Most commercial trade contractors put real effort into estimating, then send the bid and wait. Meanwhile the GC or property manager is leveling numbers and making calls. Here's a practical four-touch follow-up cadence, with what to say at each step.
Follow-up isn't pestering
Your estimator spent two days on takeoffs for a tenant improvement job. The bid went to the GC on Friday. Then the next invitation came in, and the one after that. Three weeks later you hear the package went to someone else. Maybe your number was high. You'll never know, because nobody called.
General contractors and property managers expect subcontractors to check in. They're leveling several bids at once, and a short, useful follow-up keeps your proposal in the pile and gives them a reason to call you with questions instead of moving on.
Adjust the timing below to each bid schedule. The structure gives every bid at least three useful touches before you close it out.
Touch 1: Confirm receipt
When: the day you submit, or the next morning.
A two-line email confirming the bid arrived. Name the project exactly as the GC does, state your scope in one line, and offer to walk through anything that needs clarifying.
"Confirming you received our proposal for the [Project Name] electrical package. Happy to walk through our scope or any exclusions."
Touch 2: Add something useful
When: after the bid due date, once leveling has started.
Never send a bare "just checking in." Give the estimator a reason to read: a clarification on a spec section, a confirmed lead time on a specified product, an alternate, or your availability for their start date.
"We confirmed lead time on the specified fixtures. If the schedule is tight, we can price an in-stock equivalent as an alternate."
Touch 3: Pick up the phone
When: if two emails get no reply.
Keep it short. Say why you're calling, ask one question ("Has the package been awarded?"), ask what timeline they're working toward, and thank them.
Touch 4: Close the loop
When: a week or two after the call.
Ask directly and give them an easy exit. "If we're not in the mix on [Project Name], no problem. Just let me know so I can close it out and keep our number current for the next one." It often gets a reply because it's easy to answer.
What makes a follow-up work
- Use the exact project name. Estimators search their inbox by project.
- One line of scope. So they know which bid tab you belong in.
- One new piece of information. Something that wasn't in the bid.
- One question. Not three.
A note on tone
Keep every touch short, specific and helpful. You're not asking for a favor; you're the contractor who's going to do the work well. Skip apologies like "sorry to bother you," and never pressure the estimator about your number. Professional, brief and useful is what gets remembered when the next bid list goes out.
Make the cadence run every time
A cadence on paper only works if someone runs it on every bid. That takes one list of open bids, a named owner for each, and reminders when each touch is due. Our companion blog on bid tracking covers how to set that up.
HSGA builds follow-up cadences, proposal templates and call scripts on top of your custom CRM, so every bid gets its next touch on time. Your custom CRM is built in 2 to 4 weeks.