BID DOCUMENTS and CONTRACT DOCUMENTS. . . .

The terms BID DOCUMENTS and CONTRACT DOCUMENTS are often used interchangeably. But
they are not exactly the same.

The BID DOCUMENTS applies to before the contract is signed, whereas the CONTRACT
DOCUMENTS applies to after the contract agreement is signed by the owner & the contractor.

BID DOCUMENTS consists of:

 Invitation to bid
 Instruction to bidders
 Bid forms
 Drawings
 Specifications
 Requirements for bonds & insurance
 All addenda

......... these information are necessary for the contractor to prepare an estimate and submit a bid.

After the owner has made the decision to accept the bid, the owner & contractor sign the contract
agreement, which then forms the contract documents.

The CONTRACT DOCUMENTS consist of:

 The signed [contract] agreement

 Bonds
 Insurance
 Drawings
 Specifications
 Change Orders

......... hence the Bid Documents become the Contract Document at the time the contract is signed. Any
change order which are approved during construction also become part of the Contract Documents. The
purpose of the Contract is to provide a legal document for construction & completion of the project.

DESIGNERS ... responsible for producing the contract documents - - - the plans & specifications from
which the contractor can build the project.

 The prime designer for building type projects is the architect;

 The prime designer for heavy/industrial type projects is the engineer.

CONTRACTOR ... is required to perform all work in accordance with the contract documents. He is
responsible for providing all labor, materials, tools, transportation, & supplies required to complete the
work in a TIMELY & WORKMAN-like manner and in accordance with the plans, specifications, and
all terms of the contract.

Contracts may be awarded to the contractor by either competitive bidding or negotiation.

CONTRACT DOCUMENTS for construction projects consist of TWO general categories:
o Information related to business / legal matters;
 Invitation to bid
 Instruction to bidders
 Information available to bidders
 Bid forms
 Bond & insurance requirements
 General conditions
 Supplementary conditions of the contract

o Information related to technical matters:

 Plans [Drawings]
 Written specifications that describe the material, workmanship, methods of
construction which are required to build the project. Where conflict exists
between the drawings & written specifications, it is common practice that the
written specifications govern. A clause to this effect is usually presented in the
contract documents.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS

For building type projects, the specifications generally follow the CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATION
INSTITUTE [CSI] Masterformat system of organizing the specifications:

0 - Introductory Information, Bidding 8 - Doors & Windows

and Contracting Requirements 9 - Finishes
1 - General requirements 10 - Specialties
2 - Site Construction 11 - Equipment
3 - Concrete 12 - Furnishings
4 - Masonry 13 - Special Construction
5 - Metals 14 - Conveying Systems
6 - Wood & Plastics 15 - Mechanical
7 - Thermal & Moisture Protection 16 - Electrical

HEAVY / HIGHWAY SPECIFICATIONS

Typical arrangement of standard specifications for highway projects include these divisions:

1 - General provisions: General Information, definition & terms

2 - Excavation and Embankment: soils, sodding
3 - Base Courses: aggregate, lime, fly ash, subbases
4 - Surfaces courses: bituminous and concrete pavements
5 - Structures: concrete, steel, and timber bridges & foundations
6 - Materials: aggregates, asphalt, concrete, conduits, testing
7 - Traffic control: signals, lighting, signs, striping
8 - Inclined Construction: riprap, gabions, guard rails, fences.
BID FORM FOR LUMP-SUM CONTRACTS

For projects where a complete set of plans & specifications have been prepared prior to
construction and the quantity of work is well defined, the estimate is normally prepared for the purpose
of submitting a lump-sum bid on the project. Building type projects are usually bid on a lump-sum
basis, only one final total-cost figure is quoted. Unless there are changes in the plans or specifications,
this figure represents the amount that the owner will pay to the contractor for the completed project.
Since the contractor provides the lump-sum price before the construction starts, the contractor is
exposed to uncertainties during construction and thereby assumes the risk for the project.

It is common practice for projects to have one or more ALTERNATIVES attached to the bid
documents or lump-sum bid. This allows the owner the option of selecting the number of alternatives so
that the total bid cost will be within the amount specified by the owner's budget.

A lump-sum estimate must include the cost of all materials, labor, equipment, overhead, taxes,
bonds, insurance, and profit. It is desirable to estimate the costs of materials, labor, and equipment
SEPARATELY each operation; to obtain a subtotal of these costs for the entire project; and then to
estimate the cost of overhead, taxes, bonds, insurance, and profit.

BID FORM FOR UNIT-PRICE CONTRACTS

Most heavy engineering construction projects are bid on UNIT-PRICE basis. Such projects
include pavements, curbs and gutters, earthwork, various kinds of pipeline, clearing and grubbing land,
etc. These projects are bid unit-price because the precise quantities of materials may not be known in
advance of construction. For example, the actual quantity of material to be excavated, hauled, and
compacted in the fill area may vary substantially from the calculated quantity in the bid forms due to
unknown settlement of the soil and other factors. The contractor bids the work on a unit-price basis and
is paid based on the ACTUAL quantity of work. Hence, for unit-price contract the cost that the owner
will pay to the contractor is not determined until the project has been completed. Thus, the owner
assumes the risk for uncertainty in the actual quantity of work.

The cost per unit, submitted in a bid, includes the furnishing of materials, labor, equipment,
supervision, insurance, taxes, profit, and bonds, as required, for completely installing a unit. Typical
designated units include sqm, cum, ln m, tons, hectares, etc. A separate estimate should be prepared for
each type or size of unit.

The cost of materials, equipment, and labor are determined for each unit. They are called
DIRECT COSTS. To these costs must be added a proportionate part of the INDIRECT COSTS, such as
moving in, temporary construction, overhead, insurance, taxes, profit, and bonds, since indirect costs are
not bid separately.

The following is an example bid form for UNIT-PRICE highway project. The estimator must
carefully check the pay quantities to ensure that they are accurate. The list of bid items is crucial to the
estimator because the contractor will be paid only for the work that is specified in this list or pay
quantities.
Example BID FORM FOR UNIT-PRICE CONTRACT

Item Description Quantity Unit Unit Price Total

1 Mobilization Lump sum Job
2 Water control Lump sum Job
3 Common Excavation 20,000 Cu m
4 Rock Excavation 12,000 Cu m
5 Drilling Piers 2,000 Ln m
6 Concrete Foundation 250 Cu m
7 Anchor Bolts 200 each
8 Rock Anchors 8,500 Kg
9 Slope Protection 260 each
10 Compacted Fill 620,000 Cu m
11 Random Fill 1,790,000 Cu m
12 Riprap - 24in. 3,700 Cu m
13 Drainage Structure #1 Lump sum job
14 Drainage Structure #2 Lump sum job
15 Lime-treated subgrade 25,000 Sq m
16 Aggregate base course 3,350 Cu m
17 Asphalt pavement 40,000 Sq m
18 Concrete pavement 150 Cu m
19 Bermuda sodding 2,800 Sq m
20 Traffic Control Lump sum job
21 Demobilization Lump sum job

NEGOTIATED WORKS

ADDENDUM

ALTERNATIVES

CHANGE ORDERS

WARRANTIES

GENERAL CONDITIONS OF THE CONTRACT DOCUMENTS

INSURANCE

HEAVY / HIGHWAY DRAWINGS

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS

SYMBOLS and ABBREVIATIONS