A property manager can spend weeks getting contractors to the site, chasing bids and sorting out what each one means. Then the board meeting comes, the board gets a stack of PDFs, and the discussion turns into "why don't we just take the cheapest one?"
The fix is a bid package built for people who don't read bids for a living: the documents behind it, and one page on top that does the comparing. This guide covers what goes into each.
What the board actually needs
- What the job is and why it needs doing now.
- Who was asked to bid, and who replied.
- What each bid costs as printed, and what it would cost once its gaps are added.
- What each bid leaves out or does not mention.
- The checks that protect the association: insurance, deposit, warranty.
- Your recommendation, the reasons, and what is still open.
- Exactly what decision you are asking the board to make.
Build the package in this order
1. The one-page summary
This goes on top and is the only page some directors will read. Keep it to one page. Lead with the decision you are asking for, then the comparison, then the reasons.
2. The comparison sheet
One row per item of work, one column per bidder. Each cell says included, left out or not mentioned, with the amount added for anything missing. At the bottom: printed price and adjusted price for each bidder.
3. The scope you sent
Attach the scope every contractor received. It shows the board the bids were invited on equal terms.
4. The bids themselves
Every bid as received, in full, including any written answers to your questions. Directors who want to check a fact can find it.
Show where each fact comes from
When the summary says "Bidder B excludes permits", add the page: "Bidder B, page 3". It takes a minute and changes the discussion. Directors stop debating what a bid says and start deciding what to do about it. It also protects you if an owner later questions the recommendation.
Compare adjusted prices, not printed ones
The most common mistake is putting the printed totals in a row and calling it a comparison. If one bid leaves out disposal and another includes it, the cheaper number is not the cheaper job. Put a fair amount on each gap, add it, and show both numbers. Boards understand "Bidder B is $23,500 cheaper on paper, $1,700 cheaper once its gaps are priced in" faster than any explanation.
Disclose any relationships, including your own
If you, your firm or anyone on the board has a tie to a bidder, say so in writing in the package. Some states now require it: Florida tightened its rules on management-company conflicts of interest in 2025. Even where nothing requires it, disclosure in writing is what keeps a recommendation credible.
Make the recommendation clear and the decision the board's
Say which bid you recommend and give two or three reasons in plain words: covers the full scope, longer warranty, smaller deposit, good references on a similar building. Then list what you would settle in writing before signing. The board decides. Your job is to make sure it decides with the facts in front of it.
A summary that fits on one page
A good one-page summary has: the job, the bidders, printed and adjusted prices, what each bid leaves out, the protection checks, the recommendation with reasons, and what to settle before signing. If it runs to two pages, cut the background, not the comparison.
Common mistakes
- Sending the bids with no comparison on top.
- Comparing printed totals only.
- Leaving out a bid that came in high, so the board never sees the full range.
- No page references, so every fact becomes a debate.
- Recommending without saying what is still unresolved.