For many community associations, the process of requesting bids can be stressful. After all, you’re sending your construction documents to an array of potential bidders and then spending hours sifting through the responses you’ve received and hoping the bids are ‘apples-to-apples’ and not ‘apples-to-oranges’…or worse! At Kipcon we’ve successfully been taking the headaches out of our clients’ bidding processes for years. And today we’re sharing what steps to take and when it is probably best to reach out to a trusted team of professionals for assistance, insight, and support throughout the process.
How Do You Select Potential Contractors and Request Bids?
Selecting your potential contractors and requesting bids is a multi-step process that should be rooted in your experience with the contractors, trade journals (like CAI Magazine), and the reputation of the contractor.
Checking references, financial strength, and other indicators are also valuable to this process, especially if you elect to use a public bidding through services like Dodge Reports of The Construction Data News.
If you’re looking for a method for finding professional, dependable, and trusted contractors or want guidance on preparing bid requests, don’t be afraid to ask for support from professionals like the team at Kipcon.
Pre-Bid Conference
While you can designate your pre-bid conference as optional or mandatory, it is a vital part of your bidding process. Answering questions in a formal manner can provide assurance and expedite your process by preventing you from being inundated day after day with emails, phone calls, and questions.
In your pre-bid conference, you’ll listen and respond to questions from your potential contractors. This process helps contractors identify issues for clarification and gives them a comprehensive understanding of what a complete bid document entails in this case.
A Typical Pre-Bid Conference Agenda
In your typical pre-bid conference, you will open by circulating a sign-in sheet so you know who is in attendance (it’s also beneficial to have this information later on as you review bids).
Then you’ll introduce your owner, manager, and project team. You’ll introduce your contractors, give an overview of the project, and define bidding procedures and deadlines.
From there you can let those in attendance know that answers to any questions or comments they provide will be delivered in a formal addendum. Typical pre-bid conferences close with a tour of the property.
Final Step: Receive and Review Bids
After you’ve received your bids in response to your requests, it’s time to review them. Here it’s important to make some distinctions among the bids you’ve received. This includes apples-to-apples style comparisons.
In addition, you’ll want to take a professionally critical look at the bids you’ve received.
- What stands out to you?
- Do you have any follow-up questions for a particular bidder?
- Is something missing from a bid?
- Were all bids timely and professionally prepared?
- Do you notice any red flags or issues that might disqualify a particular bidder?
If you’re wondering whether you’ve made the right decision in narrowing your field of options, it is definitely a good time to reach out to trusted professionals to help with bid processing. The right team by your side can help you answer those nagging questions, do a gut check, review minute but vital details, and deliver some serious peace of mind.
Once bidding is complete, it’s time to select your contractor and move on to contract administration.
Connect With Kipcon for Help With Your Next Bid Request
Want to streamline your bid request and review process and get expert support as you make key decisions about your next project? Contact us for help with your bidding procedure and stay tuned for our next blog where we share all the details on selecting the right contractor and administering contracts!
To learn more about how Kipcon can assisit you with bidding and contract administration for your next project, be sure to contact Kipcon at (800) 828-4118 or click here!