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We see a lot of bids--on one recent project we received more than 200 faxed
proposals in a single day! Here are some things we look for to make a bid shine:
- A good bid always makes reference to specific spec sections. As a
general contractor, we live and die by the project manual. When we're
putting together a bid, we have to be certain that every division, every
section of the project manual is covered. You can help by telling us right
up front what sections your bid covers.
- A good bid goes easy on the exclusions. We certainly understand why
a subcontractor would include exclusions in a bid. But if your list gets too
long and hairy, it can make a general contractor wonder if you're trying
to hide something important. We're especially wary of cover-all statements
like "anything not specifically mentioned is excluded from this
bid." We've had some bad experiences in this regard! And as you might
imagine, if we have to process 200 bids in a single day (as sometimes
happens), we're not looking to have to do a lot of extra research to try to
decipher what looks like a crafty, obscure bid.
- A good bid makes it easy to compare "apples for apples." If
you've taken the first couple of tips to heart, you're on the right track
here. If you clearly reference spec sections and work hard not to have to
exclude a lot of things, it will be easy to do a real-life comparison of
your bid with other good bids.
- A good bid highlights important clarifications. Is there some
feature of your bid that suggests you're going the "extra mile?"
Are you offering installation as an add-on, for example? Make sure that's
clear.
- A good bid isn't bogged down by mountains of legalese. Sure, your
attorney has to make a living, but when you send out a bid with two or three
extra pages of legal terms in small type that is virtually unreadable via
fax, it just makes the general contractors wonder if your number is worth
the trouble of wading through all that. In the end, it may well be a moot
point anyway--you'll be signing a subcontract agreement and you'll be bound
by the general conditions of the contract, as outlined in the project
manual. The time to consider all the legal ramifications is probably when
you sign the subcontract agreement--not at the time you make your proposal.
That's a little like asking for a financial statement and a medical history
before you go out on a first date.
- A good bid demonstrates that you've read the specs and examined the
plans carefully. For example, if there are alternates on a certain
project, you should include a number on those alternates if it might in any
way affect your spec section(s). Any addenda can change project
specifications significantly--let us know you've read the addenda and
accounted for their impact. And while we invite your careful clarifications
where the project specs and/or drawings seem incorrect or unclear, you
should never give us a bid for something other than what is specified
(an unauthorized substitution, for example). If you do, we just can't use
your number.
- Please think twice before you call us on bid day. We do post the
projects we're bidding here
on our website and if everyone called us just to find out if we're
bidding a particular project or if we received their fax, we'd potentially
receive 200-400-plus extra phone calls on bid day! Our fax number is 541-302-5926.
If for some reason that doesn't work, you can try our toll-free line at 877-895-6627.
Please be aware that you may get a voice message if you don't connect
DIRECTLY via your fax (in other words, don't dial manually and then press
SEND). If you're STILL having problems, try this
manual workaround:
1) Dial the number from the handset of
your fax; 2) When you hear the voice
message, press 1 for more options; 3) Press
3 to send a fax; 4) Once you hear the
fax tone, hang up the handset and let your fax machine connect.
Ready to go? Sharpen your pencil and give us your very best bid. We're eager
to hear from you!
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