Guide 2 of 8 · Comparing bids · Free
Bids, Estimates and Scopes of Work
A low bid is usually a short scope. This guide shows you how to lay three proposals side by side, find the gaps, and stop paying for assumptions.
Free to read. Free to download. Print the toolkit pages for the kitchen table.
What is inside
- 1The five most expensive bid and scope mistakes
- 2Leverage, pricing and scope edition
- 3How to read an estimate line by line
- 4The anatomy of a complete scope
- 5Allowances, unit prices, and change-order prices
- 6Included, excluded, assumed
- 7Asking for a revised bid without insulting anyone
- 8The bid review checklist
The toolkit pages
- Bid Comparison Sheet
- Trade Gap Checklists for roofing, siding, windows and gutters
Printable and fillable. Built to be used at the kitchen table, not read on a screen.
What this guide protects you from
Paying twice: once for the bid, again for everything it left out.
Look inside
Sample pages from this guide
A few pages as they appear in the PDF, including a drawing and a toolkit page. Tap a page to see it larger.
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Start where you are
Bids in hand. Now what?
Two or three contractor bids that do not line up. How to compare roofing, siding, window and gutter bids on scope before price, and the questions to ask.
Read the pageBids in hand?
Compare your bids free
We read each bid into the same seventeen lines and print the questions to ask. Nothing is ranked.
Send your bidsNext in the series
Guide 3: The Insurance Claim Survival Guide