How to Submit a Bid for a County Contract Job
Bidding on county contracts does not only mean offering the best price, it also means following the county and state bidding laws.
Statutes such as Minnesota's Uniform Municipal Contracting Law spell out the procedures for bidding on contracts to buy, sell or rent supplies, equipment or materials or to build or repair buildings, roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
Quoted bids are sought for contracts below a certain dollar amount while sealed bids are used for larger contracts.
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Things You'll Need
- Copy of the call for bids
- Bid packet
- Your labor and material costs
- Bid bond
- Large manila envelope (and postage, if mailing)
Instructions
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Counties will use a formal "call for bids" when a project is available. The public bid notice is approved by the county commissioners, then published in the county's newspaper of record. It also might be distributed to the county's list of qualified bidders, posted on the county's website and submitted to industry trade journals, depending upon the project's size and scope.
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Read the bid notice and obtain a bid packet. The bid notice states the project or materials needed, how to obtain a bid packet, where to send it and the deadline. Larger projects might include a minimum bid amount to weed out unqualified bidders. The bid packet will contain the project description and specifications, including how much material is needed and a project time frame, such as 90 days.
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Fill out the bid packet completely, including per-unit material costs (if requested), labor, equipment rental and all other required information. Double-check for missing information, mathematical errors, signatures and bid bond requirements. Then seal the bid packet in a large manila envelope and submit to the appropriate county office, either in person or by mail, by the deadline. If the bid notice has a 3 p.m. deadline and yours arrives at 3:15 p.m., it will be discarded unopened.
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Attend the formal bid opening, if possible. That's where the county commissioners open the sealed bids and announce the results, including the apparent low bidder. Attending the bid opening allows you to see who else is bidding on your types of projects. It also allows you to meet the county commissioners and be available to answer any questions.
After all bids are opened, staff members double-check them and investigate whether the apparent low bidder is "responsible" and should receive the contract.
Generally, the bid is awarded to the lowest "responsible bidder," with the skill to fulfill the contract, reputation and experience, ability to meet contract deadline and performance on previous contracts.
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Tips & Warnings
Become a pre-qualified bidder with all the counties in your area, as it saves everyone time checking if you are a "responsible bidder." Applications are available from the county clerk or public works department. The list usually is updated once or twice a year but call to find out.
Watch several bid notice sources to get as much work as possible.
Double-check your bid packet. Bids get rejected for simple mistakes.
Don't be late. Account for traffic to the courthouse or post office.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit construction,contractor,foreman image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
