Bid season for spring and summer starts is underway right now, and here's a truth from the sub side of the table: the quality of the framing bids you get back is a direct reflection of the bid package you send out. Vague invites get padded numbers. Complete invites get sharp, comparable ones. After bidding hundreds of multi-family and commercial framing packages, this is the checklist we wish every GC used.
1. A complete, current drawing set
- Architectural and structural sets at the same revision date, with the addenda log attached.
- Truss and engineered-wood layouts if they exist — and a clear statement if they don't yet, so every bidder carries the same assumption.
- Details for anything unusual: tall walls, shafts, podium transitions, shear wall schedules.
Half-finished drawings don't save time. Every framer bidding them just buries a different-sized cushion in the number, and now your bids aren't comparable.
2. A scope matrix that answers the boring questions
The gaps between subs are where change orders live. Spell out who furnishes and who installs:
- Lumber, sheathing, and engineered wood — or is this a turnkey package? If you're not sure which model fits your job, we broke it down in what turnkey framing actually includes.
- Hangers, hold-downs, and structural hardware.
- Blocking and backing for cabinets, handrails, fixtures, and mechanical.
- Stairs, decks, and balconies.
- Housewrap and window and door installation.
- Crane, telehandler, and hoisting — who supplies, who operates.
3. Schedule facts, not just a start date
"Framing starts June 1" isn't a schedule. What a framer actually needs to price the job:
- Expected framing duration and any phasing or building sequencing.
- Crew-size expectations, if you have them.
- What's upstream — realistic foundation and slab dates, because our mobilization depends on them.
- Whether any of the work runs into winter, which changes production planning and cost.
4. Site logistics
Tell bidders where the laydown area is, what access looks like, whether there's site power, and who handles snow removal and site maintenance. On tight sites, hoisting and material staging can swing a framing number meaningfully — a bidder who has to guess will guess high.
5. Commercial terms up front
- Retainage percentage and release terms.
- Pay application schedule and payment timing.
- How lumber escalation is handled — a defined clause beats a hidden contingency in every single bid.
- Insurance limits, bonding requirements, and any owner-specific requirements.
Subs price risk. When the terms are clear, the risk premium comes out of the number.
What a complete package gets you
Three things, every time. First, tighter numbers — we bid our real price when we're not guessing at scope. Second, comparable bids — when every framer prices the same scope, the spread between bids tells you something true. Third, fewer change orders — most framing change orders trace straight back to a question the bid package never answered. If you want a sanity check on where your numbers should land before bids come in, our commercial framing cost guide covers current ranges, and the ballpark calculator will rough one in from unit count and square footage.
One more thing: send the package to subs you'd actually award. A framer who knows he's a real contender puts real hours into the bid. Ten invites sent out just to fill a spreadsheet gets you ten shallow numbers.
Have a spring or summer start you're pricing now? Send us the package — complete or not, we'll tell you what's missing and get you a number you can build a budget on.