Words That Mean Nothing in a Bid

A bid can be full of words that read like specifications and aren't. They show up on almost every page, they sound reasonable, and none of them tells you what you're actually getting.

Most of these words aren't there to hide anything. They're shorthand, the way people inside the industry talk to each other. The trouble is that shorthand only works when both people mean the same thing, and a bid is the one document where that matters most. Here are the ones I'd circle, what each could mean, and the question that pins it down.

"Standard" and "builder-grade"

Standard to whom? A builder's standard is whatever they put in the last several houses they built. That might be a good faucet line, a hollow-core door, and a 3-1/4" base. It might be something better. "Standard" tells you the builder has a default. It doesn't tell you what the default is.

"Builder-grade" usually signals the lower end of a product line, picked for cost and availability. That's not a problem on its own. It's a problem when you're picturing something else.

Ask: What brand and model, or what product line, did you price?

"Premium," "high-end," "upgraded"

These are comparative words with nothing to compare against. Upgraded from what? Premium compared to which product? A "premium window package" from one builder and another can be two different manufacturers, two different frame materials, and two different glass specs.

Ask: What is this upgraded from, and what's the specific product?

"Per plans"

This one sounds airtight, because it points at a real document. But it only means something if the plans actually say it. Drawings usually show where things go and how big they are. They often don't say what the finish is, and some drawing sets say outright that finishes are shown for location only. "Tile per plans" on a set that shows tile without describing it is a blank.

Ask: Which sheet shows this, and what does it say? Which drawing set and date is "plans"?

"Typical" or "typ."

On drawings, "typ." means a detail applies everywhere a similar condition shows up. In a bid, "typical" can mean the same thing, or it can mean "what we usually do." Either way, someone has decided which places count as similar. If the window trim is "typical" and the great room has a two-story window wall, is that typical?

Ask: Where exactly does this apply, and where doesn't it?

"As required" and "as needed"

"Blocking as required." "Fill as needed." These describe work whose quantity isn't known yet. That's honest, since some quantities can't be known until the work is open. The question is who decides what's required, and who pays when more of it is needed than the builder assumed.

Ask: What quantity did you assume, and how is anything beyond that priced?

"TBD" and "by others"

"TBD" means a decision hasn't been made, and often that no money is carried for it. "By others" means someone other than this builder is responsible. Sometimes "others" is you. Sometimes it's a separate contractor nobody has hired yet. Either way, the cost isn't in this number.

Ask: Who is "others," and is this in anyone's price? For TBD items, is there money in the bid, and how much?

"Allow" with no description

An allowance with a dollar amount and nothing else is a placeholder you can't check. "Lighting allowance, $12,000" (illustrative) could mean fixtures only, fixtures plus bulbs, or fixtures plus installation of anything beyond standard recessed cans. Allowance math goes through what to check on each one.

Ask: What does this amount assume, in quantity and unit price, and does it include installation?

How to respond to vague words

You don't have to rewrite the bid. You just have to turn each vague word into something you could check when it shows up on site. That usually means one of four things: a product name and model, a size, a quantity, or a sample you've both seen.

Ask for the answers in writing, and ask that they be added to the bid or the contract, not left in an email thread. A clear answer that lives in the contract is worth a lot more than a clear answer you have to dig up eight months from now.

And if you get back a vague answer to a question about a vague word, that's worth noticing too. It doesn't mean anything is wrong. It means the gap is still open. Closing the gap between what you picture and what your builder priced covers the same problem from your side of the table.

Questions worth asking

• Where the bid says standard, premium, or upgraded, what product did you price?
• Where it says per plans, which sheet and which drawing set?
• Where it says typical, where does that apply and where doesn't it?
• For as-required items, what quantity did you assume, and how is extra priced?
• Who is "others," and is that scope in anyone's number?
• Can these answers go into the bid or contract in writing?