General contractors find work in several ways: open bidding, negotiated contracts, submitting proposals, design-build contracts, etc. Regardless of the solicitation method, they all have one thing in common, the general contractor will need to subcontract out some, or all, of the work to trade contractors and other vendors.
Bid management is a time-consuming process. From prequalifying subcontractors to creating Invitations to Bid (ITBs) to providing each invited bidder has the information, plans, and specifications needed and ensuring adequate bid coverage, bid management can eat up a ton of time.
