Before You Place That Bid

November, 2001

Many band and orchestra directors have an insufficient instrument inventory. Growing enrollments create a shortage of instruments to adequately balance the ensemble. In some cases up to 80% of the inventory has outlived its practical life expectancy two and three times over. The Instrument Manufacturers Association has determined woodwinds to fully depreciate after eight to ten years and brasses around fifteen years. Realistically, with adequate maintenance, it is safe to expect woodwinds to last twenty years and brasses twenty-five years at best. By this time, the brasses have likely had multiple repairs that have caused the tubing to be thin in spots and leaking occurs. The valves and the casings are worn similar to those in a car. Woodwinds’ key systems are worn and continued repair of the key mechanisms weakens the metal until normal use continually bends them. Finally, factor in the abuse these instruments experience under most school situations and these problems are compounded.

String instruments face correlative problems. Often stored on open racks, bridges are constantly destroyed, bodies crack and fingerboards are broken off. It doesn’t take long before pegs don’t hold and “buzzes” start to occur.

Inventory

The first place to start is a thorough inventory. Make, model and serial numbers can be used by our school service department to determine the approximate age of the instruments. This can be used to create a list of instruments that are fully depreciated, near the end of their practical life expectancy, and inadequacies in the inventory.

Determine Needs

Based upon the size of the ensemble and type of literature performed, determine the minimum requirements for inventory. A seventy-five-member band may need: three bass clarinets; three baritones; three tubas; two bassoons; one baritone saxophone; and one piccolo. Based upon the level of literature, a school may need an English horn, alto clarinets – I know, but I have two in the community band - or a contra alto clarinet.

Utilizing the inventory list and instrument requirements for your ensembles, formulate a wish list. Create a replacement list for those instruments that are fully depreciated and an inventory expansion list for those instruments needed beyond your current inventory to meet the requirements for the size of your ensemble.

Preliminary Proposal

Submit your wish list for a bid and send it to Chuck DeClarke at Marshall Music. This is only a proposal and it carries no obligation to purchase. This bid will assist you in your budget process. The more specific you can be regarding instrument requirements, the easier it is to create an accurate cost analysis for you. Keep in mind the application for the instrument. Will it be used in an elementary ensemble, high school or university ensemble? This will determine the quality of instrument you will choose. Depending on the director, a plastic bass clarinet might be acceptable for middle school but not high school. Don’t hesitate to contact Chuck regarding this process. He can make recommendations based on our experience with repairs and what seem to be the more popular instruments for various applications. Marshall Music will prepare a proposal with the following information: make; model; description; list price; regular school bid price; and a 45 day school bid price.

Creating Replacement and Expansion Plan

Using the proposal, your wish list, Marshall Music’s bid list, and your school allocated budget, determine a five-year plan for replacement and another for expansion of inventory. The five-year plan should include immediate and future needs.

As you look at your list and what you can afford, you will need to make a determination if you can cut cost without sacrificing quality. This is where Chuck DeClarke and Marshall Music can help. He can suggest alternatives to the models you have selected. One instrument manufacturer may be more compressively priced and you can stretch those valuable budget dollars.

Creating the Budget

Your situation may require an expanded budget. This is where you can use the inventory list to show your administration that most of your inventory is beyond its practical life expectancy. Using the total present day cost of your entire inventory and assuming the average life expectancy of an instrument to be between 15 – 20 years, create a budget of 5-7% of the entire inventory to determine a replacement budget. For example, if the total value in present day dollars of your inventory is $80,000, your replacement budget should be $4,000 - $6,000. ($80,000 x .05 = $4,000).

What Can You Do If Your Budget Is Insufficient

If your district has not kept pace with replacement over the years, it may be necessary to replace a large number of instruments in a short period of time. It may be unreasonable to allocate $30,000 to catch up with past years’ shortfalls. There is a solution to this dilemma.

Marshall Music in conjunction with the instrument manufactures offers a lease option. This is a process similar to the rent-to-own contract. Over a five-year period the school district leases instruments at the end of which it purchases each instrument for one dollar. The advantage is the district can offset inflationary costs it would incur if it tried to purchase the catch up inventory over a five-year period in equal dollar allotments. Another advantage is you are able to fix inventory shortcomings immediately. Finally, the cost of the instruments is at a reduced bid price rather than a list price. Naturally, the lease plan bid prices are slightly higher than the straight bid prices. The lease plan is a viable alternative to many districts. It offers an immediate solution to inventory replacement and expansion with the advantage of deferred payment.

If you have any questions or we can be of any assistance to you in your instrument inventory needs, contact Chuck DeClarke. He will be happy to assist you in your inventory needs.

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