Bid Evaluation
Bid evaluation is the beginning of how you chose the contractor to award your GREEN remodeling project. Bid evaluation checklist is a great way to place price and all the important items from each contractor side by side for easy comparison. Every homeowner and contractor is keenly aware of the importance of price.
How important is price to you? Is price the only way you will evaluate the bid? Will you look at any other information in each contractor’s bid? Important as price is for every one there are many other factors to consider.
If I had to choose between a competent contractor who hesitated writing a scope of work and one whose references could not be verified but could write, which one would I chose? I would choose the competent contractor and write the scope of work for him to sign. You have done this in your invitation to bid by providing the forms for each contractor to fill in the blanks and sign.
Bid Evaluation - Low Bid or Best Bid
Complete your bid evaluation and make your decision to award the GREEN remodeling project to the best contractor. Your next step in the process is the bid award.
I have seen a contractor awarded work at a significantly higher price than other bids received because “time was of the essence”. Fabricated material had to be delivered to the jobsite in a timely manner to prevent production stoppage. Awarding the work to the lowest bidder would have stopped production at the jobsite.
Other important factors are:
• Is the bid too low? What kind of quality will you have? Contact the contractor and ask him to review his bid for missing items.
• How soon do you need the project started? How soon do you need the project completed?
• Did you check the contractor's references? Did the previous customers endorse the contractor and the completed work? Did the contractor prosecute and complete the project on a timely basis?
• Will the material be exactly as you specified or an “equal”? An equal is usually material provided by a manufacturer different from the one you specified. Research the differences and determine if this different material is acceptable.
• Will the method of installation be as you specified? If different, is the method acceptable to you?
• Did the contractor add or change any terms of the contract?
Complete your bid evaluation checklist and make your decision to award the GREEN remodeling project to the best contractor. Your next step in the process is the bid award.
Bid Award
Bid award is when you contact the contractor you wish to work with on this project and let him know you will accept the bid. If he tells you that the bid is no longer valid (for whatever reason) then you must have an alternate plan.
On the other hand, if he thanks you and confirms he is eager to start the project according to your schedule in the bid documents, you now know when the project will start and can plan for the material arrival. The contractor must pick up his copy of the executed contract and complete the additional requirements of the contract before arriving on the site.
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