For continuity of operation, a construction organization needs a supply of new projects to build. After a company has been in existence for a long time and built up a reputation, new business may come to it with less effort. But most companies must work hard at obtaining new jobs. Furthermore, work that happens to come in may not be of a type that the organization prefers. To find that type requires serious, skillful efforts.
To be successful, a contracting company should have a person specifically assigned to attract new business. This person might be the proprietor of the construction company. In large firms, a complex organization with sales and public relations personnel, backed up by engineers and cost estimators, is used. The organization should be geared to follow up on all possible sources of new business.
Public Works. The following sources for leads to new jobs and submitting proposals can be used for public work bids:
Dodge Bulletin, or other construction industry newsletters.
ENR˜Pulse and Official Proposals sections.
Bid invitations, as a result of requests to be placed on bid-invitation mailing lists of various government agencies.
Newspaper and trade-paper announcements and articles.
Official publications of government agencies that contain advertisements of contracts to be bid.
Private Contracts. All the sources for public works.
Contacts with and letters to architects and designers.
Contacts with and letters to owners and facilities personnel.
Personal recommendation.
Sponsorship. Applying for sponsorship of any of the following:
Government-encouraged housing programs.
Urban redevelopment.
Purchase of land, with financing of building construction to be provided by various government programs.
Owner-Builder/Developer
Construction and rental of apartment buildings.
Construction and rental of commercial and office facilities.
Construction and leasing of government buildings.
Professional Construction Manager
Applications to city and state agencies or large corporations awarding this type of contract.
All the sources for obtaining private contracts.
Program Manager
Applications to city, state, and federal agencies who are awarding this type of contract.
All resources for obtaining private contracts as well as government contracts.
Uses of Dodge Bulletin. From a typical Dodge Bulletin (McGraw-Hill Information Systems Company, New York), a subscriber to this daily information bulletin can gain the following information:
Contracts for which general contract and prime bids for mechanical and electrical work, etc., are being requested. A contractor interested in any of these types of work can obtain the plans and specifications from owners or designers, whose names and addresses are given, and submit a bid.
For contracts awarded, lists of names of contractors and amounts of contracts.
Subcontractors or material suppliers who are interested in working for the contractors can communicate with those who have received the awards.
Lists of jobs being planned and estimates of job costs. Contractors and subcontractors who are interested in jobs in those locations and the sizes indicated can communicate directly with the owner.
Additional information that may be obtained from the Dodge Bulletin includes lists of subcontractors and suppliers being employed by general contractors on other jobs that are already under way, and tabulation of the low bidders on jobs bid and publicly opened.
