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Estimator’s Edge

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2021 November

Sticker Shock!

Now you can’t walk away from the price you pay—Bruce Springsteen, from “The Price You Pay” I guess it’s been five, maybe six months ago that a vendor quote turned my head around...

2021 October

Bidmeister for Rent

My musings frequently harken back to the time when I was operations manager for a small to mid-size commercial drywall outfit in Southwest Colorado. It was something of a gravy train during that period...

2021 September

Retro-fits: The Stop-gap That Pays Off

Having known my share of colleagues in my perhaps-too-lengthy stint as a bidmiester, I feel pretty confident in saying that we are a singularly astute bunch—at least for the most part. And so it...

2021 August

Proposals Reprised, Part 2

It feels like déjà vu all over again.—Yogi Berra Last month we established five distinct components to an effective proposal: the opening statement, the pricing breakout, an inclusions list, an exclusions list and...

2021 July

Proposals Reprised, Part 1

And I feel like I’ve been here before …—from Déjà vu by David Crosby Generally speaking, I don’t like to repeat subjects for this column all that much. The most convincing reason for...

2021 June

Climbing the Ladder

Move on up, keep on wishin’…your dream is your only scheme…—Curtis Mayfield A few years ago, you, a successful exactimator, surrendered to the clarion call of your entrepreneurial spirit and started up your...

2021 April

The Waiting Game

Every now and then—maybe once in a lifetime—the course of a bidmeister’s experience brings him to one of those golden opportunities that looks almost too good to be true. This column documents my own past...

2021 March

What’s Up, Doc(s)?

I recently had occasion to review a contract for a mid-size office-building job that I had bid and had actually been awarded. It had been so long since I scored, I had almost forgotten how...