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Lead time

Home / Glossary

How long between ordering something and having it on site. Custom windows, doors, and composite decking can run weeks.

Lead time is the wait on special-order material, and it sets the start date on any job that depends on it. The deposit is what places the order, so the clock starts when the deposit clears, not when the customer says yes.

Write the lead time on the bid in weeks. A customer who signed in May and expected windows in June, without that line, calls every week in July.

Related: Special order · Deposit · Permit

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