Why we don't publish a rate card
The honest answer: every NYC project we staff has different scope, duration, shift, and complexity factors that materially change the price. A rate card would either be inaccurate (averaging across project types that aren't really comparable) or actively misleading (anchoring you to a number that's wrong for your project specifically).
Skilled Safety Management is a premium service. We quote each project based on what the project actually requires. A fixed-fee proposal lands in your inbox within 24 hours of receiving your DOB job filing and key project documents.
The six factors that drive every quote
When our staffing team builds a quote, six factors do most of the work:
1. Project scope and DOB classification
NYC Building Code §3310 establishes the Major Building thresholds: a Site Safety Manager (SSM) is required at 15 stories or 200 feet or taller, and a Site Safety Coordinator (SSC) is required at 7–14 stories or 100–199 feet. §3310.10 adds the Concrete Safety Manager (CSM) requirement for projects with structural concrete operations above certain thresholds.
The credential the project requires under §3310 is the single biggest driver of the base rate. An SSM-tier project and an SSC-tier project are priced differently because the credential requirements, the experience level, and the on-site responsibility are different. Smaller alterations may require neither, or specific roles like fire watch only. The credential drives the rate, and the building's classification drives the credential.
2. Duration of assignment
A 4-month interior alteration is priced differently than a 26-month ground-up tower. Long-term assignments often unlock favorable monthly or weekly fixed-fees that work out to a lower effective rate than a short-term staffing pull.
3. Shift requirements
Single-shift, day-only work is the baseline. Two-shift coverage (typically 6 AM – midnight) is meaningfully different. 24/7 coverage with overnight pours is more again. Each shift band has its own pay structure, supervisor logistics, and overlap requirements.
4. Dual-credential needs
Many projects need both an SSM and a CSM. On some projects one person can hold both credentials and cover both roles legally and practically, and this often saves meaningful money on the overall safety budget. On larger projects, separate dedicated personnel are safer and faster. We model both options in a fixed-fee proposal and recommend whichever is right for the project.
5. Project complexity and risk profile
A 25-story rectangular residential project on a clean lot is one thing. A 25-story residential project sitting over an active subway box, with a setback at floor 14, two cranes, and a phased occupancy plan is quite another. The work hours are similar. The supervision intensity isn't.
6. Geographic location and access logistics
Manhattan high-rise work near transit is different from waterfront residential in Long Island City, which is different from a Westchester healthcare alteration. Mobilization, parking, lay-down, and sidewalk shed logistics vary by site, and they show up in the quote.
What a fixed-fee proposal includes
A SSM fixed-fee proposal typically spells out:
- The credential(s) being staffed (SSM, SSC, CSM, FSM, or combinations)
- Scheduled coverage hours and shift structure
- Rate basis (hourly, weekly, monthly, or project-fixed) and total fee
- Insurance and license documentation provided up-front
- Invoicing cadence (weekly or biweekly is standard) and net terms
- Coverage for planned and unplanned absences (we provide cover staff at no premium)
- Stop work order response, DOB / FDNY visit support, and incident response (included)
- Out-of-scope items (e.g., expert witness work, post-incident investigation) priced separately
What it doesn't include: surprise charges. The fee covers the scope. If scope changes mid-project, we re-quote in writing, you sign, and we proceed.
How to budget site safety on a NYC project
Two pieces of practical advice:
Budget site safety as its own line item. Rolling it into general conditions tends to under-cost it on the front end of estimating. Major Building safety is a meaningful budget line. Keeping it visible makes it easier to negotiate and easier to compare across firms.
Budget for the full scope, not just the SSM. A typical NYC high-rise project budget for safety includes:
- The SSM (and CSM if applicable)
- An FSM if FDNY designates one
- Site Safety Plan preparation
- Fire watch personnel during sprinkler / standpipe impairments
- Flaggers for crane picks and deliveries
- OSHA-30 safety reps to support the GC's superintendent
Some projects need all of these, some need a subset. The total safety budget on a Major Building project is rarely the SSM rate alone.
Hidden costs that show up later
A few costs that often show up after a project starts if they weren't priced up front:
- Stop work order response. Some firms charge separately for SWO response. We don't. It's included.
- COI / insurance turnaround. Some firms charge for expedited insurance certificates. We don't.
- Cover staff during planned absences. Make sure your contract covers this. It should.
- License renewal fees. These should be the firm's cost, not your project's.
- Per-diem and parking for outer-borough work. Confirm whether these are included or additional.
The fixed-fee proposal we send is built so your project budget at signing matches the project budget at closeout.
When "cheaper" is more expensive
The cheapest SSM rate in NYC is almost always license rental: a 1099 manager paid by a firm that takes a margin and leaves the manager to handle problems alone. This works fine when nothing goes wrong. When DOB shows up unexpectedly, a stop work order lands, or a GC needs paperwork on a deadline, the costs of the cheap arrangement land all at once and they land on the project.
The premium pricing on a direct-employed, in-house-supported SSM buys you:
- One firm to call when something goes wrong
- A backup roster the day your manager is sick or on PTO
- Coordinated insurance documentation
- A manager who isn't simultaneously trying to cover three projects on the side
That's not a "nice to have." It's the actual product. The $/hour line item is the easy thing to compare, but it's rarely what determines total project safety cost.
Bottom line
Skilled Safety Management quotes site safety per project rather than from a public rate card. Six factors drive the price. We put them on the table in writing, and you have a fixed-fee proposal in 24 hours. The right comparison isn't hourly rate against hourly rate. It's total project safety cost at closeout, including the things that go wrong.
Send your DOB job filing and a brief scope description through our contact form or call (212) 498-8863 and we'll get a quote back the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Will you give me a rate range over the phone?
Do you bill weekly or monthly?
Are you the cheapest firm in NYC?
Will my rate change mid-project?
Can I split safety budget across multiple firms?
Working on a NYC project? Skilled Safety Management staffs licensed Site Safety Managers, Coordinators, Concrete Safety Managers, and FDNY Fire Safety Managers throughout the five boroughs. Send your project details through our contact form or call (212) 498-8863 for a fixed-fee proposal in 24 hours.