If you haven’t bid a professional landscape job before or ifyou’re still new in bidding landscaping projects, it can be a little dauntingto know where to start. Below, we list 11 steps in bidding a landscaping job,making sure your bid is profitable, and landing the job.
How to Bid a Landscaping Job
Bidding a landscaping job is about more than figuring out“how much you can make” from a particular client. It also takes knowing yourcosts, inventory, and your crew’s availability.
1 – Get to Know Your Client’s Needs
Before starting to estimate the property, take the time to geta good idea of what your client has in mind. Nothing will lose the job faster(or waste your time more) than a landscaping bid that doesn’t include everythingthe client asked for. Ask questions and get clarification if you’re not sureabout what they’re describing. The more details you have for the bid, the moreaccurate it will be—and the better and more persuasive your proposal will be.
2 – Take Measurements
Don’t eyeball it unless you either have a lot of experiencedoing so or have no other choice. Taking measurements will help better estimatecosts for things like mulch, ground cover, sod, gravel, paving stones, or othermaterials sold by the square foot or cubic foot. Without accurate orclose-to-accurate measurements, you may end up with too little (or too much)product, and will have mis-bid labor and costs, which could result in losingthe job before it starts or in making the job less profitable.
This can be done with a tape measure, the time-old “footstepmeasurement,” or using a landscape biddingtool such as Arborgold that uses a Google Maps API to highlight andestimate square footage within a property.
3 – Detail Materials Needed
This is one of the most important parts in bidding alandscape job because your accuracy determines whether or not your project willbe profitable. You should have detailed knowledge of how much your currentinventory costs, how much any materials you need to order will cost, and have astandard for your markup, if any. If you don’t have the costs yet, don’t sendthe quote until you have them—but don’t wait too long or you might lose out toa competitor! A landscape management software such as Arborgold can beextremely helpful in this process automatically calculating inventory and materialcosts as you’re writing up your landscaping bid.
4 – Draw Your Design
While a drawing may not always be 100% necessary for alandscaping bid, it can make a huge difference in establishing professionalismand trust with the client and in ultimately landing the job. If you don’t havea landscape artist on staff capable of drawing a rendering of the project, it isusually worth it to invest in a CAD tool or finding a landscape managementsoftware thatincludes one. This drawing will not only help to make sure you and yourclient are on the same page with the project, but it will also help you makesure you’re accurately costing the job and can help your team execute the jobafter you land it.
5 – Estimate Labor & Establish Equipment
Estimate the number of hours and crew members you will needto complete the landscaping project and their rates. Also include any equipmentthat will need to be used and rental fees if you don’t own the equipment. Makesure to figure in any gas and transportation costs.
6 – Predict a Timeline
Based on your labor availability, inventory, and materialsthat will need to be ordered, come up with a general idea of how long the jobwill take and when you expect your crew will be able to start. You can choose tocommunicate this in the bid to your client or can put it into the contract oncethe bid has been approved.
7 – Outline the Project Budget for the Client
After you’ve estimated all your costs, it’s time to preparethe bid for the client. Make sure you will be turning a profit on the projectby subtracting all of your projected costs from the price you provide in thebid. This is the ultimate determinant of whether or not your project will beprofitable.
Write the proposal up in a clear, professional way so yourclient can see at-a-glance the total cost of the project, while being able tosee a cost breakdown.
8 – Establish Your Contract
Your contract is also an important part of creating yourlandscaping bid. That’s because your contract will detail certain clauses suchas whether you can increase the cost of materials by up to 10% if the actualcost is more than anticipated, whether payment is required partially or in-fullbefore the project begin, and details for how change orders will be managed.
9 – Add Finishing Touches
Depending on the level of professionalism you’d like topresent, you may want to include a cover letter, a brochure, or otherinformation about why your client should choose your company for the job inyour landscaping bid. Some landscape software tools even create a dynamic, attractive flip-page pdf landscapingjob proposal.
10 – Send it Off
Once you’ve created your landscaping bid, it’s time to sendit off! The sooner you can get your bid into the hands of your prospectiveclient, the better. Optimally, you could provide the bid on-site and receivethe signed contract on-the-spot, but unless you have an awesomelandscape bidding tool, this may not always be possible. Instead, try toget the estimate over to your prospective client by the end of the day, orwithin 24 hours.
11 – Follow Up
After you’ve sent your proposal, make sure to follow up!This will give you the opportunity to reestablish your professionalism and beknown as the landscape company who’s going to be responsive, engaged, and easyto work with. It also gives you the opportunity to revise your bid if it seemslike you may be underbid by a competitor.
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Would you like to see how Arborgold can help simplify thelandscape bidding process while creating professional, accurate quotes? Click“Take a Tour” to explore the features today!
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