# How do I find commercial Projects to bid on?? Big or small



## Phase3Me (Jul 19, 2019)

Whats going on gents. I’ve been in business on the residential end for about 3 years now in North Carolina and it’s treated me well but I’m ready to move up and try my hand at some commercial work. I figure it’ll keep my guys working and I won’t have to stress about finding new work everyday. But I don’t know if I’m an idiot or what but I’ve been trying to figure out how you guys find out about new projects to bid on for about a week now and it’s beginning to feel like an ancient Chinese secret. So I’d really appreciate it if you guys could enlighten me.


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

You could visit the well known GC's in your area, introduce yourself and tell them you are interested in bidding on their projects. For municipal, county, state and federal projects you might want to look at the larger newspapers in your area as these civil projects have to be posted, by law I believe. Or you could run with the Big Dogs and get a subscription to the Dodge Report and or Reed Construction Data.


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## Gracobucks (May 29, 2011)

As brushman says, talk to the gc's around you. You may find it hard to get in to commercial at first as most gc's have a few companies they like to use already. There are a few differences in commercial work. You will need liability insurance (you should have anyways), a safety program, and a crew to get the work done. Schedules on commercial work are tight and seem to be getting tighter. As one of the last trade on the site they will expect you to bring the job in on time.


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## Lightningboy65 (Mar 12, 2018)

As stated above, you have to make yourself known to the guys that do the hiring. Going around and introducing yourself is a good idea. And always keep an ear out wherever you go. Paint store, social functions, grocery store, ball games. The minute you here someone is the building trades, try building rapport. The majority of commercial/institutional work I did over the years came in such a manner. Once you get in, and prove yourself, word of mouth within their circle is a big help. It has a lot to do with who you know.


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## Packard (May 2, 2018)

A friend of mine went to retail stores and said he would paint while they were closed at night and would leave the place cleaned each morning so that they did not loose any business time. He charged double for this and was busy. But it wore him out. 

From the retailer's point of view spending a few hundred exta was less than the cost of closing to paint.


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## Lightningboy65 (Mar 12, 2018)

Years ago we had a contract with Nichols Dept. Store to paint their stores. They have been shuttered for some time, but were kind of like a Woolworth. As with much of the commercial work we did over the years, we did them at night. Several of the stores required spraying the ceilings. We covered the merch with huge sheets of plastic to protect it. I think the plastic was often worth more than the merchandise it was protecting.:biggrin:


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## Fman (Aug 20, 2011)

Lightningboy65 said:


> Years ago we had a contract with Nichols Dept. Store to paint their stores. They have been shuttered for some time, but were kind of like a Woolworth. As with much of the commercial work we did over the years, we did them at night. Several of the stores required spraying the ceilings. We covered the merch with huge sheets of plastic to protect it. I think the plastic was often worth more than the merchandise it was protecting.:biggrin:


I was briefly with a cheesy outfit that was doing a Target at night, maybe 15 years ago. Not much for us to do and all night to do it. The powers that be at Target were insistent that no one's shopping experience be disturbed the next day with evidence of renovations having been done overnight, so every morning we'd paint the unsanded mud work and remove all traces of our having been there. Then redo everything the following night. They might still be doing that at that Target. IDK- I went to work for a different kinda crazy after a week.


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## Lightningboy65 (Mar 12, 2018)

Years ago a local bar/restaurant hired an itinerant paint crew to paint after hours. When the owner came in the next morning, the entire place was cleaned out...liquor, beer, prime ribs, shrimp, lobster, ect... They even took half the chairs, the tap system, and the cigarette machine. The thieves were never caught.


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## Gymschu (Mar 11, 2011)

Be careful what you wish for! As the previous stories show you, commercial comes with its own set of intricacies that may or may not be appealing to you. Most of the commercial work I've done over the years came the same way I got most of my residential work.....word of mouth. One good GC can get you all the commercial work you could ever want.

One great way to get your foot in the door is to paint for a church. Yes, a church. The money is good, you make LOTS of contacts, and, before you know it, you will be painting a string of churches. There are a lot of movers and shakers sitting in those pews on Sunday mornings and your quality work will get noticed by a lot of people. Another great source of commercial work is nursing homes. They can be brutal to work in. Lots of grumpy old people and grumpy employees, but, if you can deal with that, there is always "work-a-plenty" in nursing homes because very few contractors want to put up with the hassle.


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## Lightningboy65 (Mar 12, 2018)

I did a job in a nursing home once. I repeat, I did A job in a nursing home ONCE. :biggrin:


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

Lightningboy65 said:


> Years ago a local bar/restaurant hired an itinerant paint crew to paint after hours. When the owner came in the next morning, the entire place was cleaned out...liquor, beer, prime ribs, shrimp, lobster, ect... They even took half the chairs, the tap system, and the cigarette machine. The thieves were never caught.


Ya get what you pay for!!!


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## Painting Practice (Jul 21, 2013)

Walk in to your SW store and speak with the local rep. They have leads but want to give them to guys that can perform. I get the talk every once in a while, but I don't want the work. My referrals and reputation keep me in good project, but from what I understand there is a lot of commercial work up for grabs, I just don't want it.


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## PNW Painter (Sep 5, 2013)

Do you have any experience with commercial work? If not, it’s a whole different ball game compared to residential. 

Before you start going after commercial work I recommend talking with a few commercial painters. Try and figure out the challenges and wether or not it’s a good fit for your business.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Gymschu (Mar 11, 2011)

Also, what stinks about commercial work is that you may be waiting 3, 6, as much as 9 months to get paid. Payments......are......so.......SLOW.


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## Lightningboy65 (Mar 12, 2018)

Gymschu said:


> Also, what stinks about commercial work is that you may be waiting 3, 6, as much as 9 months to get paid. Payments......are......so.......SLOW.


Offering a small discount (2-3%) for speedy payment can help. But the wait can be loooonnngggg.:sad:


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