Follow up to "Is the lowest bidder the best choice?".

Several weeks ago I posted an article about the lowest bidder and the contractor not removing the excavated dirt from a sidewalk installation.

The soil was spread in several areas.  One of those areas is now a problem.  The spread soil now prevents rain water from draining.

Owners need to be careful to include everything in the scope of work.  This contractor did not believe removal was part of the job.  Now the owner has graphic evidence that the scope was not completely written down.  Other contractors say they included this in their bids, so they were not the low bidder.

Be specific and give the same information to all bidders to avoid confusion and to get bids that include all of the work!  Meeting with several contractors and giving them verbal scope of work can result in various issues, usually none of these issues are beneficial to the owner.