Belt Auction

What is the best way to get on local contractors lists for bidding subcontracts?

I've been subcontracting flooring jobs from flooring stores for the past ten years and would like to begin bidding my own projects from general contractors. How do contractors find out about open bidding and how do I get on the local contractors lists.

Public Comments

1. One of the best ways is to read the public notices column in the newspapers. companies advertize projects to bid in this area. Other options are to go to developers internet sites and look at their "advertised projects to bid." You can go to local city and town internet sites and they usually have an area on the site for "projects to bid", or "procurement". You usually have to register on most of these sites but once you do, more often than not, they will email you "offers to bid" future projects as they become available. When you register on these sites, they will also let you download or print available bidding documents for quoting purposes. Good luck
2. You can do a few things: 1.) Put up advertisements (flyers) in grocery store bulletin boards (and local deli stops) 2.) Get business cards made at somewhere cheap like http://vistaprint.com and hand out several of them to everyone you know. If you give out 2-3 to each person you meet, they will likely give one to someone else. 3.) Go to your local township (or county) office and get registered as a contractor - people often will call their township or county to find contractors 4.) Get a website - even though it can take 6 months before it will hit search engines 5.) Advertise on http://craigslist.org in your local area (free) 6.) Sign up as a supplier at http://www.whyabe.com (free) and create a free store front advertising your business. 7.) Think about sending out "coupon clippers" advertisements, they are relatively inexpensive.