The pricing and presentation mistakes that quietly lose contractors jobs — and margin. Run every bid through this list in 10 minutes.
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If you cannot write the scope from memory in plain English, you do not understand the job yet. Missing scope items are the number one source of "how did I lose money on a job I won."
Never bid off someone else's takeoff. Plans lie, walkthrough notes lie less, your own tape measure does not lie.
Crew-hours per unit of work, from your own past jobs. "That feels like a three-day job" is how three days becomes six at your expense.
On volatile items (lumber, copper, steel), get current supplier pricing in writing and put an expiration date on your bid to match.
A number over the phone is not a quote. If their scope is not written, the gap between what you sold and what they include comes out of your pocket.
Truck, insurance, phone, office, estimating time — divide last year's overhead by billable days and load every bid with your real daily burn, not an industry average.
A 20% markup is only a 16.7% margin. If your target is 20% margin, you need a 25% markup. Most contractors underprice by confusing the two.
What you are NOT doing is as important as what you are. Unwritten exclusions become free work; unwritten allowances become arguments.
Tie payments to milestones you define. The contractor who proposes the schedule controls cash flow; the one who does not, finances the job.
Itemized summary, timeline, license and insurance attached, and a follow-up call scheduled within 48 hours. Bids that arrive with proof and a next step beat cheaper bids that arrive as a bare number.
The free "Bid Like a Pro" masterclass covers how to price for profit, package your bid as an offer, and close in the 48 hours after you hit send.
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