The Principal’s Update – September 2021
As one of our specialties, we do quite a bit of public construction work, including work with parks, libraries, schools, and other government buildings. That means we also do a lot of bidding for projects. Those bidding processes can vary from project to project. One project may use the competitive bidding approach, which aims only to find the lowest bidder. Another may use pre-qualified bidding to narrow down the list of bids based on certain criteria. Neither, however, puts much emphasis on the contractor’s fit for a particular project.
A rising trend we’re seeing, as project budgets get tighter and bidding becomes more competitive, is that many public entities have had to be much more selective about who they hire for construction work. As a result, they are not just seeking out the contractor who can complete the job at the lowest cost but also the one who is best suited for it and who is most likely to deliver a high-quality product within their budget.
We believe the most effective way to determine that is through a request for proposal (RFP) bidding approach. It gives contractors the opportunity to demonstrate why they should be chosen for the job.
Read my recent blog HERE to learn more about why the RFP process is the ideal method for finding a contractor for public work.
– Chase Manning, principal, Dowdle Construction Group