If your construction company only goes after low-bid work, it means you have a horrible brand. Here is how I know it.
To win a low bid project, you have to be willing to do the work for the least amount of work. Your reputation, quality, and brand are irrelevant. To fulfill the project’s specifications, you must meet the minimums. Low bid encourages substandard work from substandard brands.
Now, many construction companies compete in both the low-bid world and the best value or negotiated work world. Yes, government work may require doing low bid, but if you do private work, then you need something the low bidders don’t have – a strong brand. Private work demands quality, innovation, and service. Companies showcase these characteristics with their brand and marketing materials.
Thankfully, many public projects are going to best value scoring systems to ensure quality products. Even municipalities that are still legally obligated to choose the lowest bidder are finding ways around it by creating preferred vendor lists or the opposite, the black list where they will not use a contractor that didn’t perform last time.
