Who awards government construction work?
Government construction has two layers of decision makers:
- Public owners award the prime contract. Federal agencies, state transportation departments, counties, cities, school districts, public universities, and utility and water authorities all put construction work out to bid.
- Prime contractors award the subcontracts. The general contractor that wins the public job chooses the trade companies that build it. Their estimator collects sub numbers before the bid, and their project manager signs the subs after award.
Some smaller public jobs, like a re-roof on a school, a system replacement in a county building, or a repaint of a public library, are sized for a trade company to bid as the prime. Larger projects mostly go through a general contractor, and the trade scopes are won on the prime's team.
When does government work get decided?
On a fixed calendar. Public owners advertise the job, set a bid date, and often hold a pre-bid meeting. Prime contractors assemble their sub pricing in the window before that bid date. Many larger federal prime contracts also carry a small business subcontracting plan, so primes actively look for qualified trade companies to put on their team.
Once bids are in, the window is closed. Award follows, and the prime starts signing subs from the numbers they carried into the bid.
Why does getting there first win government work?
Because the prime's estimator is building the bid on a deadline. They carry numbers from the subs they know and trust, and they do not have time to go looking for new ones in the last week. A trade company that reached that estimator early is on the team. One that finds the job after the bid date is reading about who won.
Government work also rewards consistency. Public owners put work out every year, and the same primes bid it. The trade company that keeps showing up gets carried into bid after bid.
What does Bidli do for government work?
- Finds the government work that fits your trade and territory, from federal and state projects down to city, county, and school district work.
- Finds the primes bidding it and the person on each team who collects sub numbers for your scope.
- Opens the conversation in your name, early, while there is still time to get on the team.
- Follows up through the bid date and award, and onto the next public job that prime is chasing.
- Hands you the opportunity, ready to bid, whether that is a sub number for a prime or a job sized to bid direct.
The government play
Public work runs on deadlines. The sub on the prime's team before bid day gets carried into the bid. Bidli gets you on the team.
Which trades does Bidli win government work for?
Bidli's range covers the trades public projects buy: roofing, HVAC, painting, concrete, electrical, plumbing, drywall installation, framing, and other specialty trades. Each company gets its own system, trained on its trade and the public work it wants more of.
Government contracts are one of four lanes Bidli goes after, side by side with commercial projects, new construction, and high-margin residential work.
Common questions
How do contractors win government construction contracts?
By getting in front of the work before the bid date, either as the prime bidding to the public owner or as a subcontractor on a prime contractor's team. Bidli finds the government work that fits your trade, finds the primes bidding it and the person collecting sub numbers, and opens the conversation in your name.
Can a subcontractor win government work without being the prime?
Yes. Most trade companies win public work as subcontractors on a prime contractor's team. The prime awards the trade scopes, so the job is getting in front of the prime's estimator before the bid date.
When should I contact a prime contractor about a public job?
Before the bid date, as early as possible. Primes assemble their sub pricing in the window before bids are due and carry numbers from subs they already know.
Does government work always go to the lowest bidder?
Many public construction contracts go to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, and some are awarded on best value. For a subcontractor, the first question is whether a prime carries your number into the bid at all. Bidli makes sure the primes know you.
What kinds of government construction work does Bidli go after?
Federal, state, county, city, school district, public university, and utility work that fits your trade and territory, both scopes to price for a prime and jobs sized to bid direct.
Does Bidli submit bids for me?
Bidli gets you in front of the work and the people awarding it, in your name, and hands you the opportunity ready to bid. You price it. You win it.