You have several bids for the same trade, and one sits below the others. The sub with the lowest bid can be the right choice. First confirm that each company priced the same work, can perform it, and accepts the same completion requirements.
The Federal Trade Commission advises getting written estimates and asking about large price differences. Its consumer guidance also warns against automatically choosing the lowest bidder. Resolve the price difference before awarding the work.
Find what each number includes
Start with the plans and specifications issued for pricing. Record their revision dates on the comparison sheet. Ask every bidder to confirm that set. Do not compare a bid on revised drawings with a bid on an older takeoff without noting the difference.
Write a common scope using the trade scope of work guide. Include installation, materials, preparation, access, protection, cleanup, and closeout. Keep builder-supplied items visible. Ask bidders to mark exclusions rather than assume you understand their usual practice.
A low price may reflect a different quantity, material, or handoff assumption. Treat that as a question to investigate, not proof of poor work. Require the bidder to identify the assumption and quote any necessary addition. Compare the revised scope before deciding whether the initial difference remains.
For a specific example, PNNL says roof-wall flashing should be assigned in the appropriate trade contract. If the roofing price excludes it and the siding price excludes it too, neither bid covers the flashing. Adding the two totals still leaves that work unpriced.
Mark unanswered scope questions on the bid sheet
Use this worksheet to compare each bidder’s written answers. Leave unresolved entries marked open rather than inserting an invented allowance.
Scroll to read all columns.
| Comparison item | What to request | How to handle a difference |
|---|---|---|
| Plan set and quantities | Revision and takeoff basis | Reprice the same set |
| Materials | Product, grade, accessories, supplier responsibility | Confirm acceptable substitutions |
| Preparation | Required condition of receiving work | Assign missing preparation |
| Access and equipment | Scaffold, lifts, storage, unloading | Identify the supplying party |
| Trade interfaces | Included flashing, blocking, sealing, and returns | Remove gaps and duplicated work |
| Schedule | Start window, duration, interruptions, return visits | Confirm a workable sequence |
| Closeout | Punch work, debris removal, records | Define completion before award |
| Payment | Billing milestones and supporting documents | Compare the same commercial terms |
Do not add a competitor’s scope allowance to the cheapest bidder without that bidder’s agreement. Ask for a revised price. Otherwise, you are comparing your own allowance with a price the bidder has agreed to.
The inclusions and exclusions guide helps with that conversation. Keep a change log so a late clarification reaches everyone pricing the affected work.
Evaluate the company behind the price
Check the entity that will sign the subcontract. In North Carolina, the GC board distinguishes a company’s license from its qualifier’s credential. A person’s experience does not automatically authorize a different business to use a license.
When a GC license is required, review the board’s classifications and project-value limitations. Do not infer capacity or permitted scope from an unqualified “licensed” line on the bid. Ask the board to resolve an uncertain classification.
Keep insurance review separate. Under North Carolina’s certificate-of-insurance statute, a certificate does not alter the underlying coverage. Have your insurance adviser review the policy provisions and endorsements required for the project. Do not treat a promise of later paperwork as meeting a stated insurance requirement.
Your subcontractor vetting process should also connect the proposed crew with comparable completed work. Ask who supervised that work and who will supervise yours. Speak with a reference about scope, communication, punch work, and follow-through. Keep those observations separate from your price calculation.
Confirm start conditions and return visits
Ask the bidder to identify the start conditions. Will materials be on site? Which upstream inspections or trades must finish? How will the company handle an interrupted work area?
Record these answers before the superintendent schedules the crews.
Then discuss return visits. One continuous installation differs from several trips to finish released areas. If your schedule requires staged releases, say so in the bid request. Request the corresponding price and availability.
Bayfair’s published trade-partner page names quality, agreed timelines, scope, insurance, and payment procedures. That is one Florida builder’s policy, not an industry requirement. Use it to frame questions for your own bidders.
Avoid paying a premium for a vague promise of reliability. Request evidence and a commitment tied to this project. A higher bid still needs the same scope and execution review.
Account for callbacks without invented forecasts
Keep known costs and uncertain risks in separate columns. Known costs include accepted additions and builder-supplied work excluded from the bid. Possible callback costs need evidence from your own completed projects. Do not invent a failure rate to make your preferred bidder win.
Use a simple comparison:
Comparable committed cost = accepted subcontract price + known excluded work you must purchase elsewhere.
Track possible rework, management time, remobilization, and delay separately. If your records support a planning allowance, show its basis. Label an allowance as an estimate rather than a charge the subcontractor has accepted.
For workers’ compensation, G.S. 97-19 creates specific upstream exposure involving subcontractors and their employees. Ask your insurer or construction attorney how the certificate and coverage conditions apply. Resolve that compliance question before assigning it a cost in the bid comparison.
Document why you selected the bidder
Write a short award note. Name the final scope version, accepted price, confirmed schedule, unresolved conditions, and evidence reviewed. State the reason for choosing the bidder in terms another superintendent can use. Avoid “best value” without an explanation.
If the low bidder wins after clarification, keep the revised proposal with the subcontract. If another company wins, record the specific scope or execution difference supporting that decision. The next buyer or superintendent can then see why you chose that company.
After completion, compare the award assumptions with the outcome. Record approved changes separately from errors and callbacks. Use that history to improve the next bid request. Do not turn a project’s undocumented frustrations into a permanent label on a trade business.
Compare one disputed exclusion before award
Consider two proposals for an exterior scope. One includes access equipment and a return visit for the final interface. The other excludes both. Ask the second company to price those obligations under the same site assumptions before comparing totals.
If the builder will supply access, show that commitment on the comparison sheet and in the project budget. If the return visit cannot be scheduled, resolve the work sequence before award. Do not erase the difference with a general contingency line.
Show what the builder must still buy and what each bidder has agreed to deliver. Keep the written clarification with the accepted proposal.
Where Cercha fits
Cercha profiles, portfolios, and builder endorsements can help you identify companies to invite into the bid process. Messages gives you a way to begin a scope conversation. Complete your license, insurance, price, and subcontract review before awarding the work.