What Does A Bid Manager Do In The Construction Estimation Process?
Are you in the middle of planning a major construction project? If so, there’s no doubt you’ll be in touch with a bid manager at one stage or another.
Bid managers have long been seen as the middlemen in the construction industry. Their role is pretty simple: ensure the party they work for makes a profit on the job. But it’s not that simple; they have to adhere to a strict set of guidelines and oversee the supplies estimation procedure so that everything runs smoothly and no problems arise.
By the end of this post, you’ll know what a bid manager does in the construction estimation process and how important they are to the final outcome. With this information, you’ll be able to determine whether you need one for an upcoming project of yours.
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What Is A Construction Bid Manager?
A bid manager handles a proposal for a potential construction project as a representative for one party to win an offer from another. Their goal is to ensure the construction company they’re working for gets a favorable deal and earns a substantial profit.
For example, imagine a local building firm in your area is searching for a contract in the upcoming weeks; they would either use their own bid manager or outsource one to find a potential job.
What Involvement Does A Bid Manager Have In The Bidding Process?
Bid managers play a huge role in preparing a bid for a job and getting a construction contract over the line for their clients.
Let’s break down the bid manager’s role and responsibility throughout the bidding process and how they put forward a submission.
A Bid Manager’s Role In The Bidding Process
Job opportunities – Before a bid manager can get to work, they need to identify potential job opportunities for their client that fall into what they’re looking for. To find them, they’ll usually examine tender portals, search the web, look through job forums, and speak to others in the industry (word of mouth).
Determine whether to bid – After outlining the possible opportunities and identifying which ones suit the client’s needs, the bid manager will propose their findings to the company’s managing directors and decide whether to offer a proposal.
Develop a bid strategy – One of the most important aspects of making a bid is developing a strategy with stakeholders, including estimators, that ensures the bid will be accepted. It’s usually broken up into different avenues like pricing, human resources, risk, project completion plans, and much more.
Gather the details – Bid managers have to round up all the data they need before submitting the bid; this includes price projections, project completion dates, risk assessments, sub-contractor fees, etc.
Preparation of documents and review of bid – All the required documents must be completed correctly without error and contain all the information necessary before putting it forward for review.
Submit the bid – Finally, once everything is reviewed and the client has analyzed it themselves, the bid manager will submit the bid within the chosen deadline. Sometimes, this is done virtually; others, it’s in person; it depends on the agreement.
What’s The Difference Between A Virtual Bid Manager And A Traditional Bid Manager?
The term virtual bid manager is often thrown around in the masonry estimation sector, but there aren’t that many differences between them and traditional bid managers and how they operate.
Virtual bid managers conduct their business on their own, away from their clients’ offices, meaning they’re pretty much independent contractors. In comparison, traditional bid managers are already on the construction company’s payroll as an employee and engaged with the daily operations of the bidding process.
What To Look For When Choosing A Bidding Manager For A Job
Choosing the right bid manager is everything in the construction industry. If you pick someone who doesn’t have the right experience or who can’t handle the workload, it could result in huge financial losses.
Here’s what to keep an eye out for when choosing the right job bidder for your project.
- A track record of success in construction management bids.
- Specialized knowledge of the industry and how to bid on a job.
- Fantastic communication skills.
- A master at negotiation.
- Has a broad list of relationships with key players across the construction sphere.
- A strong understanding of finances.
- Can handle high-pressure situations.
And, That’s It!
Hopefully, you know now what a bid manager does across the construction estimation process. As we have outlined, bid managers are major figures when it comes to bagging construction companies’ profit-generating contracts. Without them, organizations would have to carry out the process alone, not having the knowledge or expertise to close a deal.
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