This was the project you wanted; no needed. You’ve heard about the project coming for sometime now and it’s here. You have a great working relationship with all the players; the Architect, Inspectors, Fire Marshall and you know the owner well. It is perfectly suited for your company, right in your wheelhouse, ideally located and there for the taking.
You think, okay this one is gonna be mine. The fit feels right, the timing is perfect, you need the work and its ideally located and you like all the players. It’s a no brainer. You decide to pull out all the stops, to go all in and expend all the necessary effort to secure the job. You keep telling yourself to stay focused, don’t let your guard down , don’t get out smarted and don’t get greedy. This one you can bid with a minimal margin, because the risk is low. Remember you need this one … you can’t let this one get away.
You send for the bid package and get it the next day. Great, plenty of time to put the estimate together. Here we go, we’re off to the races. You’re gonna get a million prices. You call all the material yards, your most dependable subcontractors and equipment suppliers. You basically call in every favor due you since you since 5th grade.
The project estimate came together like a dream. Tomorrow is bid day, you’re done with the bid estimate early and you mentally begin to plan on starting in three weeks. You get a good night sleep, wake up early and head to the office. The morning drags on and your fax is receiving unsolicited bid proposals galore. Every proposal that comes in is higher than the ones already inserted into the estimate. Your confidence is at an all time high. Time to leave for the bid opening and you leave the office with a skip in your step.
You arrive, walk in, place your bid in the bid box and take a seat. Other contractors begin to file in and follow suit. Some you recognize, some you don’t. It doesn’t matter in a few minutes all the bids will be opened and they’ll all be history.
The Architect opens the bid box, sorts out the proposals and begins the with opening. You see you’re about 3rd down in the pile and can’t wait for yours to be opened. You’re gonna show this group of contractors just how its done.
The 1st bid is opened and read aloud…. the bid proposal is about $100 thousand lower than your bid. What? No! It can’t be! You didn’t hear it right. There’s some mistake. You feel the blood rush from your face, you turn white and you’re light headed. As other bids are opened you hear voices in the background but nothing registers. You are totally numb and can’t get out of there fast enough, short of crawling out so no one sees you leaving.
What just happened? Who pulled the rug out from under you? You had it nailed or so you thought. How can the other guy do the job for that amount? You’ve done everything right and worked extremely hard. Your preformance was text book perfect.
Well guess what, he may not be able to do the project but he will be awarded the job while you are on the sidelines. How can you ever recover from this loss?
You’re completely drained. You’ve spent the last month licking your lips only to end up with chapped lips and no job.
It’s happened to all of us at some point and unfortunately more now than ever.
Mistake #1 – You made the critical mistake of getting too emotionally involved and fell in love with a project. This can be devastating.
Sometimes another view point or opinion is helpful to level the playing field.
Chianelli Estimating can provide you with outsourse estimates and an unbiased view.
Our estimating experts are professional, experienced and will provide you an accurate estimate.
Sometimes taking a step back and removing yourself from those situations, that may become too emotionally involved, helps to see the forest through the trees.
Chianelli Estimating can be the perfect compliment for your company. We can do the heavy lifting during the take-off phase and you can put the final touches on the bid proposal when complete.
This may save your sanity, alleive some pressure and help you gain to time to run your business.
Lesson learned ….. just when you think you got it, someone else did.
Chianelli Estimating can help you keep your eye on the ball.