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Guides

By trade

Schools, cities, counties, housing authorities and state agencies buy almost every trade there is, and they buy it in public. Each guide below covers one trade: who the buyers are, what the contracts tend to pay, what licenses, bonds and insurance the bid will ask for, how the bids are scored, and where most first-time bidders get thrown out.

Written by the people who find and write these bids for a living. If you would rather we did it for you, book a twenty-minute call and you will see what is open right now for a business like yours.

Building & trades

How to get government construction contracts (state and local) A contractor's guide to state and local construction contracts: bond programs, delivery methods, JOC, prequalification, bonding, prevailing wage and bid. How to get government electrical contracting contracts On-call electrical term contracts, LED and EV charging programs, licensing, prevailing wage, bonding and how public electrical bids are scored and won. How to get government plumbing and mechanical contracts On-call plumbing term contracts, backflow programs, boiler and water heater replacements, lead service line funding, licensing, wage rules and bonding. How to get government HVAC contracts A mechanical contractor's guide to public HVAC work: service contracts vs capital projects, ESCO performance contracting, licensing and what wins the bid. How to get government roofing contracts Public roofing work turns on approved-applicator status, bonding and a summer schedule. What agencies pay, how bids score, and where the recurring… How to get government painting contracts Housing authority turnover contracts, school summer programs, the lead-safe gate, prevailing wage and how low-bid painting is scored. Where the work is. How to get government flooring contracts School and municipal flooring replacement, the summer window, Sourcewell and OMNIA contracts, certified-installer specs, the asbestos gate and moisture tests. How to get government fire protection and life safety contracts Sprinkler, alarm, extinguisher and hood inspection contracts for schools, cities, counties and hospitals: NFPA scope, licensing, NICET, pricing and posting. How to get government low-voltage, cabling and AV contracts E-Rate Form 470 bidding for school cabling, camera and access control rules, council chamber AV, public-safety DAS, licensing and the summer install… How to get government elevator maintenance contracts Full maintenance vs oil-and-grease, per-unit monthly pricing, entrapment clauses, state licensing and QEI rules, and where independents beat the OEMs. How to get government demolition contracts How public demolition is bought: blight and land bank programs, per-structure unit pricing, asbestos survey gates, NESHAP notices, Davis-Bacon and bonding. How to get government asbestos, lead and mold abatement contracts How public abatement work is bought: AHERA school cycles, HUD lead grants, state licensing, OSHA 1926.1101, clearance air monitoring, term contracts, bonding.

Grounds & site

How to get government landscaping contracts A working guide to public grounds maintenance contracts: who buys, what they pay, the licenses and bonds required, how bids are scored,… How to get government paving contracts How public paving work is bought: DOT prequalification, bonding capacity, unit-price bid schedules, Davis-Bacon, seasonal bid timing and what wins a low… How to get government tree care and arborist contracts Municipal forestry, utility line clearance, storm debris under FEMA rules, per-tree and hourly pricing, ISA and TRAQ requirements, and where the bids… How to get government snow removal contracts Municipal, school, county and DOT snow plowing contracts: per-event, seasonal and hourly pricing, real rate schedules, response windows, salt and insurance. How to get government excavation and underground utility contracts How public water, sewer and storm work is bought: SRF and lead line funding, unit-price bid schedules, bonding capacity, DOT prequalification, trench… How to get government traffic control and pavement marking contracts How DOTs and cities buy striping, signs and flagging: MUTCD retroreflectivity rules, thermoplastic vs paint, real 2025 per-foot bids, ATSSA certification.

Facilities & services

How to get school district janitorial contracts How districts and other public buyers award custodial contracts: pricing per square foot, APPA staffing levels, fingerprint clearance, bonding and bid timing. How to get government pest control contracts School IPM laws by state, HUD housing standards, per-building and per-unit pricing, applicator licensing, records and how public pest control bids are… How to get government waste and recycling contracts Collection franchises, roll-off and dumpster term contracts, hauling, recycling, shredding and e-waste: what they pay, the bonds, how a challenger gets in. How to get government security guard contracts A practical guide to winning public sector security guard contracts: bill rate build-ups, state guard licensing, post orders, wage floors and scoring. How to get school food service contracts How school food service contracts really work: FSMC agreements, fixed fee vs cost-reimbursable, state agency approval, USDA rules and the bid calendar. How to get government fleet maintenance and vehicle repair contracts Which counties, cities and districts outsource fleet repair, how labor-rate and parts-discount bids are scored, plus tow rotations, tires and upfitting. How to get school bus and student transportation contracts How districts contract school bus service: per-route-per-day pricing, fuel escalators, driver and fleet-age rules, special needs routes and the bid calendar.

Being written: Laundry & uniforms. We bid these trades already. Ask on the call.

Professional & office

How to get government IT contracts at the state and local level State and local IT is won on vehicles, security certifications and accessibility, not proposals. How SLED buying works and what actually disqualifies… How to win government marketing, design and web RFPs Who buys public sector creative work, why the on-call roster beats the project, how proposals are scored, and the accessibility rule now… How to get government engineering and surveying contracts Why public engineering is bought on qualifications with no price in the proposal, how on-call contracts and the SF 330 work, and… How to get government staffing and temporary labor contracts Who buys temporary labor in government, how state term contracts and markup pricing work, the fingerprint and E-Verify rules, and how a… How to get government printing and mail services contracts Who buys printing and mail in government, state print shop rules, ballot printer certification, presort postage math, data security and how bids… How to win public sector insurance and employee benefits RFPs What public entities actually require in insurance and benefits RFPs: carrier appointments, mirror quotes, GeoAccess reports, fee disclosure and scoring.

Going deeper

Longer answers to the questions each trade asks once it starts bidding.

Blight demolition programs: how to bid land bank and city demolition contracts How land bank and city blight demolition programs are funded and bid: Ohio's $150M rounds, Detroit's Proposal N, Act 152, prequalified lists… Electrical contractor licensing and prevailing wage on public works Which license each state checks before your bid is opened, when Davis-Bacon and state prevailing wage reach electrical work, and how to… Fire sprinkler and fire alarm inspection contracts: how public buyers bid them What a public sprinkler and alarm inspection contract covers, the NFPA frequencies behind it, how it is priced, who can bid, and… Government flagging and traffic control contracts: how the on-call market works How agencies and primes buy flagging and lane closures: on-call contracts, hourly and device-day pricing, ATSSA and state certifications, traffic plans. How to get election printing contracts What election offices buy, the ballot printer certification gate, the fixed calendar, USPS election mail rules, security audits and how ballot work… How to get on a police tow rotation list and win municipal towing contracts What a police tow rotation application asks for: trucks, storage lot, insurance, response time and the fee schedule the city sets, with… How to get on a statewide term contract for temporary staffing How statewide temporary staffing contracts are structured, when they re-bid, how markup schedules are ranked, what the response needs, and what follows… How to price a government snow removal bid Per-event, seasonal and hourly snow removal pricing for school, municipal and DOT bids: real rate schedules, fleet sizing, salt, minimums and escalators. How to win E-Rate Form 470 bids for cabling and network installs How E-Rate Category 2 cabling and Wi-Fi bids work: the Form 470, the 28-day window, competitive bidding rules and how to win… How to win housing authority elevator maintenance contracts Reading a housing authority elevator IFB: the unit list, monthly bid form, licensed-technician and radius gates, prevailing wage and the two-hour clause. How to win special needs student transportation contracts Special education, McKinney-Vento and out-of-district routes: what the IEP requires of the vehicle, the aide line, per-day pricing and quoted contracts. Lead service line replacement contracts: how to bid the LCRI decade How cities bid lead service line replacement under the 2024 LCRI: per-line unit pricing, real 2025 bid results, SRF funding rules and… On-call plumbing contracts: how public buyers price, award and renew them How housing authorities, districts and counties price, award and renew on-call plumbing contracts: rate cards, response clauses, wage rules and timing. Qualifications-based selection: how to win engineering work when price is not scored How QBS works under the Brooks Act and state mini-Brooks laws: the sequence, what evaluators score, how to build the SOQ, and… How to win roll-off and dumpster term contracts with schools, counties and campuses As-needed roll-off and front-load container bids for public buyers: the unit-price schedule, real per-haul prices, disposal pass-throughs, bonds. School asbestos abatement contracts: how AHERA creates the work How school districts buy asbestos abatement under AHERA: the reinspection cycle, the summer window, clearance thresholds, the bid package, disqualifiers. How to win school district pest control contracts under state IPM laws What a school pest control bid asks for under state IPM law: notice and posting windows, product limits, training, records, per-building pricing… Sourcewell, OMNIA, TIPS and BuyBoard flooring contracts: how installers get the work Which manufacturers hold Sourcewell, OMNIA, TIPS, BuyBoard and state flooring contracts, how districts buy off them, and how a local installer gets… How to win storm response and debris removal contracts as a tree company Pre-positioned storm debris and hazardous tree contracts: the FEMA rules and 70-hour limit, per-cubic-yard and per-tree prices, monitoring, how to get in.

What opened in your trade this week

A short weekly note from us listing the public bids we saw in your trade and states. No pitch. Stop any time.

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