We get calls every week from warehouse operators who accepted a quote from an out-of-state rack supplier and then discovered the real cost halfway through the project. The rack materials were cheap. Everything else was not included.
A pallet rack quote that only covers materials is not a project quote. It is a material list with a price on it. The actual project includes engineering, permitting, fire code compliance, floor preparation, delivery, installation, and final inspection. When those items are left out of the quote, you end up paying for them anyway. You just pay more, because you are scrambling to find them after the fact.
What a Material-Only Quote Looks Like
Here is a typical scenario. A Las Vegas warehouse manager gets three quotes for a 200-position selective rack system. Two local companies quote $25,000 to $35,000. An online supplier quotes $14,000. The online price wins.
Then reality sets in:
- Freight from out of state: $2,000 to $5,000 depending on origin. Local suppliers deliver from their own warehouse.
- Structural engineering: $2,000 to $4,000. The online supplier does not offer this service. You need a Nevada-licensed PE to stamp the drawings.
- Permit application: $500 to $2,000 in fees. Someone has to prepare and submit the permit package. You are now hiring a third party to do this.
- Fire marshal review and high-pile storage permit: Another $500 to $1,500. The online supplier has never pulled a permit in Clark County.
- Installation labor: $3,000 to $6,000. The online supplier does not install. You hire a separate crew who has never seen the drawings.
- Floor preparation: $500 to $2,000 if the slab needs crack repair, grinding, or patching at anchor locations.
- Inspection delays: The permit package is submitted incorrectly. Revisions add 2 to 4 weeks. Your warehouse sits empty or your old system stays in the way.
The Real Cost of That $14,000 Quote
Add it up. That $14,000 material quote is now $24,000 to $34,000 when you include everything else. And it took 4 to 6 weeks longer because you were coordinating four different vendors (the rack supplier, the engineer, the permit expediter, and the installation crew) instead of one.
You also had no single point of accountability. When the permit came back with corrections, the engineer blamed the rack supplier for incomplete specs. The rack supplier said the engineer had all the information. The installation crew was on another job by the time the permit was approved.
What a Complete Project Quote Includes
When we quote a rack project, every cost is on the page. Here is what a complete project quote from Source 4 includes:
- Rack materials: Uprights, beams, base plates, hardware, safety clips, and wire decking if required.
- Delivery: From our North Las Vegas warehouse to your site.
- PE-stamped engineering drawings: Designed by our in-house structural engineer, Bob Sharifi, PE.
- Permit application and management: We prepare and submit the building permit and fire marshal review.
- Installation labor: Our crew handles the entire install.
- Anchoring: Anchor bolts, drilling, and installation per the engineering specifications.
- Final inspection coordination: We schedule the building department final inspection and are on site for it.
- Load capacity plaques: Installed on the completed system per ANSI MH16.1.
The Value of One Company, One Phone Number
When something needs to change, you call one number. When the fire marshal has a question during review, we handle it. When the building inspector comes for final sign-off, our crew is there. When the permit needs a correction, our engineer makes it the same day.
That is not a sales pitch. That is what actually happens on our projects. We have been doing this in Clark County for over 50 years. The permit reviewers know us. The fire marshals know us. Our engineer, our crew, and our project management are under the same roof.
Get a Real Number for Your Project
If you are comparing quotes, make sure you are comparing the same thing. Ask every bidder what is included and what is not. If permitting, engineering, and installation are "by others," add $8,000 to $15,000+ to that quote before you compare it to a complete number.
Or call us at (702) 734-8848 and get a quote that covers everything. We will give you one number for the whole project, and that number will be honest.