How do you get a contractor's best price up front?

Question

Typical scenario: I get 3 bids to fix something in my house (roof, trim, A/C, plumbing, whatever). I pick a capable contractor based on their price (If I trust their knowledge and experience). Later one of the other bidding contractors calls me. I tell them I chose another capable contractor with a lower price. THEN they offer to lower their price to make me choose them instead. I want them to give me THAT lower price up front.

Answer 1

Tell each contractor right at the beginning that you are getting more than one bid. This may prompt them to give you their "competitive" bid up front. Most contractors assume this anyway, and give the best price they can.

A lot of contractors don't give the lower bid because they may not think you are getting more bids on the job, or that you are ill-informed, and they want to make as much as they can.

And remember......you get what you pay for. A contractor willing to lower his bid may also lower the quality of work.

Answer 2

I would think the contractor that lowers the price isn't one I would want anyway, for a couple reasons. It is unethical to base a bid on someone elses bid, and certainly if you told a contractor you would take the job and then switch, that is bad. Also, the contractor that changes his price must want your job. What is the reason he isn't busy enough? There could be good reasons for that, but you should at least question it.

There is a saying that if you get all the jobs you bid, your prices are too low. As someone else said, you get what you pay for. You should really just use the multiple bids to sanity check that you are in the right ballpark. Then go with who seems best, especially if you get recommendations from someone.

A busy contractor will not need your work, so might not have the best price. Again there is a reason he is busy when it is not price. He might do the best work. That doesn't mean the most expensive is the best either. Again you should try to go with the best quality, making sure his price isn't out of line.

A way to save money, but gives you risk, is to pay time and materials for the work (or cost plus, but I'm not sure that's ever used for residential work). When you get a fixed bid, the contractor has to cover the cost of the worst case (or close to it) so they don't lose money if the job takes extra work. If you pay for actual time you should save money. For example, say it takes 5 hours for the typical job you are getting a bid on, but on a good day it would be 3 hours but could take as much as 10. When you get a bid, the contractor will assume 10, and if he gets it done in 3 he gets a bonus. If you pay time and material, if it takes 3 you save money, and typically it takes 5 and you save money. You only lose if it take 12 or something. But you have to trust the contractor to not purposely take extra time.

Answer 3

Bids are generally the best price a guy can do at the time, if someone calls and tries to counter his original bid while it happens is kind of dirty pool. I have had that happen as well and have told the guy that countered I need to best bid out of the shoot not a WAG (wildassedguess) they learn. Generally less experienced subs are more likely to try and counter.
As a contractor I need firm prices from my subs before I can proceed with my own bidding. I will not turn a bid in until I have a hard price from all my subs...

Answer 4

Begin your conversation with each contractor by informing them you have several companies bidding on the project. Do not let them know the real number, you could have 10 for all they know! But also inform them that the most reasonable bid within your range ($$) will be accepted, and that company only will be notified, following the estimates and bid proposals. Be sure to give them a dollar figure that you have set aside for the project for a reasonable bid figure. (example, from $10 to $12 thousand dollars is what I have to complete this project.)

Answer 5

just tell them up front you have been getting other prices.