Why should I pay for a construction bid?
When you hire New Avenue for a construction project, we’ll help you decide whether you need to start with a design professional or a licensed contractor. Many projects start with the contractor submitting a construction proposal.
This requires a site visit, and there’s a fee. Why?
We charge this fee to make sure our contractor can give you a thorough, accurate proposal. A good bid takes 40 hours of work to do right! When you rely on a free or cheap estimate, you’re just getting a ballpark figure — your contractor’s guess. It’s like guessing how much to cook without knowing who’s coming to dinner.
We’ve seen it often enough to know: When a contractor gives you a quick estimate, you could be in for expensive changes (and a lot of them). Worse, the surprise expenses could force you to abandon your project. Nobody wants to be left with a pit in their backyard and a bill for $20,000.
We put in the work behind the scenes to provide you with a reliable bid. We check and double check all the details to get you the most accurate bid possible. It’s based on real experience, real research, and real math — not guesswork done on the fly. Friends at Southern Green Builders invested the time to define their process and it's exactly how we think of it broken into eight clear steps:
Step One: Setup
The first of our eight steps, setup, involves getting the necessary software ready to work. We also set due dates for establishing the scope of work, determining the price, and submitting the proposal.
Step Two: Scope
In the second step, we work to establish what the project will entail. We review the plans carefully and determine what work will be needed. A trained eye is absolutely necessary for this step; it’s important to analyze every detail.
Step Three: Take-off
During the take-off process, we determine exactly what materials (and how much of each material) are needed for the project. It’s important that the estimator be thorough and accurate.
Step Four: Scope Review
The scope review is a chance for the entire team to get on the same page. We put all of our reports together and ensure that everyone understands the project thoroughly. Communication is key throughout the project, and starting out strong makes a big difference.
Step Five: Gather Bids
During the fifth step, we gather prices from vendors and subcontractors so we’ll know the exact cost of materials and labor.
Step Six: Check Prices
Once we receive quotes from the vendors and subcontractors, we’ll double-check them to make sure they’re accurate. This stops any miscommunications right away, before they affect your project. Our team is trained in spotting potential mistakes and handling them immediately.
Step Seven: Price Review
During the price review, we check that every cost has been accounted for. It’s common for new costs to arise during construction or planning. There’s a risk of changes in any construction project, no matter how big or small, but we do everything we can to plan accurately and minimize surprises down the line.
Step Eight: Proposal
Finally, when our eight-step process is complete, you’ll receive your proposal. We do everything possible to generate an accurate proposal. This is much more than an estimate; it’s a bid you can count on.
Start Strong
If you want to know — really know — what your construction project will cost, you'll need an accurate proposal. You can get that with our eight-step proposal process.
Special thanks to Southern Green Builders for their bid process summary.