How to bid construction jobs as a general contractor

1. Decide whether to bid

Before investing hours, check the owner, the delivery method, the schedule, bonding requirements, and how many competitors are bidding. A good go/no-go decision saves more money than any takeoff.

2. Review the documents and organize scope

Read the drawings, specs, addenda, and bid form. Organize the work by CSI division so every scope has a home and nothing falls between trades.

3. Take off self-performed work

Measure the work you'll do with your own crews — concrete, framing, carpentry, or whatever you self-perform — and price material and labor from your own production history.

4. Solicit and level subcontractor bids

Invite subs early and send clear scope sheets. When bids arrive, level them: compare inclusions and exclusions line by line so you're comparing the same scope, not just the bottom numbers.

• Plug gaps where a sub excluded something others included
• Watch for scopes no sub has picked up
• Confirm bonding and insurance for each low bidder

5. Price general conditions

General conditions are time-based: superintendent, project manager, trailer, temporary utilities, toilets, dumpsters, cleanup, and safety. Price them against your actual schedule, not as a percentage.

6. Add insurance, bonds, contingency, and fee

Add builder's risk, liability insurance, bond premium, and a contingency sized to the design completeness and risk. Then apply your fee.

7. Write clear qualifications

List assumptions, exclusions, and alternates with the bid. Clear qualifications prevent disputes and change-order fights later.