The Bid Sheet for General Contractors

A podcast for contractors building America.

The Bid Sheet for General Contractors is a practical show on winning more commercial and public work. We break down bidding strategy, compliance, pricing discipline, estimating habits, and the systems behind consistent submissions—so you can stop chasing random jobs and start building a real pipeline.

The Bid Sheet for General Contractors
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How to Hire a Contractor Without Getting Burned
All episodes · 23

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How Smart GCs Win More Jobs Without Spending a Dime on Leads
EP 22
24 min·May 17, 2026

How Smart GCs Win More Jobs Without Spending a Dime on Leads

Why shared lead services ($80–$200/lead, 6–12% close rates) are a losing game, how SMC's one-vetted-GC-per-project model drives 40–65% close rates, what it takes to get on the vetted list (license, insurance, BBB, 3 references, answer your phone), the money model (homeowners pay $0, GCs don't pay pe

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Leads, Leads, Leads: Why Contractors Need a Pipeline Before the Fruit Basket Goes Dry
EP 21
22 min·May 16, 2026

Leads, Leads, Leads: Why Contractors Need a Pipeline Before the Fruit Basket Goes Dry

Every contractor wants more leads. But leads without a system dry up fast. In this episode, we break down why residential restoration companies, GCs, and subcontractors cannot rely on referrals, Facebook, random calls, or one-off bid invites forever.We talk about the top 3 ways to build a stronger p

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The Early Signs Your Business Partner Is Holding You Back
EP 20
14 min·May 4, 2026

The Early Signs Your Business Partner Is Holding You Back

A bad business partner can cost you more than bad leads, bad marketing, or a slow market. In this episode, Stacy breaks down one of the biggest reasons construction companies stall out: misalignment at the top.If one partner wants growth and the other wants comfort, if one is trying to reinvest, hir

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Stop Losing Bids You Should Be Winning: How BidEngine Levels the Playing Field for Commercial Subs & GCs
EP 19
21 min·Apr 25, 2026

Stop Losing Bids You Should Be Winning: How BidEngine Levels the Playing Field for Commercial Subs & GCs

In this episode of The Bid Sheet, host Stacy of Smart Movers Club breaks down why most commercial subcontractors and GCs aren't losing bids on price — they're losing on time, attention, and intel. He pulls back the curtain on the broken bid process, the real cost of "no-bidding" jobs you're qualifie

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Subcontractors: Stop Waiting on Referrals. Start Bidding Commercial Work.
EP 18
20 min·Apr 19, 2026

Subcontractors: Stop Waiting on Referrals. Start Bidding Commercial Work.

Most subcontractors do not have a work problem. They have a bidding system problem. In this episode, Stacy breaks down why signing up for bid boards, plan rooms, and ITB platforms is only the beginning. The real challenge starts after the invite comes in: reading the specs, understanding the scope,

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How SMC's BidEngine Helps Contractors Analyze, Organize, and Submit More Bids
EP 17
13 min·Apr 19, 2026

How SMC's BidEngine Helps Contractors Analyze, Organize, and Submit More Bids

See how SMC’s BidEngine helps contractors stop managing bids through scattered emails, folders, spreadsheets, and last-minute fire drills. In this demo, we walk through how BidEngine helps analyze opportunities faster, organize scopes and requirements, track approvals, and move from intake to submis

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General Contractors + Facebook: It’s Complicated
EP 16
24 min·Mar 22, 2026

General Contractors + Facebook: It’s Complicated

Facebook is the channel contractors can’t quit—because it brings attention. But attention isn’t the same thing as a pipeline. In this episode, we unpack why the Facebook relationship gets messy, what it costs you over time, and the smarter mix of channels that helps GCs win consistent work without b

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The Next Wave of Commercial Work (After Data Centers and Cannabis)
EP 15
18 min·Mar 10, 2026

The Next Wave of Commercial Work (After Data Centers and Cannabis)

Two construction “gold rush” markets cooled off: data centers and cannabis — but not for the same reasons. In this episode of The Bid Sheet, we break down what actually caused each slowdown (and what that means for GCs and subs), then zoom out to what’s heating up for 2026. With residential still ta

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What the Residential Building Code Changes Mean for Contractors
EP 14
17 min·Mar 8, 2026

What the Residential Building Code Changes Mean for Contractors

In this episode of The Bid Sheet for General Contractors, we break down the 2025 International Residential Code (IRC) and what the latest building code changes mean for contractors, builders, and subcontractors.Building codes aren’t just regulations — they signal where the construction industry is h

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What Happens When Your Insurance Company Visits Your Website
EP 13
25 min·Mar 7, 2026

What Happens When Your Insurance Company Visits Your Website

Sometimes clients need to hear the hard truth twice — once from you, and once from the consequence itself. In this episode, we pull back the curtain on a real situation with one of our contractor clients who was bidding roofing scopes while subcontracting all of the actual work. We had the hard conv

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Hey General Contractors 👋 It's A Trillion Dollar Construction Market in 2026. Go Get You Some!!!!!
EP 12
23 min·Mar 4, 2026

Hey General Contractors 👋 It's A Trillion Dollar Construction Market in 2026. Go Get You Some!!!!!

The U.S. construction market is forecast to hit one trillion dollars in starts in 2026. Hotels are up 21%. Power infrastructure up 11.5%. Multi-family up 13.5%. The money is there. The projects are there. And most contractors are still fighting over the same handful of local jobs, bidding on price,

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The Only Bidding System You Need: Overhead + Risk + Net Margin
EP 11
18 min·Feb 25, 2026

The Only Bidding System You Need: Overhead + Risk + Net Margin

Forget complicated formulas. Forget markup vs. margin debates. This episode gives you the dead-simple bidding system one contractor used to transform his family's 30-year-old GC business from "always busy, never profitable" to consistent double-digit Net Margins. You'll learn how to calculate Risk-A

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Leverage Our Commercial / Government Bidding System For General Contractors | EP010
EP 10
19 min·Feb 20, 2026

Leverage Our Commercial / Government Bidding System For General Contractors | EP010

Leverage our tools, technology, system and AI. We have built a system that is able to run 150+ page solicitation documents, plans, images, blueprint, and more with one click! We source, match, review and submit bid proposals on behalf of General Contractors both as Prime and Sub contractors for cons

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How Much Does a Free Estimate Cost | EP009
EP 9
10 min·Feb 20, 2026

How Much Does a Free Estimate Cost | EP009

In this episode of The Bid Sheet for General Contractors, we expose the real cost of “free estimates” and why so many GCs are getting played—spending hours building detailed breakdowns (labor, materials, supplies, sequencing) just for the prospect to shop it, leverage it against their current contra

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We Built a Fully Automated AI Lead Gen System for General Contractors—Here’s Why | EP008
EP 8
19 min·Jan 13, 2026

We Built a Fully Automated AI Lead Gen System for General Contractors—Here’s Why | EP008

In this episode of The Bid Sheet for General Contractors, we tell the real story behind why we built our own fully automated AI-powered lead gen system instead of paying forever for ads and expensive software. We break down what changed for us—rising CPLs, never-ending subscriptions, and getting pus

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Stop Chasing Homeowners: Get Your First Commercial Client | EP007
EP 7
9 min·Jan 10, 2026

Stop Chasing Homeowners: Get Your First Commercial Client | EP007

In this episode of The Bid Sheet for General Contractors, we talk directly to residential contractors who want out of the homeowner rat race and into a more stable commercial pipeline. We break down the fastest “small commercial” lanes to target (retail, office, restaurants, property management), wh

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The Hot Markets: Where the Money Is Moving in Commercial Construction | EP006
EP 6
9 min·Jan 4, 2026

The Hot Markets: Where the Money Is Moving in Commercial Construction | EP006

In this episode of The Bid Sheet for General Contractors, we break down where the most commercial work is happening in the U.S. right now—the metros seeing the biggest momentum and the mega-trends driving spend. Request a Demo with Our Team www.smartmoversclub.com

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Best Platforms for a Commercial Work Pipeline (And Why That’s Only Half the Battle) | EP005
EP 5
14 min·Jan 4, 2026

Best Platforms for a Commercial Work Pipeline (And Why That’s Only Half the Battle) | EP005

In this episode 005 of The Bid Sheet for General Contractors, we break down the best platforms to build a commercial work pipeline—PlanHub, The Blue Book, BuildingConnected, ConstructConnect, Dodge, and more—and what each one is actually good for. Then we hit the truth most GCs learn the hard way: g

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The #1 Problem With Government Bidding (And Why New GCs Should Go Commercial First) | EP004
EP 4
10 min·Dec 29, 2025

The #1 Problem With Government Bidding (And Why New GCs Should Go Commercial First) | EP004

In this episode of The Bid Sheet for General Contractors, we break down the #1 problem with government bidding for new GCs: it’s slow by design—layers of procurement, heavy compliance, long evaluation windows, and delayed starts that can starve your pipeline if you rely on it too early. We explain w

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Software Isn’t a Bidding Department: The Truth About Bid Platforms in 2026 | EP003
EP 3
26 min·Dec 27, 2025

Software Isn’t a Bidding Department: The Truth About Bid Platforms in 2026 | EP003

In this episode of The Bid Sheet for General Contractors, we break down the real alternatives to hiring a bidding department: doing nothing, doing it yourself, buying bid platforms, or going with the “big guys.” We talk about what most systems actually do—organize bids, show you opportunities, speed

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Inside a $114,500 Restaurant Renovation Bid (Demo, Drywall, Painting) | EP002
EP 2
20 min·Dec 26, 2025

Inside a $114,500 Restaurant Renovation Bid (Demo, Drywall, Painting) | EP002

In this episode of The Bid Sheet for General Contractors, we go behind the Bid Engine and break down a real winning bid package from start to finish—without the fluff. You’ll hear how we structured scope, priced for reality, and protected against risk so the GC could move fast with confidence. This

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Is Yelp Turning General Contractors Into Handymen? Why GCs Should Focus on B2B in 2026 | EP001
EP 1
13 min·Dec 26, 2025

Is Yelp Turning General Contractors Into Handymen? Why GCs Should Focus on B2B in 2026 | EP001

In Episode 1 of The Bid Sheet for General Contractors, we break down why platforms like Yelp (and even Meta ads) can trap GCs in a “handyman economy” — small-ticket jobs, price shoppers, constant upsells, and lead quality that doesn’t justify the spend. We talk about the real math behind visibility

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