By Troy Kaiser
Senior Consultant
TKasier@benchmark-inc.com
Depending on your location, winter is typically not the time to be thinking about your upcoming paving projects. But as an owner with a pavement that needs to be rehabilitated, it is important to reap the benefits of early spring bidding. There are several advantages to bidding your project in winter or early spring.
Strategic Design Preparation
The first step in taking advantage of the benefits of early bidding is to have the bidding documents ready for distribution to the contractors. Contracting with a consulting or engineering firm in the fall or just after the first of the year to develop your bidding documents is critical. It takes time to collect design data and develop detailed paving plans and specifications. In addition, considerable time may be needed to obtain permitting and approvals from the local municipality. By having these details taken care of well before the bid date you will assure that the bidding process, and the project, will not be delayed.
Through strategic design preparation, both time and money can be saved.
Better Pricing
Bidding in the winter or early spring results in better, more competitive bids. In the spring, contractors are trying to fill their schedules and ensure that they will have enough work for the summer. If you bid later in the year, they may already have a full schedule and will raise their prices to cover the cost of taking on additional work. Contractors also have less field time over winter and early spring, therefore, have additional time to analyze projects more closely. This additional scrutiny leads to the contractors being more creative as they explore cost-effective ways to build the project and gain an advantage over other bidders.
Early spring bidding ensures that your project will not be done in cold, wet weather.
Ensured Schedule
Awarding your project earlier in the year will allow you to lock in a prime scheduling slot with the winning contractor. Building a pavement project in the warm and relatively dry weather of early summer is critical to a quality installation and results in minimal delays. The later you bid your project, the later it will be built. If you wait too long, you will be performing your project in late summer or fall when the wetter, colder weather may cause quality issues, cost overruns, and delayed schedules.
Getting your construction projects started early locks in the contractor's schedule so that time-sensitive work can be completed as planned.
Flexibility
Many unforeseen issues can arise and delay a construction project, a few of which include permitting, underground tanks, and utility problems. You can lessen the impact of delays by starting
your project as soon as possible. By bidding early and locking in a start date for your project, any delays that do occur will have less of an impact on the timely completion of the project. Many times, unforeseen issues end up delaying the completion of a late summer project until the following year. Bidding early will give you the flexibility to adjust to changes with less impact on the project quality or budget.
Bidding in the winter or early spring results in better, more competitive bids. In the spring, contractors are trying to fill their schedules and ensure that they will have enough work for the summer. If you bid later in the year, they may already have a full schedule and will raise their prices to cover the cost of taking on additional work. Contractors also have less field time over winter and early spring, therefore, have additional time to analyze projects more closely. This additional scrutiny leads to the contractors being more creative as they explore cost-effective ways to build the project and gain an advantage over other bidders.
Designing and bidding your pavement project early in the year is essential to ensuring a successful outcome.