How to Bid on a Seal Job
The key to bidding on any construction or repair job is to first establish exactly what the job entails. Be sure you and the customer agree on the area to be sealed, type of sealant to be used and number of coats. Don't bid on a job without seeing the site first. A cracked driveway filled with weeds and grass will require additional work before you can apply the sealant. Communicate clearly with the potential customer and be sure all agreements are in writing and signed by both parties. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Talk with the potential customer to determine what he expects. Before you provide a bid, be sure you both agree on how many coats of sealant you will use and how soon the customer needs the job completed. Carefully measure the area to be sealed and note any broken surfaces that you will need to repair before applying the sealant.
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Measure the length and width of the surface you're bidding on to determine the square footage. For instance if you are bidding on sealing a patio that is 12 feet by 9 feet 6 inches, the square footage would be 114 square feet (12 times 9.5 equals 114).
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Use your square footage calculation to determine how much seal you will need. Sealing products typically come in one gallon amounts and the packaging will list how many square feet a gallon will cover. Calculate your costs for materials, taking into account the amount needed for each coat.
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Calculate how much time you'll need to spend on the job. You will need to wash the surface before applying the seal and it will need to dry for an hour or two, depending on the weather, before you can start sealing. It might only take you 1 1/2 hours to apply a coat of seal, but if you need to let each coat dry for seven hours, then you will need to come back three times. So although the actual labor time for the job would be 4 1/2 hours, when setting your labor price you should take into consideration having to visit the job site multiple times.
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Determine a cost per square foot to present to your customer. Figure your costs for the sealant and application tools. Set an hourly rate for your labor and be sure to factor in time for washing the area to be sealed, drying time and repeat visits for multiple coats. Add up all of the costs and divide by the number of square feet to be sealed to get a rate per square foot.
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Put your bid in writing to present to your potential customer. List the customer's address and/or the location of the job, a simple description of the work to be completed, the total square feet, your per-square-foot price, number of coats of sealant and the total amount that you will charge for the job. Include on the bid sheet the estimated completion date and that the bid price includes materials and labor. If the job is weather-dependent, be sure to add a note that rain or severe weather will delay completion. State your policy for payment. For example, you might require one-third of the total upon signing the contract, with the remainder due upon completion of the job.
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Present the bid to the customer. Go over the terms line by line. If you and the customer agree on any modifications, neatly write in the details, put your initials by them and have the customer initial as well. Keep one copy for yourself and leave one copy with the customer.
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Tips & Warnings
Your bid can be printed on a plain piece of paper, but it will look more professional to print it on your company's letterhead or on an official proposal sheet. Pads of blank proposal sheets can be purchased at office supply stores.
When committing to complete a sealing job within a certain amount of time, you'll need to take the weather into consideration. Most concrete seal products cannot be applied in temperatures below 40 to 50 degrees and should not get wet (from rain or snow) until they have a chance to dry completely. Refer to the instructions on the sealant packaging for specific temperature and drying time requirements.
Check to see what other contractors in your area are charging so that you can quote a competitive price.
