Q&A with Jean: Should I Take the Lowest Bid?

When it comes to selecting a vendor, the lowest bid can be tempting. But is it always the best decision? In this Q&A with Jean, we explore the factors to consider beyond price, such as quality, reliability, and long-term value. Discover how to make informed choices that will benefit your business.

At Sweeten, we’re experts at all things general contractors — we pre-screen them for our network, carefully select the best ones for your remodeling project, and work closely with hundreds of general contractors every day.

Sweeten’s Founder + CEO Answers Your Renovation Questions

Welcome to #14 in our series, designed to bring clarity to some of the mysteries of renovating! Whether you’re a first-time homeowner or a serial renovator, each project brings with it a new set of circumstances and new questions, and Sweeten is here to be a source of knowledge and reassurance. 

Should I take the lowest bid? 

JEAN: The short answer is no. To us, a bid that is significantly lower than all the rest you’ve received is a red flag. Usually, that means someone has missed something: maybe they didn’t look at the drawings or don’t really understand the project. If estimates are all within a certain percentage of each other, you like the person who bid the lowest, you communicate well, and you really love his or her style and craft—absolutely go with them. But just don’t hire your cousin’s nephew’s brother who says he can do it for half the price. We have been called to try to fix that kind of project many times—it often doesn’t work out well.

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Looking for more advice from Jean? Be sure to check out the thirteenth installment in this series, Q&A with Jean: What’s the Proper Etiquette With a Contractor? 

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