Florida Painting and Waterproofing | Analyzing Bids

The Process of Analyzing Bids for a Painting and Waterproofing Project

When considering which contractors you will ask to bid on your painting and waterproofing project, do a complete background check on each company and its owners. How well does the company pay its bills? Does the company owe anyone? Have the owners of the company ever been in trouble? This is important information that you need in order to make an intelligent decision.
Make sure all bidders are bidding the same specification. The managers and their owners should develop a scope of work based upon their painting and waterproofing needs.
If you cannot afford an independent painting and waterproofing specification writer, you can do it yourself. Start by asking three paint manufacturers with solid reputations to write the specifications. Request that they submit their package to you with the following: A) specifications, B) material data sheets with chemical percentages and breakdowns of the products and C) a sample warranty in which you receive a list of projects where these products have been on for one or two years longer than the warranty being offered in their sample.
Take three different paint manufacturers specifications and analyze the paint products from each company. Make sure you check the percentage of acrylic resin per weight volume. This is an important ingredient for acrylics. When checking for elastomeric contents, the acrylic resin is also an important item.
Each company will have similar specifications. Take the good parts out of each one and make your own.
Each company will have similar specifications. Take the good parts out of each one and make your own. You should now call three or four of the best contractors. These contractors should have passed your background check, be able to obtain a performance and payment bond from an A-rated bonding company for the cost of your project, be licensed, and be insured up to at least $1,000,000. All of the company’s employees should be working directly for the contractor; they should not be leased. The reason for this is that many times the workers compensation rate is changed when workers are leased, and you become responsible if anything should happen.
After you have chosen contractors to bid, it is time to schedule a pre-bid meeting. At this meeting you bring in the contractors and talk over the scope and specifications. Make sure that while discussing this you point out areas of concern, conditions, and items in the scope.
After the pre-bid meeting is over, the bidders should be given a week or two to turn in their bids.