One of the most anticipated parts of bringing any project dream to fruition is when it’s time to put a job out for bid. Whether you’re biding a design-build job or design-bid-build job (can’t remember the difference? Read our post about it here), it’s important to keep a few things in mind as you assess the different bids that start to come in.

The first is that whoever you hire should be putting your needs and interests first. Period. That means they must be good communicators to understand your vision and be able to execute on that plan by effectively communicating with all sub-contractors as well.

Now that we have the most important component out of the way, here are a couple other things in keep in mind.

What to Look for in a Bid

A contractor’s bid can tell you more about them than you might think at first glance. Pay attention to the details and make sure the bid is free of obvious errors. You want to hire someone who has taken the bidding process seriously and isn’t careless with errors. How they communicate their professionalism in the bid could be an indicator of how they will communicate their professionalism at the job site. Look for someone who took the effort to do a thorough and careful job and weed out the rest.

Understand the Estimate

Look at the detailed price breakdown and ask questions if you don’t understand the estimate. Some contractors get very specific in their bids while others prefer to use broader categories to price out the work. Both are fine as long as you understand what you are evaluating and can make a comparative assessment when looking across the board at bids.

Focus on the Deliverables

Some bids like to promise the moon, but pay attention to the timetable for deliverables. Is the timeline one you can agree to, and do you trust the contractor to stay on schedule? Delivering an on-time and on-budget build are arguably some of the most important factors in completing a project. Can you feel confident in the bid that the contractor will accomplish this?

If you have a budding project in South Florida, give us a call to schedule a consultation. Our nearly 20 years in the area has given us the experience we need to make sure your next job goes flawlessly.