Scored on one set of quantities, paid on another

Anyone bidding a unit priced contract knows this. You're scored on estimated quantities, paid on what's ordered. They rarely match. Which lines decide the evaluated price, and where markup can sit without looking unbalanced, gets settled by feel in the last week.

One case on our Try page: a unit priced contract, building and electrical trades. Yesper ran the cost buildup against the evaluation quantities and the work orders. Electrician hours weigh twice as much in the evaluation as in the work. Markup set by that weight, within the bidder's own limit, adds $92,500 a year in gross margin at the same total.

You set markup knowing what each line weighs, and the unbalanced-bid question reaches counsel while prices can still move. Same for any unit price schedule, and the rest of the Try page: unit prices onto a bid schedule, a go/no-go on a bid invitation.

Try it yourself →