Project: Lighting hire + crew · Les Misérables · St Joseph's Senior College · 14-18 October 2026 (4 evening + 1 matinee)
| Description | Qty | Unit | Rate (A$) | Total (A$) | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment hire (not in dispute) | |||||
| Source Four LED 750w | 14 | day × 9 | 65.00 | 8,190.00 | Standard rate. Pay. |
| Martin Mac Aura PXL moving head | 6 | day × 9 | 120.00 | 6,480.00 | Standard. Pay. |
| ETC Ion XE console + monitor | 1 | week × 2 | 420.00 | 840.00 | Standard. Pay. |
| DMX + power cabling, dimmer rack | 1 | lot | 680.00 | 680.00 | Reasonable for the rig size. Pay. |
| Safety / compliance package — A$9,400 sub-total | |||||
| Working at Heights ticket-holder × 2 operators | 2 | hrs × 8 | 145.00 | 2,320.00 | M Mandatory. Bump-in includes 6m rig work. Two operators required for two-person rig. Pay in full. |
| Genie GR-15 MEWP scissor lift hire | 2 | day × 1 | 480.00 | 960.00 | M Mandatory if doing 6m work — BUT — school has access to a single Genie via the maintenance dept (confirmed with Mr Davies). Substitute one of the two with school's own lift = save A$480. Net: A$480. |
| Fall arrest kit (harness + lanyard) | 2 | day × 1 | 185.00 | 370.00 | M Mandatory at height. Pay. Verify in-tag-date at bump-in. |
| Ground spotter (general supervision) | 1 | hrs × 8 | 95.00 | 760.00 | O Over-spec'd. Rig zone is barricaded by the school's own stagehands. Ground spotter only required if rigging occurs over the seating area — and our rigging happens before chairs are set. CHALLENGE: "Can the spotter line be reduced to 2 hrs covering the over-seating moments only?" Negotiated: A$190. |
| Pre-rig site inspection | 1 | fixed | 1,400.00 | 1,400.00 | O Over-spec'd. StageFX worked our venue in 2025 — they hold a current site induction record. CHALLENGE: "Apply the existing 2025 induction; the site has not structurally changed. Reduce to a 1-hr re-walk: A$185." Negotiated: A$185. |
| Safety supervisor (separate from operators) | 1 | hrs × 8 | 135.00 | 1,080.00 | T Theatre of compliance. Both operators hold WAH tickets — they ARE the competent persons. A "safety supervisor" sitting watching them is duplicate cost. CHALLENGE: "What does this person do that the ticket-holders don't? If the answer is 'supervise', that's already in their scope." Outcome: removed entirely. A$0. |
| Compliance documentation pack | 1 | fixed | 850.00 | 850.00 | O Their SWMS for their own work = their cost of doing business, not a billable extra. CHALLENGE: "Please itemise: which documents do I receive in exchange for A$850?" Their answer: 1 SWMS + 1 CoC + 1 EWP cert = 30 mins admin. Reduced to A$120 admin fee. |
| Theatre helmets (yellow, branded) | 6 | unit | 45.00 | 270.00 | T Theatre of compliance. School already owns 8 hard hats in the maintenance shed. CHALLENGE: "We supply our own PPE." Removed. A$0. |
| RCD-protected power distribution | 1 | lot | 540.00 | 540.00 | T Theatre of compliance — IF the venue's house power is already RCD-protected. Verify with the school's electrician: it is. Their portable RCDs add nothing on top. CHALLENGE: "Venue is RCD-equipped; please confirm whether this line is duplicative." Reduced to A$0 after confirmation. |
| Insurance Certificate of Currency administration | 1 | fixed | 280.00 | 280.00 | T Cost of doing business. Every contractor must provide a CoC on request — charging the school an "administration" fee for it is opportunism. CHALLENGE: "Standard CoC request — please remove." Removed. A$0. |
| WorkSafe notification administration | 1 | fixed | 170.00 | 170.00 | T Theatre of compliance. WorkSafe notification is only required for notifiable incidents — and the school is the PCBU, not the contractor, in that case. CHALLENGE: "Please clarify what this notification covers." Their answer: "general industry-form filing". Removed. A$0. |
| Hi-vis vests × 6 | 6 | unit | 22.00 | 132.00 | T Theatre of compliance for indoor rigging in a 380-seat venue with stage lights up. Hi-vis is a road / construction control. School owns hi-vis for outdoor events. Removed. A$0. |
| Equipment hire sub-total | A$ 16,190.00 | (unchanged) | |||
| Safety package — quoted | A$ 9,400.00 | — | |||
| Safety package — defensible after challenge | A$ 4,655.00 | — | |||
| Saving identified | A$ 4,745.00 | 50.5% | |||