The Hidden Costs of A Contractor Quoting to Win

Every contractor quotes a job to win, right? 

Sure, we all want to win. There’s a difference between quoting to win and quoting to do the job well, though. At Serve Electric, we want to win in the long-term, not the short-term and jeopardize the relationship with the customer down the road. 

Here are some things to look for when hiring a contractor and comparing quotes (and hold us accountable to these too!). 

It’s not all about price. 

The most notable quoting-to-win strategy is the lowest price. We all know it…we’ve all been there…you’re at the receiving end of a quote, you open your email, scroll to the bottom to find the big total number. It’s hard not to put so much emphasis on the lowest price when price is the first thing everyone looks at.  

That said, price isn’t everything. When looking at a quote, it’s important to understand the value of the quote.  

Let’s talk about quote value. 

The value of a quote can often be determined by asking one question; “Is this what I’m asking for? Or is this what I need?” Often times, a contractor will quote what a customer is asking for, not what a customer needs. Sure, while in theory that sounds like the right thing to do, you’re hiring a contractor for a reason…they are specialized experts in that field. Therefore, that contractor should be able to look at the job they’re quoting and inherently understand more than the customer about what fully needs to be done to not only solve the problem in the short-term, but in the long-term. 

Another great question to ask is, “Does this contractor understand the full scope of the job? Are they reviewing the prints thoroughly? Do they have the correct quantities, etc.?” It’s impossible to quote the job well if the full scope isn’t understood.  

Finding a partner, not just a vendor. 

Finally, the last thing to consider when reviewing a quote is knowing if that contractor is not only going to see the job all the way through, but also be there on the other end and into the future. After 23 years of business, Serve Electric has never walked off a job. We are committed to quality service all the way through, even if we must sacrifice to make it happen.