Construction Bid Review

[UDP10]

I'm a mechanical engineer working on a mid-sized ($3M Mechanical, $13M overall)construction project. All trades are separate primes reporting directly to the owner. The owner has asked that we conduct bid reviews of the low bidders to ensure drawing compliance.

I have not conducted many bid reviews and am trying to compile a good list of questions to ensure compliance. I know of a couple design and coordination areas that I want to touch on to make sure they're meeting the intent, but any questions that anyone would include based on past experience or whatever would be helpful.

Thanks

 

[Vellum]

I've sat through a number of scope review meetings and it primarily turns into the contractor reaffirming everything that is in the job. If the MC is a prime then here are some of the questions that we ask (most of the first questions relate to the bid forms):
-Verify Bid Amount
-Verify Knowledge of Alternates and Allowances
-Verify Receipt of Addenda
-Verify they are bonded (if required)
-Ask for any equipment substitutions
-Is this bid per plans and specs
-Who will be project manager, superintendent
-Go through the major equipment
-Go over the rest of the project in general
-Cover any owner requests (working hours, temp toilets)
-Cover anything non-standard in the job
-Ask about sub-contractors
-Review construction schedule (if applicable)
-Ask for their questions.

Hope this helps.

 

[atlas06]

Ask for a break down by trade, i.e by spec section if possible:
How much for HVAC piping, Plumbing piping, sheet metal, controls, TAB, commissioning, insulation, valving, etc..
This will allow you to flag the high cost items in the bids and make sure they understand your project.
This will allow you to identify where you need to concentrate your value engineering thougts.

One important thing: copper and steel are going down not up, as the contractors might tell you. Some of the contractors have been burned in the past few years by material escallation and they tend to throw a huge number in escallation.

Reduce your project length to lower your general conditions, etc..

 

[simsd]

I'm not trying to bust you kahone's but if you haven't done this before then you really shouldn't be doing it. The contractor will eat you up and spit you out if you've missed something.

Ask one of your colleagues that goes this and maybe ask a mechanical contractor that you've worked with who has no interest in the job to help you along.

 

[lilliput1]

Basically you are to screen out the low bidders and recommend to the Owner which one to accept. So you have to check that they have priced out everything. If there is something unclear in the specs or plan you should spell it out and see if the bidder need to revise the bid. You must give equal information to all. You should prepare a check list for all bidders to go through as what vellum and atlas o6 listed. You should also get references & check out the bidders to confirm their capability in performing the work on time and on budget. If a bidders price is low compared to the others investigate if this is because of ommission or because the contractor has a better way or cheaper way of doing the work. Don't disclose to others what it is that one bidder can do better.

 

[UDP10]

Thanks to all.

I have done it before, but never when the MC was a separate prime. This is why I was nervous and looking for additional questions. It actually took place yesterday.

We asked for a fairly detailed breakdown as part of the bid proposal, so I stepped through that. Then I asked about trenching, concrete, penetrations, louver install, etc that needed coordination with the generals.
Seems to have gone well. I ended up knowing the low bidders fairly well from previous jobs so there was no chewing or spitting... ha. I guess we'll see how I did as we start into construction.

 

[simsd]

No chewing or spitting? Good. And since you knew them,even better. So make sure when you recommend that they know about it tell them not to let you down. And to minimize the change orders.

 

[marcoh]

Over and above the above suggestions a good question to ask is to get the contractor to specifically list every non-conformance with the specification and, if accepted, tell the contractor that is assumed that everything else is therefore fully conforming. Some contractors squirm when asked this and are reminded of 'their' list when equipment selections are reviewed later and it is claimed their bid was always 'clearly' based on non conforming equipment.