The point being: do not assess on price, assess on quality. We are dealing with high stakes outcomes, not a low stakes trinket where ersatz will suffice.

    Deliverables

    • Enumerate their deliverables. Different business have different deliverables and different mechanisms by which they deliver results to you.
    • Our deliverables are as follows:
      • IFA: Marking Plans, Assembly Drawings, Anchor Bolt Plans. No IFC model when we release IFA drawings.
      • IFC: Marking Plans, Assembly Drawings, Anchor bolt plans, drilling layout for Chemset/True Bolt, Part Drawings, NC1 files, DXF files for Plates, CAD exports of requested marking plans and elevations
      • And we don’t deliver db1 files until invoices are cleared. Why? Because fabricators can shop that model; and secondly, and more importantly: we want to control all aspects of the quality process: if a fabricator absconds with the model, and produces a set of drawings via a third party: and it fails – who is to be held liable? We do not want to be dragged into the fray.
    • Reports: Variations reports. How is a fabricator to keep track of all the documentation associated with changes on large jobs? We will do the work for you, we have systems + processes to ensure that you will get change reports.
    • Statuses / Delays: With Tek1, you will largely be informed of the status of your project. Rarely will you have to chase us.
    • Timeliness: We have tools to make us efficient. We write them and build them. This allows us to deliver drawings FAST! Which means you won’t have people sitting around in your factory doing nothing.
    • Further value added services. programming capabilities, tooling, surveying resources etc.

    How long have they been in business?

    If they’ve managed to: (i) establish themselves, and (ii) remain in business for a long time, then that, in and of itself is a semi-reliable indicator. It means:

    • they began, and sustained themselves through that beginning phase,
    • they have enough customers, and enough profits to survive.
    • they’ve had ample opportunity to make mistakes, yet have survived.

    The longer the better.

    We’ve been in business since 2008. That’s at least: 16 years (at the time of writing). You can check out our ASIC filing here, and you can also check out our start year of incorporation:

    We’ve been operating, successfully since 2008:

    Tek1 ASIC filing

    Past Projects

    • How many past projects have then done?
    • Have they documented them?

    This is easily assessable:
    • Steel: We have done many, many 100s of projects – possibly nearing 1000 – check out our past Steel Projects blog.
    • Precast: We have done over +130 precast panel projects for Meriton alone (indirect client and through another entity we managed). Checkout all our past precast projects blog.

    Documenting projects takes time. If a firm has documented it over a long period of time, it is more likely than not, that they have actually done the project. It also allows you to ask further questions about a particular project. Further it demonstrates that clients are trusting that particular detailing firm to conduct those (perhaps large, and risky) projects.

    If you don’t see any projects: ask your detailer if there is any reason? Perhaps there may be commercial reasons why they are not there. Perhaps they don’t have the time / resources to post their projects.

    Past Reviews

    They should only serve as a loose guide. Why?

    • Only over-joyed clients will make a comment, and many will only do so after prompting because:
    • Clients who are happy with their detailer: WILL NOT be incentivised to promote their detailer’s name via Google Reviews (or any other platform): because this would entail further competition for themselves, which would serve to push up their prices when asking us to quote for their work. We are not dealing with cafes and restaurants. Precast jobs are expensive, and there is zero incentive to promote “their” cornered resource, especially on jobs worth millions of dollars.
    • Clients who are disappointed will not bother to leave a review: they will leave and not return.

    You cannot trust the existence or non-existence of Google reviews, unless these clients are mums and dads (doing 1 off jobs), or you’ve gone above the call of duty for your client. Nevertheless, we do have some – If interested, check out Tek1’s Google reviews: Tek1’s Google Reviews:

    Documentation of Knowledge

    • Do they document knowledge? Do they know what they are talking about?
    • Do you learn something that you yourself did not know?

    At Tek1 we document our learnings for our staff. They serve a secondary function: that of marketing to prospective clients: clients can form a judgment of competence based on the quality and quantity of documentation they can see.

    Check out our technical blog posts:

    1. Steel
    2. Precast
    3. Tekla
    4. AutoCAD .net API (our programming capabilities)
    5. Tekla Open API (our programming capabilities)
    6. Staff Memos.

    As above: documenting knowledge and creating training courses takes time: it demonstrates that a firm has the resources, and commitment to do so.

    Can the cheaper detailing firms do the same?

    Documentation of Training

    The better firms will document their training. We do this through:

    Staff are also assessed for their knowledge on the job.

    Test Their Knowledge!

    If you know your domain, ask whoever claims to hold knowledge, some simple questions:

    • What is the difference between a UB and an SHS? Where would I use one over another?
    • What does a “grade” of material mean?
    • What are my transport limitations?
    • What Ausutralian standards are applicable for this staircase / balustrades?
    • What is the difference between a ferrule and a coupler? Where would I use one over another?
    • What does rebar mean?
    • How should you dimension a precast panel?

    Then you can gauge whether they know what they are talking about.

    Staff

    • Who is doing the work?
    • How long have they been with the firm?
    • Where are they located?
    • Do you own or control your detailers?
    • How much are they being paid? What is their incentive structure?

    At Tek1, we’re open about who are staff are. Many have been with us for a very long time: +8 years. This means they’ve seen a lot of issues. You can check out our team, and their blogs in the our team page.

    Staff churn is not a good thing, as a client or as a business.

    Our staff are located in our privately held back office in South India. We hire, we fire. We train, manage and steward. We have direct control of our staff: we do not hail-Mary your job to external contractors in Timbuktu and hope that it comes back perfect. It never does. And we pay our very staff well. When you compare our quote to cheaper detailers, consider: how much are they paying their staff? If you pay peanuts, you may get monkeys.

    Legitimacy of Our Operations

    • We use 100% genuine Tekla licenses. These are very expensive, and is why we cannot compete with cheaper pirate licenses. Do you really think a pirate, who steals software, will miraculous be straight in their dealings with you?
    • We’re above board: we pay tax. No cash.
    • We pay our suppliers well, and on time. This enables you job to be delivered well, and on time.
    • We’re tooled up and constantly innovating. Our AWS (Amazon Web Services) cost alone – at one stage: was around $500 / month. How many detailing firms do you know with AWS in their stack? Why do we have AWS? Tooling: it allows us to deliver a better, overall product to you.
    • Proprietary software: as alluded to above: we don’t steal. We write our own tools. Many in this industry are little better than thieves, both in software, and in taxes.
      • e.g. Why should you care if a detailing firms gives you shop drawings cheaply (via thievery)? You should care because it speaks volumes about the integrity of the people in your supply chain. If they lack integrity, how can you expect them to have integrity in performing their work when you are not watching them?
    • If they claim to have custom tooling, but cannot program, and have little ability to innovate: it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how they got their tools. The good old fashioned way: pilfering.

    Legitimacy serves to add additional costs, but with those costs come integrity in the work. Basically you get what you pay for.

    Will they throw you under the bus?

    • Client did not pay us, gave us obsolete drawings, and was a poor interface with their client i.e. the builder. The project was delayed, because the builder could not contact them directly – because they absconded and went to a destination wedding overseas. A frustrated builder called us directly, wanting a few cast-in-plates: “just give me the drawings, I”ll pay you direct”. What would you do? Cut your client loose (and get paid)? We knew our client would not pay us – he was already late in payment, and routinely paid late, and sometimes not at all.
    • But I never liked going direct: because it might completely screw over our client – who knows if they are using this job to extract payment on other jobs etc. Predictably: the builder fired our client. Our client reassured us that he would pay us regardless, but he reneged. We knew it. The point being: even when we knew we are going to lose, we did not screw over our client. For us, it’s not about the money, but some very basic ethics.

    Understand Internal Processes

    • Do you know HOW they operate? We publish our processes (where relevant).
    • What happens if the architect / engineer adds a few extra tonnes of steel in your job? What if the reo in your panel changes? Will your detailer notify you? How will they do so?
    • Will they update you on your jobs?
    • Do they have systems that other detailers do not have?

    Understand Pricing: terms, supply vs demand for their services

    • Is the job risky? The higher the risk, the higher the price.
    • Does it involve a bridge? Bridges add to the firm’s insurance premiums: these costs must be recouped.
    • What are the terms of the job? Are they taking a deposit?
    • Remember: good detailers are hard to find: they are always in demand. If you’re shopping for a cheap price, perhaps an established detailelr will not want to deal with you.
    • Are you a known brand? Do you pay on time? Good detailers will want to deal with well established and credit-worthy players. If you’re an unknown entity, detailers may decline by quoting you a high price. Perhaps you can negotiate with them by adjusting the terms.

    Further Benefits

    • Are they able to deliver a 3d model to you which you can interrogate? We offer a “live link” service to our clients, so they can see their model, live, and check out any problematic areas.
    • Will they give you documentation if things change for you (rather than for them)?
    • Are they contactable?
    • Will they update you on the status?
    • Will they save your files?
    • Do they have back ups?
    • Do they have insurance? How much cover? What about liquidated damages? Consequential damages? Retention?

    Accreditation

    • If required: are staff accredited?
    • Is the firm accredited? (Tek1 – as of 2024 is a registered member of the Concrete Institute of Australia)
    • Verify any accreditation.

    These are some ideas that will give you some insight into qualifying your detailer. There are many others which I have missed, or have avoided for the sake of brevity. Good luck!

  • Caulking Precast Panels: What, why and how?

    Caulking: what, why and how?

    Once installed, precast panels need to be “caulked”.

    Why?
    • To prevent air and water from getting in between.
    • So what? If water gets in, it will cause damage: mould etc. – which is not pleasant for those occupying the building.

    What is caulking?
    • Basically putting a sealant in between the panels, to prevent air and water from getting in.
    • Most caulking, when done well, can last up to 20 years, and perhaps much longer.
    • Ideally, you should use fire resistant caulking.

    How do you do it?
    1. Wire brush the panel joints. This means to get a wire brush and scrape the edges of the panel. Why? This helps for the sealant (i.e. the caulk) to stick to the panel. Then get rid of any dust which accrued due to the wire brush. Why? To ensure maximum adhesion.


    2. Add prime: where applicable. Why?
    ◦ Helps the caulk to stick.
    ◦ Fills in any porous areas, or shallow areas.
    ◦ Makes it easy to spot areas which need caulking and priming. But mostly, for precast panels, you might not need to prime if you choose the right sealant, and the circumstances do not require it.

    1. Add Backing Rod
      • This ensures the sealant will last.
      • The rod is shaped in a particular way. Make sure the backing rode retains the hour glass shape. Do not push it in the center – because this will make it lose its concave shave – but push it in from the edges, to retain that shape.

    1. Apply the sealant properly:
      • You must have an hour glass shape (notice the red colour). The width must be x2 the depth. It is thin in the middle. If you don’t do this you will compromise the life of your sealant, quite severely.
    Shows how to properly join the seal.

    Image from: https://www.wbdg.org/guides-specifications/building-envelope-design-guide/joint-sealants

    As you can see it is time consuming and very expensive. Perhaps innovations can be made to speed things up in the future.

    More Detail:

  • I need to learn AISC – American Standards! (Staff Memo)

    “I am going to leave because I need to learn American standards!”

    I cannot understand why. When I ask detailers, their reasoning seems circular:

    • “because I want American Standards sir”.
    • Others may articulate the following response: “American Standards give more opportunity”. More opportunity for what? I would understand the “opportunity” argument if you did not already have a job, but when you have a job, and can get other jobs too, it is a very confusing!?
    • Perhaps they think that learning Australian standards is a death knell for their careers? Perhaps they feel trapped?

    For anyone who is feeling afraid or scared about Australian Standards and who wants “American Standards” as if it is a golden ticket – consider the following post:

    The “more opportunity” argument has it’s pitfalls:

    (A) More opportunity also means more competition.

    • Let us take the medical profession as an example. You can be a general practitioner (more opportunity) or you can become a heart surgeon (less opportunity). But remember: more opportunity also means more competition with other service providers i.e. detailers. GP doctors earn much less than heart surgeons. Why? They are less specialised. They have “more opportunity” but less money. Heart surgeons have “less opportunity” but they make more money.
    • Rather than asking if there is “more opportunity” you should ask: “how much money can I make using American Standards” vs “Australian Standards”?

    (B) Everyone in Tek1 who has left – has left for very big increments and they know ZERO American standards.

    • If you are going to leave consider: will you get the same level of training in your new firm? Remember, it costs a lot of money to train: we have the best TLs in the world training you. We put in a lot of money to train you.
    • I would also encourage you to learn as much as you can while you are here, because the more you learn, the more you will earn – you will be promoted very quickly if you show that you have learned quickly. We are different from other firms because we want to promote you up the ladder as fast as possible.
    • HR people and managers in other firms will be incentivised to pay you as little as possible. “Do you know AISC?” You don’t know? Ok bye. “Please start as a fresher,” they will say. I wouldn’t listen to them very closely. HR recruiters as a crude generalisation know very little, and managers who do know, will want you to join with them cheaply, so they can pay you lower wages, while taking advantage of your existing Tek1 knowledge.
    • How much are our senior TLs earning in EB and bonuses? How much did anyone who has left, leave for? Ask them: and you will see that if you want to leave, then you can leave at any time and for large amounts, because you have been operating under the Tek1 brand.

    (C) If you’re going to leave, then leave for big increments.

    Otherwise you are taking on a risk without a commensurate gain?

    (D) Once you learn Australian standards then you American standards are very easy.

    Australian Standards are much harder to master than American ones. If you master Australian standards – then you will easily handle American Standards. But if you have not even mastered Australian standards, then you will likely be departing here knowing little, to another domain where you not required to be as sharp.

    There are differences between the standards but not a lot.

    But if you have only started with Australian standards, and if you haven’t even learned that properly: then you have learned neither Australian, nor American. You have essentially learned nothing.

    (D) You can learn the AISC standards WHILE YOU ARE HERE and then go.

    Then you can say: “yes I know American standards”.

    (E) You can earn Good Money Catering to the Australian Market

    People learn American standards not because it is fun but because they will earn a wage. You are earning a wage here. Becoming an Australian specialist is like becoming a heart surgeon: there will always be plenty of demand, but it is very hard to master. Smaller market, but a niche market. Still money to be made. No doctor in Australia is complaining: “but I don’t have American accreditation”. This market is large enough for them.

    (F) Lost Opportunity

    If you leave now: you will lose out on: (i) EBs, and (ii) Bonuses (iii) you will get less gratuity if you work here for only 1 year vs 10 years, and (iv) and the opportunities which we are working towards creating, for our staff.

    I cannot promise anything, but we are working on some exciting things. In the past, people who left missed out on EBs, bonuses. You may miss out, in the future, if things are successful. Because now you are inside at the ground-floor. Because once you leave, unfortunately, I cannot take you back. Many of our former staff have learned the hard way.

    (F) But they want AISC!???

    • Why do they insist that you have x years experience + AISC? It’s because a lot of job applicants are actually liars – it is very difficult for them to tell you apart – with your Tek1 knowledge + training – from everyone else. As a result, they don’t want to take risks: that’s why they demand such high (and absurd) requirements.
    • They don’t know any better: managers and HR people, who don’t know, simply say: “I want AISC experience”. But anyone who knows steel detailing knows that learning a new standard, after you already know existing ones – is very easy. So either they: don’t know, or are low-balling you (to get you cheaply).

    (G) Don’t forget why you are working?

    Presumably, you are working for money. If you get paid well, by implementing Australian standards – who cares! Looking for “opportunity” only makes sense if you have no job. But if you have a job, why would you go from a well paid role, to a lesser paid one, for “more opportunity”?

  • Surveying: renting vs buying; ourselves vs out-sourcing

    This will give you an insight into our decision making process at Tek1.

    We are investigating the feasibility of purchasing Trimble surveying equipment. Total Station etc. For internal use only.

    * Cost of equipment: $100,000 + subscription software / maintenance.

    * Cost of renting: $500-800 / day

    We have $0 revenue coming from surveying, moreover we are not licensed surveyors. It will not be easy competing with professional surveyors. Unless we have a significant advantage in acquiring customers, it would not make a lot of sense competing with the professional surveyors.

    What would you do? Buy or purchase? Or use a professional?

    Given a choice of renting vs buying – we would rent – because:

    * we would need 125 days of rental utilisation ($100,000 / $800 per day) before it becomes and profitable to purchase this equipment vs renting:

    * prefer for Tek1 to be well capitalised by retaining cash – i.e. it is better for the cash to be in our pockets rather than Trimble’s.

    * This is a mutually exclusive decision: if we purchase the surveying equipment, that will limit our ability to get into some more profitable arenas.

    If we owned, we would have to maintain it. It could break, or get stolen etc.

    But even better than rolling our own: should we get a third-party surveyors

    • The benefit of rolling our own is that we will have intimate detail of all things pertaining to surveying – which will (potentially) allow us to deliver a better product. But it comes at a cost:
    • Cost: you’ll have to pay more for a contract surveyor – but then they take care of everything: machine, licenses, transport, and deliver a final output to you. Benefit is that you save time. And you don’t have to learn the nitty gritty. i.e. finding that menu options buried deep in the Total Station equipment. We can focus on what we’re good at, at let others focus on what they’re efficient at.
    • Cost: you will have to coordinate with them (vs coordinating internally. It’s tough to find a good one.
    • Hidden benefit: as a customer, you can “learn” some hidden tips your surveyor. Most will be happy to help, so long as you don’t burden them.

    Aside: Renting is similar to borrowing

    Imagine if I borrowed: $120,000 and repaid the loan over the course of a year.

    Cash flow from borrowing:

    • $120k – January
    • $120k – February
    • …etc.

    Now let’s look at the cost of renting at $120k / month but also getting ownership of the final product at the end of the period

    • $120k – January
    • $120k – February
    • etc

    You’ll notice that they look quite similar. You can think of renting as also borrowing money, and repaying – and if you rent short term, it’s like borrowing, repaying, and not getting an ownership interest in the underlying asset. If you can immediately end your rental, then it would be the equivalent of borrowing, purchasing an asset, and then reselling it when you no longer need it – with the rental provider doing all the work for you. i.e. it essentially allows you to take on debt, without explicitly declaring it on your balance sheet (all of this subject to the accounting rules and practices in your jurisdiction).

  • How can I earn more? (Memo 29)

    • How can I earn more?
    • How can I get a higher wage?

    Legitimate questions.

    In order to answer those questions, consider:

    • Where is the money coming from?
    • Why is the money being paid?

    Where is the money coming from?

    • Nobody has a pot of gold.
    • For all businesses, the money comes from clients. It is the client who is paying you, not me. The client pays you, not the shareholder.

    Why is the money being paid?

    • You are being paid because the client needs help.
    • Your job is to guide the client to his destination. This means looking after and caring for your client.
    • Clients are risking million dollars (in some cases) on their projects. You need to help the client so that they don’t lose their money, business and reputation.
    • This means if you want to get paid well and get repeat business: focus on doing a great job for your client.
    • If you do a mediocre job, barely good enough – then this will not impress the client. How then are you going to ask the client for a pay rise?

    How can I get a higher wage?

    If you want more, the only way to do this is to give more. The question you should be asking is: how can I give my client more?

    (a) Outstanding Service

    • First provide an outstanding service to your client. If you do this, you’ll get more clients and more work. If you don’t do this, then you’ll lose clients, and you’ll have less work. Keep doing mediocre work and you’ll soon have zero clients, and no work.
    • Do the simple things well. I do not want to keep reminding you to:
    1. update your status,
    2. inform the client when you are unavailable (perhaps a cultural celebration, or an event, or a wedding etc),
    3. or to post links to drawings in the private details of your statuses.
    4. don’t promise things you cannot deliver.
    • Once you have many clients, then we can choose our clients carefully, and choose the rates.

    (b) Innovate

    • Anything you can suggest which will make us cheaper / faster / better will be highly regarded.
    • Innovate: This is the best way to get higher wages. Because if you provide something that the client finds valuable, that they cannot easily get elsewhere, they will pay for it. Small things are fine. Here are a few examples of innovation.
      • All of you have Teams accounts so you can better communicate.
      • We are now providing Live Links on all projects.
      • We provide statuses. We have private_details on all statuses.
      • All of you now have phones. Use them! Turn them on. Be a professional. Call clients on delivery of drawings.
      • We have multi-tenancy on the quote app. (Ram suggested it a long time ago).
      • Big one: we have EBs and approval process.
      • Big one: We have bonuses for winning and retaining clients (i.e. client reviews).
      • Barath made tutorial videos – this reduces our cost of training.

    Proof of Tek1’s commitment to your remuneration:

    1. EB. We have proven that if you give clients something valuable to them – they will pay you for it. You have seen this with our EB system.The innovation here is simple: give clients compelling documentation.
    2. Bonuses. For winning and retaining clients. For high quality work.
    3. Higher wages. Retaining a stable of premium clients allows us to pay you higher.

    Higher wages takes time. If you focus on client outcomes, and innovate (or at least, help me innovate) then you will be able to get persistent differential returns. However, if you don’t focus on client outcomes, then it will be difficult for you to earn differential returns anywhere – whether inside or outside Tek1.