Well said Gabel.

I agree that crane costs should be budgeted into the job at bid time. My guess is that this is how most companies operate.

Identify the crane requirements as best as you can and get a quoted rate from a reputable local operator.

Build a relationship with a local crane operator for your local work and vist the site with them to check access, positioning, ground conditions, underground and overhead services, size and type of crane.

If the job is too far away to visit, network with local framers for a recomendation to a local crane operator. Ask them to visit the site to check it out and recommend the right crane for the job.

They will need some info like largest lift and greatest radius and from this they will be able to decide where to stand the crane. I usually send them a faxed plan drawing with lift weights and positions overmarked on it.

If you can't pin down the type (and cost) of a crane before you bid, simply qualify your bid by saying that you have allowed a provisional sum of X for cranage to be confirmed subject to a site visit.

Crane operation is a whole other business and there is a lot to know and a lot can go wrong; possibly with disasterous consequences. My advise is leave it to the experts and do what you do best.

If you need evidence of what can (and does) go wrong, try googleing "crane mishaps" for a rich variety of pictures of broken cranes.

Steve