# Do you submit a contract with your bid??



## merrimacmill (Apr 18, 2007)

I have been submitting a lot of bids the last couple weeks and I am always debating if I should fill out one of my contracts to enclose with it as well, or if that would seem to pushy to the customer. 

Heres what I put in my bids in order: 

1. Short, quick letter thanking them for the opportunity to bid on their snow services.

2. A brochure on my company that has pictures of us plowing and our equipment and a good explanation of why we are better than the competition.

3. A three page proposal. First page is a cover page, second has scope of work and pricing, third is a copy of our SIMA certificate. 

4. Snow Response Plan customized to their property.

5. A filled out contract ready for them to sign. 

All in a large envelope folder with their name printed on the front. 


My questions are..

1. Does this seem over the top? Too Much to look at for the average manager? 
2. Is it common practice for the rest of you to enclose a copy of the contract with the bid?

I'm just trying to put myself in the customers shoes to see what I would be more impressed with, and I'm on the fence about it..


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

My contract is my bid.


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## Camden (Mar 10, 2007)

grandview;1062353 said:


> My contract is my bid.


Yep, same for me


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## merrimacmill (Apr 18, 2007)

Thats what I do for landscaping, but my snow contract is so lengthy that I always had a separate proposal.


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## erkoehler (Sep 25, 2008)

My process:

-First contact usually w/ a flier, phone call, or face to face meeting.
-Single page bid sheet covering the basic scope of services provided/requested with customized pricing break downs as requested by management.
-After they accept the bid then its contract time


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## hoskm01 (Oct 17, 2008)

Same here. Often times, there are details to be worked out with thhe customer that need to be detailed in the contract, ie... Trigger amount, finish times, rates, options, etc... I think a contract with ALL the options listed, then the selected ones "checked" looks sloppy. Each customer gets a personalized, customized copy. Perhaps you think one should know these things up front, but the customer often does not know or they can be persuaded to something better (mo money!)


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

erkoehler;1062427 said:


> My process:
> 
> -First contact usually w/ a flier, phone call, or face to face meeting.
> -Single page bid sheet covering the basic scope of services provided/requested with customized pricing break downs as requested by management.
> -After they accept the bid then its contract time





hoskm01;1062476 said:


> Same here. Often times, there are details to be worked out with thhe customer that need to be detailed in the contract, ie... Trigger amount, finish times, rates, options, etc... I think a contract with ALL the options listed, then the selected ones "checked" looks sloppy. Each customer gets a personalized, customized copy. Perhaps you think one should know these things up front, but the customer often does not know or they can be persuaded to something better (mo money!)


I ask that when they call put it the contract and send it out. If they like the price they sign it and send it back.


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## basher (Nov 13, 2004)

grandview;1062353 said:


> My contract is my bid.


Make that three.


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## Triple L (Nov 1, 2005)

basher;1062531 said:


> Make that three.


There's a line at the bottom of my bid where the customer signs... making it the contract and everything is spelled out on the bid


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## Mick76 (Aug 2, 2009)

My contract has a bunch of legal crap in it (Its 4-5 pages long).... I basically do as erko and hos have done..... I figure if they like and accept my bid then it "lessens" all the legal crap in the contract..... They just see the $ amount and don't care about the rest.... Hell, some ot these companies could sign away the right of their first born and wouldn't know it!........ too each his own.....

I think you'll find about half of us do it this way and the other half grandviews way...


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## redman6565 (Jul 14, 2008)

i usually hold off on the contract until i hear that they accept the bid because I always list the plowing figures in the contract and sometimes the pricing changes from the bid to final contract. but that's me. i like the SIMA cert and company info though.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

redman6565;1063019 said:


> i usually hold off on the contract until i hear that they accept the bid because I always list the plowing figures in the contract and sometimes the pricing changes from the bid to final contract. but that's me. i like the SIMA cert and company info though.


Explain more. Sounds like a bait and switch to me.


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## redman6565 (Jul 14, 2008)

grandview;1063086 said:


> Explain more. Sounds like a bait and switch to me.


i bid x. they say that they received another bid for y. i negotiate a price somewhere in between x and y. but because i spell out payment terms and monthly installments in my contract, i save the contract until we agree on pricing is all. that's why i dont send a contract with the proposal because i never assume that its ever that cut and dry.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

I do that ,but i just send the contract out and if we have to deal I'll just have them put in the new price and initial it.But most of the time if they called me the price is all ready good with them.


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## redman6565 (Jul 14, 2008)

grandview;1063184 said:


> I do that ,but i just send the contract out and if we have to deal I'll just have them put in the new price and initial it.But most of the time if they called me the price is all ready good with them.


on a side note. nice website.


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## badabing1512 (Aug 28, 2008)

Not to kill your thread but when you guys call a certain place as ask if they are currently accepting bids, do you send your bid in immediately or wait more towards the deadline, of course earlyer is nice to lock down contracts if possible and time tp purchase new equipmetn if needed but ive heard that if a bid is sent in too ealry prop. managers tend to foget about the bid and misplace it, guess thats where a follow up might come into place but im just curious


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

It's the way the game is played. Send them in and do some follow up phone calls.

PS use the spell check your hurting my eyes.


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## badabing1512 (Aug 28, 2008)

Yea my bad I was in a rush


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## wewille (Jan 20, 2009)

Merrimac, do you make your own brochures? I send a contract as a part of my bid


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## merrimacmill (Apr 18, 2007)

wewille;1065310 said:


> Merrimac, do you make your own brochures? I send a contract as a part of my bid


My current brochures are made by me, however I have hired a marketing guy that has been doing my videos, photos, new websites, brochures, presentation folders, etc... Its over a year long project, but we are getting bits and pieces completed now. He did my website for the office building too. www.merrimacmill.com


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## elite1msmith (Sep 10, 2007)

Mick76;1062573 said:


> My contract has a bunch of legal crap in it (Its 4-5 pages long).... I basically do as erko and hos have done..... I figure if they like and accept my bid then it "lessens" all the legal crap in the contract..... They just see the $ amount and don't care about the rest.... Hell, some ot these companies could sign away the right of their first born and wouldn't know it!........ too each his own.....
> 
> I think you'll find about half of us do it this way and the other half grandviews way...


i do it this way for that very reason. leave all the legal stuff out of it. 9 out of 10 i end up changing the payment terms anyway. so my bids are my contracts , except they just dont get all the pages...use the stapeler, add in the propper names, contacts , legal stuff and thats it. I try to keep all the negatives out of the bid...for example..contactor will not be resonsable for cracked or damaged pavment........


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