Let’s Talk Bid Sets
this weeks we are going to talk about bid sets. what goes into them and how they are helpful in getting the most accurate pricing from general contractors.
what is a bid set?
a bid set is a partial set of preliminary construction document drawings that give enough information on a project for a contractor and their subs to create accurate pricing to complete a project. The more information provided in the bid set the more accurate pricing will be. It’s also important to remember the purpose is to get pricing, I usually suggest putting all your wants and needs, this way when you get pricing back you can always take some of the wants away in ordering to make the project feasible.
What do we include in a bid set?
SCOPE OF WORK - a detailed outline of the work to be done, often called out by trade (general contractor, plumber, electrician, etc) as well as materials (i.e. 3” wide white oak wood flooring and 3x6 subway backsplash). installing small tile is slightly more labor intensive than a large format or sheets of mosaic tile, in turn changing labor costs.
EXISTING CONDITIONS - to show what the contractors or subs are working with.
DEMOLITION PLAN - to show what will be removed, with callouts on what will be disposed and what needs to be salvaged to reuse such as doors.
PROPOSED PLANS - this will show the ideal design, it is considered proposed because it is often not the final design, we still need permits, approval of pricing, and after demo you may find some unforeseen circumstances. It is always best to include your ideal plans, wants and needs, get pricing/permits and then revisit and prioritize what will be done now and what can be pushed back into a phase II if needed.