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Lost every local bid this year on price. How do I find out how far off I was?

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  • You get the full bid tabulations for county and school contracts by following each entity's specific public records request process.
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My firm has bid on six county and school janitorial contracts this year. We lost all of them on price. Each time, we were told another bidder came in lower. We do commercial cleaning, NAICS 561720, and these were all Invitations for Bid. We turned them in on time. One county sent me a bid tabulation that showed we were pretty far off the winning bid, but the other five just sent award notices. I have asked the purchasing departments for the bid results, but I just get silence or a form letter about public records requests. I just want to see the numbers so I can figure out if my pricing model is wrong or if I am misreading the scope of work. How do I get the full bid tabulations for these county and school contracts?

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asked Marcus T. Verified vendorOwner, janitorial and facilities firm · Columbus, OH · 390 rep

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You get the full bid tabulations for county and school contracts by following each entity's specific public records request process.

Public records requests are the formal method for obtaining government documents at the state and local levels. The process and response times vary by jurisdiction. You will need to identify the specific public records law for each county or school district and submit a request that complies with their rules. Some entities have online portals for these requests, while others require written submissions.

The bid tabulation shows all bids received, usually listing the bidder's name and their total price. This information is critical for understanding where your pricing stands in the market. Without it, you are guessing at your competitiveness. The silence you are receiving indicates they expect a formal request.

Federal procurement, guided by the FAR, has different procedures for debriefings, as outlined in FAR 15.505 and 15.506. State and local procurements do not follow the FAR; they follow their own state procurement code and local ordinances. You may need to review the purchasing department's website or contact the clerk's office for instructions on filing a public records request.

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answered Dana K. Retired contracting officer, 22 years · Alexandria, VA · 141 rep
Thanks, Dana. I'll check each county and school district's procurement site for their public records request process. We need to see those bid tabulations to adjust our pricing. · Marcus T. ·
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Marcus, a public records request is the correct way to get the information you need, but you should also ask for the name of the apparent low bidder. Dana is right that each jurisdiction has its own rules, and they will not send you anything until you follow their formal process. You do not always need to know the winning price to know if your pricing model is wrong. You can see the winning bid on the bid tabulation, but you will need to know the winning company to check if they are a local business that receives a local preference in the evaluation. Many local government procurement codes include a local preference, which means that a local company can be awarded the contract even if their bid is higher than a non-local company's bid, as long as the difference is within a certain percentage.

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answered Helen M. Former county procurement analyst · Raleigh, NC · 250 rep
Thanks, Helen. I will put in a public records request for the bid tabulation and the name of the winner. I had not thought about a local preference. · Marcus T. ·
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You need to submit a public records request for each contract because a contracting officer cannot just give you the bid results. The purchasing departments are not allowed to give out bid information without a formal request. They have to follow their own state procurement code and local ordinances. You will need to find the specific public records law for each county and school district. The bid tabulation shows the total prices from all bidders. It helps you see where your price landed compared to the competition. Your bid bond is tied to your bid price. If your pricing is off, you might have submitted a bid that was too high or too low to be competitive.

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answered Tom B. Construction estimator, public works · Phoenix, AZ · 225 rep
A bid tabulation is key. DIBBS posts bid tabulations for most RFQs, but for solicitations, you usually need to make a public records request to get the pricing from other bidders. It's how you see the spread. · Dave H. ·

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Sign up to answerCite the FAR clause or procurement code where you can.

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