This site is great for getting leads and you can view the plans on line:
http://www.isqft.com/ Also check out AGC in your area, they may have a plan room you can visit for a modest fee.
http://www.agc.org/index.ww Another approach is to hit the jobsites, strip centers and such that are building out retail jobs. Put your cards out and see if you can find some work that way. A lot of time they are done by out of town contractors that don’t know anyone and are just looking for someone to do the job. They should furnish the plans for take-off at NO COST TO YOU. The 5% bid bonds are mostly for government work, so they don’t really apply to the size retail jobs you are targeting.
The only “gotcha” is you will have to provide workman’s comp and liability insurance to do this kind of work, and if they if think you are having financial problems they will delay payment on purpose, the idea is you go out of business they don’t have to pay you. If it’s a 10-15K job a lot of the time you can ask for 50% up front too, if you need it.
Look out for this language in the contract:
“Completed operations endorsement CG 2010 & CG 2057 Requirement”
It will ADD $500 to your insurance if required.
If you want a copy of my standard bidding scope, I can post one. It covers a lot of the “gotchas”.
BTW if you aren’t willing to dig a ditch in the rain then you don’t have what it takes to make in this business.
[This message has been edited by ITO (edited 12-06-2006).]
