It occurred to me recently, that sharing some insights about the general contractor's end of the bid process might help construction users, owners, and architects, and dramatically improve the results of their efforts in soliciting bids. The insights and suggestions which follow have been culled from years of trial, error, and lost opportunity. Number of Bidders For invited bidding three to six general contractors is ideal. We aggressively pursue jobs with short bid lists. Our interest is directly proportional to our chances of landing your project.
Many projects receive exposure in the construction reporting media.
When long invited contractor lists appear, general contractors and subcontractors will impose the law of diminishing returns. Your bid results will suffer. I still do not understand the secretive nature of some clients. Sometimes you'd think we were building missile silos under national security guidelines. When you offer full disclosure of the bid list you are helping yourself if you've done your homework and selected qualified general contractors.