Subcontractors need to stop bidding off the engineers drawing without site visits

Had a garage pad in Grande Prairie last month that the engineer called for 6 inches of compacted gravel. Fine on paper. But the ground was pure gumbo clay with standing water. Two of the three subs that bid it never even walked the lot, they just priced off the drawing. The one who did visit quoted 30% higher and got the job because the owner finally listened. I've been doing this for 12 years and I still see guys lose their shirts on soil conditions they could've spotted in 10 minutes. Why are we so scared to charge for a site visit, or just build it into the bid? Has anyone else watched a crew pour footings on bad ground because nobody checked what was underneath?

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claire_barnes7420d ago

Can you really price dirt work without looking at the dirt? Gumbo clay changes everything, and a 10 minute walk saves way more than the fuel cost. Anyone bidding blind is just gambling with someone else's money.