THE BID-WIN RATIO EVERY SUB SHOULD BE TRACKING.
Bid-win ratio is jobs won divided by jobs bid. A ratio above 35 percent on competitive bids usually means the overhead rate is too low. Below 15 percent usually means the overhead rate is too high, or the bids are going to the wrong GC relationships. Tracking it by work type separates the signal from the noise.
Less than 6 percent of construction contractors track their bid-win ratio. The ones who do have a leading indicator that tells them whether pricing is at market before the P&L shows the damage. That's the whole value of the number: it moves months ahead of margin. When the overhead rate falls below what the business is really spending, the win rate rises first, and the compressed margin on all those won jobs turns up much later. By then the work is bid, booked, and being built.
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WHAT IT MEANS.
Bid-win ratio is the percentage of bids submitted that result in a contract award, calculated as jobs won divided by jobs bid times 100 percent.
The number is only useful if you split it. Negotiated work, where the GC has already chosen you, wins at a much higher rate than a cold competitive bid against three or four other subs. Blending them together produces one figure that describes neither, which is how a contractor watches a healthy looking win rate for a year while the competitive side of the book is being underpriced.
WHERE THE NUMBER GETS MISREAD.
Not tracking it at all
You can't manage what you don't measure. When the overhead rate falls below actual costs, the gap is invisible until the P&L shows compressed margins. By then dozens of underpriced jobs have been won and worked, and the only remaining choice is how to build them at a loss.
Blending all bid types together
Negotiated work has a naturally higher win rate than cold competitive bids. Blending them produces a misleading overall win rate. Track the competitive bid win rate separately, because that's the number that reflects actual market pricing.
Reacting to win rate instead of investigating it
When win rate drops, many contractors reduce prices. The correct response is to investigate the cause first, whether that's a change in the overhead rate, a move in market pricing, or a change in the GC relationship. Cutting price to recover a falling win rate turns a pricing question into a margin loss.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN DOLLARS.
On clients whose win rate was above 35 percent at engagement start, the overhead rate has been understated by an average of 5 to 8 points. That's 5 to 8 points of margin given away on every job won at the old rate. Once the corrected rate is applied to new bids, the win rate normalizes within 60 to 90 days.
RESEARCH FROM OTHER SOURCES.
These figures come from another company's survey, not from SPM's clients. Each one cites the report and the page.
Billd's 2026 National Subcontractor Market Report found 14 percent of subcontractors won more than half of their bids in 2025, down from 25 percent in 2024.
Source: Billd, 2026 National Subcontractor Market Report, page 16 (survey of 623 respondents, published May 13, 2026).
Billd's 2025 National Subcontractor Market Report found 32 percent of subcontractors who typically include the cost of working capital in their bids won more than half their bids, against 19 percent of those who rarely or never do.
Source: Billd, 2025 National Subcontractor Market Report, page 14 (survey of over 800 construction professionals, published April 15, 2025).
HOW TO USE THE NUMBER.
Competitive bids are jobs where you're bidding against three or more other subs without a preference relationship. Negotiated means the GC has chosen you. Track the competitive bid win rate on its own, because that's the number that tells you whether pricing is at market.
Bid-win ratio is jobs won divided by jobs bid in the period, times 100 percent. Calculate it monthly to see the trend. Calculate it by trade type as well if you do multiple types, since each one has different competitive dynamics.
Win rate dropped from 28 percent to 18 percent, so investigate before cutting prices. Win rate rose from 22 percent to 40 percent, so check the overhead rate immediately. Something changed that your overhead rate didn't capture, and finding out what changed costs nothing.
When the win rate is high, perform the overhead rate calculation. It almost always finds an understatement. When the win rate is low, verify the overhead rate is correct and audit whether you're bidding on the right GC relationships.
FLAT MONTHLY FEE. NO SURPRISES.
Three tiers, priced by your trailing twelve month revenue. Which one you're in depends on how much of the work you want off your desk. No hourly billing. No payroll. The one-time onboarding fee is right here in the table.
Built for subs doing $1M to $12M. Above $12.5M we quote.
| Last 12 months revenue | Core | Strategic | Platinum | One-time onboarding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $1M | $1,900 | $3,100 | $3,300 | $2,500 |
| $1M to $3.5M | $2,600 | $4,100 | $5,300 | $4,500 |
| $3.5M to $6.5M | $3,800 | $5,900 | $8,300 | $6,000 |
| $6.5M to $9.5M | $5,100 | $7,600 | $11,800 | $7,500 |
| $9.5M to $12.5M | $6,100 | $8,900 | $14,900 | $9,000 |
| Above $12.5M | Quoted | Quoted | Quoted | Quoted |
The onboarding fee covers migrating your books back to the start of your last taxable year and getting you fully operational in 60 days. It's billed once, with your first invoice. It's the same for all three tiers, and it moves with your revenue band. Your first month is prorated, and your monthly engagement starts on the first of the first full month.
Just want the setup? Onboarding only is the same onboarding work with no monthly service after it, one time, at the onboarding fee plus $2,000. Start a monthly engagement later and $2,000 counts toward it. It starts at $4,500, and the price for every band is on the pricing page.
The three tier columns are the whole price. Which one fits depends on how much of the work you want off your desk. No payroll. No hidden line items. The onboarding fee is right here in the table.
- Online software only: QuickBooks, Sage, Viewpoint and similar. No VPN or hosted desktop.
- Not in any tier: payroll, pay applications, collections on receivables.
- Pricing valid through 2027.
CFO work. Your own bookkeeper keeps doing the books.
You stop guessing.
You get the CFO work. Job costing built against the way you estimate, a 13 week cash forecast, monthly WIP, and a meeting every month that ends in decisions and never in a report.
Your bookkeeper still does the books.
Core, plus bookkeeping and bank reconciliations, plus job costing and WIP software set up and managed for you. Use your own online accounting software or we supply it, one price.
Every job shows its margin while it is still open.
Everything in Core, plus the bookkeeping and bank reconciliations done for you, and the job costing and WIP software set up, loaded with your cost codes, and managed every month. Use your own online software, or move to ours and we cover it.
A bookkeeper we choose does the books and reconciliations. No payroll.
Strategic, plus a controller who handles payables and receivables the way an in-house controller would. You approve every payment.
You approve, and the money side gets handled.
Everything in Strategic, plus a controller we choose who handles your bills and receivables for you the way an in-house controller would. They call vendors, pay the bills and keep the accounting current. We plan the cash flow first, and you approve every payment because it is your money.
A controller we choose does the payables and receivables. No payroll, no pay applications, no collections.
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