Have you ever analyzed how you go about bringing a bid together? Estimators should never feel as if they are the only one responsible for preparing a bid. Successful estimators should keep in mind they are part of a team, which includes co-workers, vendors, manufacturers and many others. Even when you are the owner, chief estimator, data manager and bookkeeper at your company, you still have to work with others. If you want to be a successful and profitable bidder on a project, everyone on the team has to do their job. For simplicity, this article assumes each position is separate. Let’s take a look at some of the roles needed for success.

Marketing and relationships

Some electrical contractors I work with win 50% of the projects I bid for them. Others have a win rate closer to 10%. The difference is often marketing. I try to teach the 10-­percenters that a company cannot survive, much less prosper, without having good business relationships, including customers, general contractors, vendors, manufacturers and friends. Creating and maintaining these relationships is everyone’s job at the company. Marketing is about creating relationships. Consider the following scenarios.

The person who answers the phone is often the first point of contact for customers and can significantly affect relationships. A moody or rude staff member can cause you to lose customers before you ever get a chance to speak to them. I have read reviews where the support staff received a one-star rating, which dragged down the company’s overall rating.

Project managers are point people. If they upset your customers, they may find another electrical contractor.

Whoever is in charge of handling quotes and material pricing is in constant contact with vendors, subcontractors and manufacturers. If they foster a positive relationship, the company is more likely to obtain better pricing and service.

The point is, you have to work diligently to establish and maintain those relationships. Estimators want to obtain good pricing. Vendors want to deal with people who pay their bills on time. They also want to work with people they like and can trust. Vendors and manufacturers can steer work your way or make you aware of projects bidding with only a few competitors. Without competitive pricing, you might as well find another line of work. 

Then, there is the work most people think of when marketing is mentioned: calling on customers. It has to be done. General contractors and owners will often give preference to people they like and trust.

Environment

Team members need a comfortable environment, which can mean different things to each business. Something as simple as a chair can have a huge effect on a person’s productivity. A chair that cuts off the circulation in one’s legs or hurts their back will reduce productivity. I knew an estimator who could not work in a noisy environment. We got him some noise-canceling headphones and he almost doubled his productivity. If you have adopted paperless takeoff, the correct chair, desk and monitor height and an ergonomic mouse and keyboard will go far in preventing repetitive motion injuries.

Capabilities

The team is responsible for matching the company’s capabilities to the projects they want to bid. Let’s say the company is bidding a job that includes a large amount of rigid conduit. Does it have the experienced manpower needed to install big rigid conduit? Does it own a conduit bender that big? How about bonding capacity? Is good field supervision available? Can the company learn a new skill for a project they are bidding? 

Estimators have to do their part, including developing a thorough understanding of the project. Thereafter, with an accurate takeoff, enter the takeoff into an estimating system, review for typos and missing information, recommendations for labor factoring, and develop bid strategies. Recognition of and solutions for problems within the bid documents, generating and managing requests for information, vendor and manufacturer coordination, correspondence with the general contractor or project owner, and coordination of addendums is also required. Estimators cannot just perform a takeoff and think their job is done.

Many people are involved in a winning estimate. Estimators should feel comfortable reaching out to them for support.

TS.PHOTOS / STOCK.ADOBE.COM