Replies

1. 
   Piffin | Sep 15, 2002 12:54am | #1

   8O)

   Before doing any work in that field(what trade are you talking about) do you just expect someone to send you an invitation. You have to establish yourself and make personal contacts with the people who decide what goes where.

   Now you sound like you are tlaking about subcontracting. That is a relationship between your company and the general contractor and not done by sealed bids.

   If you are talking about acting as a general, the legal notices section of your local classifieds in the newspaper has all the public notices of invitation to bid. Get out your reading glasses, gramps because the print is small.

   Excellence is its own reward!
1. 
   Heuer3 | Sep 15, 2002 06:20pm | #2

   The business would be ceilings, so I would be sub contracting. And yes I was hoping people would just send me things, I'm just not sure how to get them to do that. I've been in the business for about 15 yrs. and I've got to know alot of different contractors and have decent working relations with some but thats as a representative or an extention of the company I work for. I wouldn't feel right trying to set up business while being paid to work for a company. Some where along the line I've come to think that contractors who needed ceilings would send things to companies to get a quote from them. If thats true and I could get them to do that then I could deal with other problems that would arise such as getting them to take a chance on an unproven company, etc. Thanks for the reply. Any and all informatin is appreciated.

2. 
   BossHog | Sep 15, 2002 08:51pm | #3

   My thought would be to think about buying into an existing company that does commercial work. Buy half the company and work with the existing owner as a partner, or buy the company out entirely.

   I get enough exercise just pushing my luck.

1. 
   Snort | Sep 15, 2002 10:25pm | #4

   Advertise?

   Edited 9/15/2002 3:28:16 PM ET by bucksnort billy

3. 
   jc21 | Sep 16, 2002 02:30am | #5

   Don't know where you're at but you may have a publication like this .........

   http://www.constructionsummary.com/

   It lists jobs that are up for bid, who won bids etc. It's worth the subscription price if you're serious about bidding commercial work. It will give you the big picture of what, who, and when. Find out who the GC's are in your area and go around and introduce yourself armed with your business card and some references and some pics of your work. There are listing services such as Dunlap but not all bids get listed. Call the GC's when you see a project up for bid and ask if you can bid. Don't count on free prints ......... some A/E firms charge $200 or more per copy and some GC's are reluctant to let them out of their sight. A listing service can help here, too ...... at a price. It costs money to bid. You may have to bid a few jobs before you get one (1 out of ten is a figure I've heard- depends on the competition in your area) but if you keep at it, chances are pretty good the GC's will be after you with invitations to bid. Good Luck.

4. 
   archyII | Sep 16, 2002 04:00am | #6

   Also try Dodge.

5. 
   archyII | Sep 16, 2002 04:04am | #7

   I forgot the link

   http://dodge.construction.com/

1. 
   Heuer3 | Sep 17, 2002 11:24pm | #8

   Thanks for the replies they got the brain fired up. I've been talking to people around the job site and they seem to agree that I would have to run around ask GCs to let me bid on jobs. Most guys agree You can't take the prints for free. And maybe just maybe if they start to like you they'll ask you to send in a bid. thanks.

1. 
   JeffBuck | Sep 18, 2002 04:06am | #9

   and check the local papers......our runs a section in the back ad's that lists all the public bid projects....

   what's with U guys not beliving commercial work isn't sent out to bid?

   Jeff.......Sometimes on the toll road of life.....a handful of change is good.......