MEET THE MOST POWERFUL BUSINESS PARTNERS IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY. Kathryn A. Eren, VP, Cash Management Officer; Lisa Stuard, AVP Commercial Loan Administrator; Maureen Hanley-Bellitto, SVP, Commercial Team Leader; Gregory Pastor, Jr. VP, Commercial Banking Officer; Kim Karl, VP, Commercial Banking Officer; Deep community roots. Unrivaled market knowledge. Unmatched customer service. When a bank builds its commercial banking team around the values that truly make a difference in helping your business and community grow and prosper, that’s more than banking. That’s changing the way you bank. Talk to us today. Visit bankatunited.com/commercial The Dotted Line: How to negotiate the construction bidding process and avoid a ‘real nightmare’ The process of preparing and submitting a bid can be exciting, nerve-wracking, tedious, a learning experience or all of the above. Contractors could be vying for the project that will allow them to make their mark on the construction industry or simply enable them to make payroll for the next few months. And it’s something almost all contractors, sooner or later, will have to do. Despite the seemingly basic nature of bidding, the process can be complicated for projects of all sizes. How can contractors ensure they’re going through the process as efficiently as possible? Where contractors can find jobs But first things first. Exactly where do contractors find jobs to bid? For established construction companies, it is not uncommon for much of their work to be negotiated with long-time customers or with owners who have become familiar with their work via wordof-mouth. The other side of that coin is looking through public notices online at FedBizOpps.gov and in newspapers, which is one of the places where government-funded work is usually advertised for open bid opportunities. Private projects also appear in free online listings or in paid publications, like those available from Dodge Data & Analytics and CMD Building Reports. “The type of work we do is specialized and not usually found in the open bid market,” said Aaron Liles, director of construction at C1S Group, a design and general contracting firm based in Dallas, TX. He said 85% to 90% of the company’s work is repeat business that they negotiate directly with the client or a project where a handful of contractors are selected to bid. Similarly, Bill Weber, principal of Boston-area subcontractor Gaston Electrical, said his company’s primary source of new work comes from existing clients. “We are constantly in touch with our customers to make sure we are aware of future projects and consistently offer our preconstruction and budgeting services to increase our chances of being successful on those bids,” he said. The company also utilizes a dedicated marketing staff, which Weber said adds to Gaston’s customer base. READ MORE September 2016 | HBRA of Fairfield County | 23
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