Mobilization

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The cost of getting a crew and equipment to a job and set up before any productive work happens.

Mobilization is the dumpster delivered, the equipment hauled, the site protected, the first morning spent setting up. On a small job it is folded into the price. On a bigger one it can be its own line, and a contractor who travels far or brings heavy equipment will bill it.

It is also why a tiny job costs more per hour than a big one: the setup is the same and there is less work to spread it over.

Related: Overhead · Labor rate

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