One of the things I look forward to least are pre-bid meetings. I have yet to go to a pre-bid that gave me valuable information other than a shared lunch with colleagues or competitors.
Pre-bids are a sore spot with me because they can put you off track from bid documents. Just because a designer clarify's something at a pre-bid does not make it real in terms of contract documentation.
My first and second law of contracts is, "If its not in writing its not real". What this means is an estimator must have on a set of virtual blinders especially at pre-bids. If information is undocumented for the bid it does not exist.
For example if I go to a pre-bid and the designer and client say our intention is to have this room feel personel by carpeting the walls and this is not written in any of the bid documents or documented via bid notes. The estimator cannot consider it in his bid. Verbal conversations that are not verifiable by documentation do not exist in contracts period. If its a big ticket item it must be documented in Q and A or published notes, peoples opinion on what should or should not be or design intent cannot be considered by an estimator trying to turn in a competitive price for a project.
To often company cultures allow estimators to be beat up over documentation and scope decisions. In my mind these are not a discussion with anyone unless they can show me documentation from bid or contract to back it up.
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