Are Unsolicited Bids Helpful?

By Rob Buffington

When it comes to reaching out to potential clients in the construction and maintenance industry, vendors have a few different options available to them. One option is to send unsolicited bids to community managers with the hope that these bids will lead to new business. But, is this strategy a good idea? In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the pros and cons of vendors sending unsolicited bids to community managers.

The Pros

One of the biggest pros of unsolicited bids is that they allow vendors to reach a larger customer base and potentially gain new clients. By sending bids to community managers, who the vendor may not have had a relationship with previously, the vendor is opening themselves up to a whole new pool of potential clients.

Community managers may be interested in receiving bids from vendors that they were not previously aware of as it allows them to compare prices and services from a wider range of companies.

Another potential benefit of unsolicited bids is that they can be a way for vendors to differentiate themselves from competitors and showcase their unique skills or services. For example, if a vendor specializes in a certain type of construction or maintenance work, they may be able to use unsolicited bids as a way to demonstrate this expertise to managers.

Some managers who are new to the role may not know when certain projects or maintenance is supposed to take place during the year. In sending a bid, a vendor can help get the process going or put the specific project or maintenance on the community manager’s radar. Community managers, especially new ones, can use the support from vendors who have the expertise on when tree trimming or gutter cleaning, for example, should be completed.

The Cons

However, there are also a number of cons to consider when it comes to unsolicited bids. For one thing, community managers may view unsolicited bids as spam or unwanted solicitations and may be frustrated by the number of bids they receive. Managers may be more likely to work with vendors they have an established relationship with or who have been recommended by other industry professionals rather than vendors who have sent unsolicited bids.

Another potential con is that unsolicited bids may be viewed as unprofessional or a sign of a less experienced vendor. This is because they may be seen as trying to drum up business rather than having a pre-existing client base.

It’s important to note that unsolicited bids may be against the legal policies of some organizations. If a community manager doesn’t want to receive any unsolicited bids, it should be against the law to force them to. Vendors should conduct research on the organization policies before sending any unsolicited bids.

Also, a lot of times turnover in the management of some HOAs means that unsolicited bids many times end up in the wrong inboxes or just unanswered. The manager who the bid was emailed to is no longer there and the information is not forwarded to the new contact.

So, which is right?

While sending unsolicited bids can be a way for vendors to gain new clients, it is important to consider the potential negative perception that may come with them.

The legal aspect of it should be taken into account when deciding whether or not to send unsolicited bids. While it’s true that unsolicited bids can open up new opportunities, vendors should also proceed with caution to avoid any negative consequences.

When offering an unsolicited bid, vendors should make an effort to provide not only the scope of work and cost but any details on prior projects they’ve completed, potential references from those projects, and background on their company.

Rob Buffington

Rob Buffington is the Owner of East West Building Works and President of Gordian Staffing, both of which are located in San Jose.