Bid

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A contractor's offer to do a specific job for a specific price, submitted in competition with other contractors.

A bid is a quote with competition in the picture. The customer, or a general contractor, has asked more than one company for a price on the same scope and will pick one. Commercial and public work is bid formally with a deadline and a bid form; residential work is bid informally, three contractors and three estimates.

Winning a bid is rarely about being lowest. It is about being first with a clear written price, spelling out what the others left vague, and making it easy to say yes.

Related: Estimate · Proposal · Takeoff

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