--- title: 3 Ways to Screw Up Your Bids Without Even Trying description: Are your bids costing you money? Here are three simple mistakes small contractors make and how to avoid them. image: https://marketing.profitdig.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/screw-up-bid.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/screw-up-your-bids#main-content) ProfitDig Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Contact us](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/screw-up-your-bids#contact) [Contact us](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/screw-up-your-bids#contact) Aug 1, 2025 3:15:00 AM # 3 Ways to Screw Up Your Bids Without Even Trying [info@profitdig.com](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/author/infoprofitdig-com) Share: [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/screw-up-your-bids) [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/screw-up-your-bids) [Twitter icon](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/screw-up-your-bids) [pinterest-p icon](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/screw-up-your-bids) [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/screw-up-your-bids) ![Don't blow the bid](https://marketing.profitdig.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/screw-up-bid-1024x683.jpg?width=1024&height=683&name=screw-up-bid-1024x683.jpg "Don't blow the bid") Bidding a job can make or break your business. Get it right, and you profit. Get it wrong, and you're working for free. Here are three ways contractors mess up bids - without even realizing it. ### 1. Guessing on Labor Labor is the biggest cost on most jobs. But too many contractors just guess how long it’ll take. **Fix it:** Look at past jobs. Track how long tasks really take. Use that info next time. ### 2. Forgetting Overhead Gas, insurance, phone, office — it all adds up. If you’re not building overhead into your bids, you’re losing money. **Fix it:** Add a percentage for overhead to every bid. Even a small bump can cover your real costs. ### 3. Cutting Too Close You want to win the job, so you go low. Too low. Now the job’s yours - but you can’t make a dime. **Fix it:** Price the job to make money. The right clients care about quality and trust - not just the lowest price. **Bottom line:** A good bid isn’t the cheapest - it’s the one that gets the job done right and pays you what you're worth. [job bidding](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/tag/job-bidding) ## Related posts [![](https://marketing.profitdig.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/where-the-money-goes.jpg?height=200&name=where-the-money-goes.jpg)](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/why-job-cost) ## [You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Track: Why Small Contractors Must Track Job Costs](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/why-job-cost) [info@profitdig.com](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/author/infoprofitdig-com) Aug 4, 2025 2:57:00 AM [Read more](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/why-job-cost) [Finances](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/tag/finances), [job bidding](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/tag/job-bidding) ## [Construction Contract Negotiations - Read Every Word!](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/construction-contract-negotiations) [info@profitdig.com](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/author/infoprofitdig-com) Oct 22, 2021 9:26:25 AM [Read more](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/construction-contract-negotiations) [![](https://marketing.profitdig.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Screenshot-6-10-2025-9-34-33-AM-scaled-1.png?height=200&name=Screenshot-6-10-2025-9-34-33-AM-scaled-1.png)](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/more-power-same-price-why-profitdig-3-0-is-the-best-value-in-construction-bidding-software) ## [More Power, Same Price: Why ProfitDig 3.0 is the Best Value in Construction Bidding Software](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/more-power-same-price-why-profitdig-3-0-is-the-best-value-in-construction-bidding-software) [info@profitdig.com](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/author/infoprofitdig-com) Jun 10, 2025 9:34:10 AM [Read more](https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/more-power-same-price-why-profitdig-3-0-is-the-best-value-in-construction-bidding-software) facebook-f icon linkedin-in icon Twitter icon instagram icon - Menu Item 1 - Sub-menu Item 1 - Another Item - Sub-menu Item 2 - Menu Item 2 - Yet Another Item - Menu Item 3 - Menu Item 4 --- [![ProfitDig Construction Bidding Software](https://marketing.profitdig.com/hs-fs/hubfs/profitdig%20(1).png?width=600&height=203&name=profitdig%20(1).png "ProfitDig Construction Bidding Software")](http://ProfitDig) 123 Main Street, City, State 11111 Copyright © 2026, ProfitDig ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "info@profitdig.com", "url" : "https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/author/infoprofitdig-com" }, "dateModified" : "2026-01-20T20:03:04.401Z", "datePublished" : "2025-08-01T08:15:00.000Z", "headline" : "3 Ways to Screw Up Your Bids Without Even Trying", "image" : [ "https://marketing.profitdig.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/screw-up-bid.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://marketing.profitdig.com/blog/screw-up-your-bids", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://marketing.profitdig.com/hubfs/profitdig%20(1).png" }, "name" : "ProfitDig" } } ```