Summer is the grind season. The phone rings nonstop, you throw bids together, and before you know it your calendar is packed. But as summer winds down, things slow just enough to catch your breath. That makes it the perfect time for a bidding reset.
If you are like most contractors, your bidding process got a little sloppy over the summer. Maybe you rushed numbers to get something out the door. Maybe you underbid a job just to keep your crew busy. The problem is, mistakes in bidding usually mean lost profit later.
Here is how to sharpen your bids this fall without burning yourself out.
Step 1: Review Your Summer Bids
Go back and look at the jobs you won and lost. Where did you underbid? Where did you overshoot and lose to a competitor? These lessons are pure gold for improving your process.
Step 2: Get Real About Labor
Labor is the number one place bids go wrong. If your crew is averaging slower times than you planned, you need to adjust your numbers. Hoping they will go faster next time is not a strategy.
Step 3: Stay Current on Material Prices
Don’t reuse numbers from three months ago. Prices change fast. Build every bid using current costs so you don’t get surprised halfway through a job.
Step 4: Standardize Your Process
If every bid you do is a one-off, you are wasting time and increasing mistakes. A system like ProfitDig lets you build templates for common jobs so you can build bids quickly and accurately.
Step 5: Focus on Profit, Not Just Winning
It feels good to win every bid you send out, but if you are winning by being the cheapest, you are setting yourself up for pain. A good bid is one that keeps your crew working and puts money in your pocket.
Fall is a great time to reset, get organized, and make sure your bidding process is working for you, not against you. By tightening things up now, you set yourself up for a stronger, more profitable end to the year.