Bid Docs to Builders Exchanges, etc.

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Author Message Dawn'l Burns New member Username: dburns Post Number: 1 Registered: 11-2007 Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 09:14 am:    Looking for information on how you handle distribution of bidding documents to builders exchanges, etc.? Do you provide documents to them without charge or for a fee (sim to bidders)? Paper copies or pdf's? We currently provide contractors with the option to download pdf documents for a fee, or to order paper copies from a reprographics firm for a fee; but we have been providing exchanges etc, with paper copies that we pay for ourselves. Would it be out of line to require them to pay for the documents? Lynn Javoroski CSI CCS LEED™ AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 682 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 09:25 am:    It's been my experience that the Owner initially pays for the document reproduction and may opt to have Bidders/Contractors pay for their copies. Lately, many of our projects have been electronically posted. David J. Wyatt Senior Member Username: david_j_wyatt_csi_ccs_ccca Post Number: 89 Registered: 07-2005 Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 09:43 am:    Reputable construction reporting services provide some significant benefits for the project stakeholders. Owners benefit by making the documents available to reputable bidders. The benefits to the contractors are obvious. Other stakeholders who benefit are sureties and subcontractors. Less obvious but very beneficial is the electronic archives some CRSs maintain. Sometimes firms lose or unintentionally discard important contract documents. On at least two such occasions, I asked McGraw-Hill Dodge to provide replacement documents. Of course they did, and it made believers out of a few architects who previously were guarded about it. In spite of this, some owners and even some architects I work with do not want to share information about their projects. Sometimes the reasons are valid, but more often it seems like over-protectiveness or stinginess. It surprises many people that even if you do not provide sets of documents to a CRS, contractors will do so to enhance the efficiency of their estimating and procurement procedures. Information is their stock in trade and they know how to get it. Russell W. Wood, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: woodr5678 Post Number: 99 Registered: 11-2003 Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 10:38 am:    I often represent a large public agency that of course does public procurements. As such we post our Project Manual documents at an electronic website such as DemandStar that offers downloads to subscribers. We also offer hard copies of Project Manuals and drawings that can be purchased at designated printing companies in our area. J. Peter Jordan Senior Member Username: jpjordan Post Number: 262 Registered: 05-2004 Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 06:55 pm:    In the Houston area, it is my experience that public agencies use the "plan rooms" while private clients (especially those with a limited invited list of bidders) do not. The public agencies are obligated to publicly bid their projects and seek the widest participation at all levels (good policy, sometimes results in less than satisfactory work). Inh these cases, the Owner pays any reproduction costs involved. More and more this is relatively minor with Bidders and subbidders required to purchase their own documents (not just place a deposit). The private owners take the position (if they think about it at all) that the selected bidders will solicit competitive subbids from qualified subs whose work they know. Dawn'l Burns Junior Member Username: dburns Post Number: 2 Registered: 11-2007 Posted on Thursday, November 29, 2007 - 09:19 am:    Thanks for the replies, but who is paying for getting the projects to the "plan rooms"? Is it the Architect, the Owner, or the plan room themselves? Sharon Lund, CSI, CCCA, CCS, LEED AP Senior Member Username: sharon_l Post Number: 27 Registered: 11-2005 Posted on Thursday, November 29, 2007 - 09:36 am:    We used to send them free to all the planrooms in the project vicinity. Now with our electronic download system, the plan rooms have download their own copy and pay for it (it's only $20). We give the printer a list (with addresses) of those to receive hard copies free, and project managers have the option of requesting these free copies for plan rooms. Others wanting hard copies have to pay the cost associated with the printing.