Why plumbing bids diverge
Plumbing scopes have expensive grey zones: site utilities to five feet outside the building, grease interceptors, gas from the meter, water heaters and recirculation, fixtures by owner or by contractor, and seismic or hanger requirements. Each bidder draws those lines differently.
The leveling process
- Build a scope matrix from the drawings and specs
- Read every bid's inclusions, exclusions and qualifications
- Price gaps using a takeoff so each bid is complete
- Normalize alternates and allowances
- Write RFIs for scope conflicts before award
Timing
Leveling is most useful inside the bid window, before you carry a number. Our Bid Desk package is built for that. See packages.
Check readiness with the Project Readiness Survey, read how plumbing takeoffs work, and see our San Antonio page.