Bid day is often a battle. It can be challenging when trying to put together a GMP and down right terrifying when putting together a price for a hard bid project. It's a battle to get previously committed vendors and subs to turn in bids on time. Then there's the inevitable scope discussions on things that were "already" agreed to during previous outreach and project discussions. Each bid comes in with its own set of clarifications and T's and C's. Before the bid is due estimators analyze *everything* and hopefully no scope gaps exist if a project is won and awarded.
There's got to be a better way. GC's are usually held to very specific bid documents but subs and vendors most always use their own form and format. Construction is a very dynamic industry with a ton or variables and variations in scope coverage but there has to be a better way. GC generated Bid Tabs can be helpful when used but often are not. If you're a builder and reading this, how do you manage sub and vendor bids on bid days? Does it help your success and do you like it? Is it a bit like winning the lottery but scarier when you come in low? The first bid that I turned in, and we won, created a bit of panic by the Chief Estimator. The call after the opening went something like this....I said, "The good news is we won and the bad news is we left over 5% on the table." His immediate response was, "Sh!t, sh!t, sh!it, um, I'll, uh, call you back."
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