HARD BIDDING in CA – A fun look (Part 2)
Part 1 took a look at Hard Bid (price only, fixed date/time bids) from project scoping through contractor bid prep, and Part 2 takes us along the ride with the bid runner through the bid opening.?We’ll stop there, but rest assured, there’s often drama after that, too! Enjoy!
The Bid Runner:
I don’t understand why they can’t just fill out this bid tuff in the office and upload it to the district online. I had to get here an hour early, and I’m sitting in my truck and it’s hot in the parking lot! Okay – I’ve got the call. I’m handwriting in the final cost and… Ring Ring… What?!? A new price? Good thing I brought 2 extra bid forms, all with my Uncle’s original signatures just in case. What time is it? WHAT??? I have 4 minutes to get this envelope closed and – Oops! Dang, there goes my $tarb+cks – Sticky wet coffee forms will have to do – Words and numbers and sealing the envelope. Geez - I don't even know how to write numbers in words - is this 1984? I Gotta run into the district office and get this stamped in! Why doesn’t the district use an online service like COLBI Secure Bids for submitting bids?
Purchasing Director:
My clerk at the front desk is doing a great job – calling out the time count-down for the hard bids to be stamped in. Not one second late!! They better be clear, accurate, and have everything they need to be deemed responsive and responsible or they’re tossed out! Hard bids are time-consuming but pretty easy for me - price and paper verification and you’re good to go! The board likes hard bidding – it’s easy to explain and there’s no doubt the price is the cheapest, oh, I mean lowest, on bid day!
I don’t understand why the bid price is hard to read sometimes – these contractors! They aren’t very good at clerical stuff – we always find things that are wrong. What, do they wait ‘til the last minute? They should prepare for our bids! We’re important and they know that! I have no use for lazy contractors that don’t provide neat and accurate forms –
Is she licking the envelope? Oh Geez! Yuck! What is all this? Coffee? For goodness sake! If this company wins, I’m telling the Director to watch out for them – This shows they are careless already! No change orders for this firm!
And the winner is? Does it sound like anyone really wins? You decide…
If you have any questions or want to learn more about how?COLBI?helps with public works procurement, and contactless online submissions, contact us today!
Joanne Branch, DBIA, Facilities and Procurement Specialist
Retired in 2020 with 28+ years supporting CA public K-12 capital program delivery – at your service!