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Heard a client say they picked the lowest bid because 'all contractors are the same'
I was at a supply house in Omaha last week, waiting to pick up an order, and I overheard a guy talking on his phone. He was telling someone, 'Yeah, we went with the lowest number. It's just concrete work, how different can they be?' It really got me thinking. We pour a 40,000 sq ft warehouse slab next month, and our bid wasn't the cheapest because we spec'd a specific fiber mix and a longer cure time. That extra cost is for a floor that won't crack in two years. But if people think we're all the same, how do you even start that talk? Do you just walk away from those jobs, or do you have a go-to line that makes them see the value?
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barbara_baker576mo ago
Honestly, sometimes it's just a slab. If they're pouring a shed pad or a basic sidewalk, maybe the low bid is fine. The real problem is when that thinking gets applied to a big, important job. You can't fix that over a quick chat.
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william_carter6mo ago
Cheap concrete is the most expensive kind.
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abby9436mo ago
You see it all the time with driveways that crack after one winter. Or those big box store parking lots where the surface turns to dust in five years. It's a false saving for sure. The repair bills and early replacement costs are brutal. Cutting corners on the mix or the prep work just pushes the real price down the road.
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