How We Schedule Your Job

As a specialised regional contractor servicing a large area across South West Queensland, our team is often in high demand. To provide the best possible service to all of our customers, we schedule work based on the urgency of the job, technician availability, location, the skills required, and the level of response requested.

We complete everything from small service calls and repairs through to large installations and major projects. Rather than booking every job strictly in date order, we build our schedule to make the most of our technicians' time and travel. This means smaller jobs can often be completed between larger projects or while a technician is already working in your area, sometimes much sooner than you might expect.

Most customers will fall under our Standard, Planned or Flexible scheduling options, while Priority and Emergency response levels are reserved for urgent situations requiring a faster response.

When you contact us, our team will discuss your requirements and recommend the most appropriate scheduling option. Our goal is to keep our scheduling fair, efficient and transparent while ensuring urgent issues receive the prompt attention they need.

P5 — Flexible Scheduling

This option is for non-urgent work that can be completed when we have a suitable gap or are next working in your area. It is well suited to minor repairs and improvements, preventative maintenance, small installations, and work without a fixed completion date.

The current estimated lead time for P5 work is approximately 12 months. However, jobs may be completed considerably earlier when a suitable opening becomes available.

Customers choosing P5 Flexible Scheduling will generally receive an approximately 10% discount on our standard labour rates. Travel, materials, accommodation, plant, subcontractors and other direct costs are not discounted unless otherwise agreed. 

P4 — Planned Works

This option is for installations, upgrades and larger non-urgent projects that require forward planning, materials or coordination with other trades and service providers.

We will discuss an indicative timeframe with you once the work has been assessed and approved.

Standard labour rates or quoted project pricing will apply.

P3 — Standard Service

This is our normal scheduling category for general repairs, maintenance, fault-finding and service work.

Jobs are scheduled according to when they are approved, technician availability, location, required skills and parts availability.

Standard labour, travel and material rates apply.

P2 — Urgent Priority

This option is for important faults or breakdowns that need to be attended to ahead of our normal scheduled workload, but do not involve an immediate safety risk or complete loss of an essential service.

We will generally aim to attend on the next available business day.

P2 Priority Fee: $800. Labour, travel, materials and other direct costs are charged separately.

P1 — Emergency Priority

This option is reserved for genuine emergencies requiring South West Tech to interrupt scheduled work and mobilise as soon as reasonably possible.

Examples may include:

• A complete power outage affecting essential operations, or a failed water bore leaving livestock, a household or critical operations without water.

• An electrical fault presenting an immediate safety or fire risk, or failure of critical commercial, agricultural or communications infrastructure.

P1 Emergency Priority Fee: $1,200. The priority fee covers the disruption, rescheduling and immediate mobilisation required to redirect our team from existing commitments.

Following activation, labour is charged per technician at $300 per hour during normal business hours (1.5× our standard labour rate), or $400 per hour outside normal business hours (2× our standard labour rate).

Travel time is charged at the applicable priority labour rate. Materials, accommodation, plant, subcontractors and other direct costs are additional. Existing SWT VIP customers receive a 50% discount on the P1 Emergency Priority Fee for power outages and water-bore failures, reducing the fee from $1,200 to $600.

Priority attendance remains subject to technician safety, road access, weather conditions, specialist availability and any emergencies already being attended to.

How Is My Priority Level Decided?

When you contact us, our team will discuss the situation with you and recommend the most appropriate scheduling level. Our aim is not to make routine work unnecessarily expensive. 

The priority system allows us to continue supporting standard and flexible customers while also providing a clear pathway for customers who genuinely need a faster response. Selecting P1 or P2 provides priority access to the next suitably qualified and available technician. It does not guarantee that every fault can be fully repaired during the first attendance, particularly where specialist parts, additional equipment or external service providers are required