Radon Testing Pricing

Hello, I was contacted by an environmental company to submit a bid on radon testing for a multifamily apartment complex. The environmental company will be supplying all of the devices and be funding all shipping costs. They are just looking for a bid on placing and retrieving 36 devices. I was wondering if anyone providing radon testing has been involved in this type of radon testing procedure, and I am looking for advice on what would be a proper fee to charge them? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

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Where are you located? As what sounds like a subcontractor role, what is your agreement with the environmental company in terms of risk, responsibilities, etc? Those answers will help you determine what kind of pricing is appropriate.

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Along with what Nate said:

Are you SURE that you will be able to get into each apartment on drop off date AND retrieval date?

I tried to price anything that I did, Home Inspection wise, at $100/hr. And that was years ago.

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  1. Make sure your Contract with the Enviro Co. specifically releases you from all liability associated with the devices and the results.

  2. You MUST maintain a proper COC (Chain of Custody) for the devices as you are not supplying or shipping them to the Lab. I am sure that you will be deploying charcoal canisters, so this is crucial for your liability protection.

  3. Be certain they stipulate in the contract specific instructions as to placement and other required protocols. It needs to be defined as to your specific duties and responsibilities. The FEE is based upon these factors, in fact, you cannot place a Bid without this information. Requesting this information upfront will express to them your professionalism.

Good luck. Keep us informed how it works out.

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Thank you guys for the advise and recommendations! I would definitely put a release of liability in the contract and they are supplying the COC’s for the devices. The device locations on the work order they sent for me to review just stated how many devices per floor. I was told I would be given a contact name and number for the property and they would be determining which rooms would be having devices placed in them.

Again, thank you for the feedback!

I’m in a licensed state for radon testing and have mandated protocol. This should give you an idea of what is accepted practice: I had to get training and pass the NRSB test. With my license I can test up to a 4 unit apartment. Larger buildings require additional training specific to large buildings. You need a procedure of operation and professional qualifications to test any building in order to get readings that are reliable. For me, I’d pass on a large building test and hand it off to a firm that is qualified and licensed for that work.

If you don’t have the training on how to test a large building, IMO you are taking a significant liability risk. Remember, your job is to provide a reliable test, not to limit your liability if you are unsure.

With that said, if the Environmental company has a detailed written set of procedures for this job, and your sole job is to place the devices at specified locations, than your job is that of a technician. In my situation I’d either pass or I would discuss it with my State people. For you, as a technician whose job is to place the devices for a company that is fully managing the job, you may consider doing it. If all the company is doing is renting the devices out and not managing the job, I’d pass.