1. Construction Collaborative Forum & Webinar March 27, 2017
Agenda with the following content will be on a board or easel:
Welcome - Greg Diehl, CDOT Civil Rights Program Director (5 minutes)
Introduction to the Forum - Megan Coontz McAllister, CDOT Civil Rights Specialist (15 minutes)
Changes to Consultant Contracts – Katherine Williams, CDOT Small Business Programs & Title VI Supervisor (1 hour 20 min.)
Upcoming Events – Cathy Kramer, Connect2DOT Program Manager (5 min.)
Recommended Agenda Items & Announcements – Megan Coontz McAllister, CDOT Civil Rights Specialist (10 min.)
Adjourn – Greg Diehl, CDOT Civil Rights Program Director (5 minutes)

2. Welcome & Introductions

3. Forum Board Appreciation

4. Brief Review of Forum Progress
Completed & Ongoing:
ESB Restricted Project Program Revitalization
CDOT Engineer Coaching program
Changes to Construction Contract Compliance: Prompt Pay spec changes, electronic tracking, LCP Tracker.
Working on:
Bond Guarantee Program. Firm selected. Working on contract nuts & bolts.
Mentor-Protege Program: Task force met & ideas solicited. Working on logistics to incorporate feedback and make it reality. Copy of brainstorm outline available in back. Please contact me if you have suggestions.

5. ESB Restricted Project Program
Confirmed upcoming projects include:
Spring (May) 2017: Region 1 ADA Curbramp Project (state funded)
July 2017: Sidewalk project in Plateville.
July 2017: Region 2 ADA Curbramp Project (state funded)
August/September 2017: Region 4 ADA Curbramp Project (state funded)
November 2017: Region 5 ADA Curbramp Project, US 550 Main, Durango (state funded)
January 2018: Region 5 ADA Curbramp Project, SH 145, Dolores (state funded)
July 2018: Region 3 ADA Curbramp Project (likely state funded)
CDOT analysis for the following projects:
August 2017: SH 52 Antelope Creek in Region 4. Replace existing undersized culverts with CBC.
December 2017: US 85 Signal at WCR 76 N. of Eaton in Region 4. Traffic signal installation.
December 2017: Signal project North of Eaton in Region 4. Must be approved by CDOT to build signals, know about concrete bouring, cabinet placement, drilling and wiring.
August 2018: Spring Creek 287 in Region 4: ROW, excavation, small concrete structures, form work, trenching, and compaction.
March 2018: Stencil Markings in the City of Loveland US 287 in Region 4.
*Please note that all project ad dates are estimates and may change.

6. ESB Restricted Projects: Upcoming ADA Curb Ramp Projects
Joshua Keith, CDOT Engineer
Joy French, CDOT Engineer

7. ADA Region Representatives
Region 1: Joy French, ,
Region 2: Wayne (Patrick) Pittman, ,
Region 3: Steve Olson, ,
Region 4: Katrina Kloberdanz, ,
Region 5: Nate Shawcroft, ,

8. Upcoming Opportunities CDOT Go Sheet is available here:
Marci Grey, CDOT, CDOT Construction Contracts
CDOT Go Sheet is available here:

9. Creating a Successful Bid
Mark W. Brooks, P.E., SEMA Construction, Inc. & Shawn Yu, CDOT Professional Engineer

10. Creating a Successful Bid – Considerations for Developing Effective and Winning Quotations
Mark W. Brooks, P.E.
District Vice President
SEMA Construction, Inc
7353 S. Eagle Street Centennial, CO 80112

11. Step 1: Locate Bidding Opportunities (Business Development): The long-term success of your company is dependent on securing a steady-stream of contract work that is profitable and results in repeat business
Publications (i.e.. Dodge Daily Journal) – Subscription Fees
Web-Based Search Engine (i.e. BidNet Direct) – Subscription Fees
Website Solicitations (i.e. CDOT Business Center, FedBizOps, etc.) – Free
Client-Based Relationships: It is mutually beneficial for Owners, General Contractors, Subcontractors, and Suppliers to communicate bidding opportunities
Most General Contractors maintain vendor databases for solicitation of bidding opportunities and provide portals for free access to bidding documents
It is essential to familiarize potential Owners/General Contractors with your firm’s capabilities, geographic service area, and estimating contact information
For SEMA: Nancy Guerrero/Senior Estimating Coordinator & DBE Liaison Officer, ,

12. Step 2: Project Bidding Selection: Select the project that fits the strategic direction and growth of your company’s capabilities
With limited amount of time to develop a bid proposal, it is essential to quickly identify those projects which fit your business plan
Strategic project selection considerations include:
Nature of Project – Do you have experience and capabilities to bid & build?
Competition – Do your competitors have an inherent advantage?
Market Conditions – Availability & cost of resources to build project?
Past Relationship – Historically satisfactory relationship with Owner/GC?
Location – Do transportation and subsistence costs limit competitive pricing?
Risks – Do potential costs of risks exceed competitive profit margin?
Schedule – Am I overcommitting my resources?
Strategic Considerations will dictate “Go” or “No-Go” decision, and affect pricing factors such as direct/indirect costs, resource escalations, risk contingencies, project overhead costs, and profit margin

13. Step 3: Price the Work Four Primary Cost Components:
Direct Costs – Labor, equipment, materials, and subcontract work related to each specific bid item
Indirect Costs/Overhead – Costs associated with constructing the project as a whole (management, temp facilities, permits, travel, bonds, insurance, etc.)
Profit Margin – Markup to address competitiveness and risk factors, while providing a reasonable level of investment return for company owners
Estimating Errors: Investing time and effort in the bidding process reduces errors. Errors at best make you non-competitive, and at worst make your business non-viable—a true “lose - lose” scenario
Estimating programs (HCSS, Hard Dollar, etc.) help reduce errors and expedite bidding process, but come at a annual subscription cost
Compare estimated costs to available cost data for similar projects/workscopes. You may be 10% better than your competition, but anything more is an error or a lost opportunity

14. Step 4: Develop a Quotation - Goals
A quote is a formal document! It explains your pricing for a project and gives your customer a clear cost for the work. When a customer asks you for a quote, it means they're seriously considering doing business with you. All your sales and marketing efforts have paid off! You've shown that your service has value.
Why quotes are good for business: Price quotes are an essential part of running a contracting-oriented business
Help you and your customer understand each other (transparency)
State the price, terms and conditions of business clearly
Bring you closer to a sale by encouraging the customer to make an informed decision
Serve as a mechanism for legal protection of both parties, which makes Owners/GCs more likely to do business with you: “I do what I say, you pay for They are useful because they:
what I do”
Help you logically structure your pricing and the services you offer

15. Step 4: Develop a Quotation – Definition
The Difference between a quote and an estimate: These two words are sometimes used interchangeably, but have different meanings and potential legal consequences
A Quote is a fixed price offer based on a defined scope of work over a specified schedule
Quotes become legally binding upon acceptance of the offer
Quotes are the required bidding approach for competitively-bid civil construction projects as they convey that you understand the work, project requirements, and schedule
An Estimate is rough approximation of cost magnitude and schedule, but charges are usually time and materials plus mark-up
Estimates are often placed in the “circular file” for competitively bid projects
If you have questions regarding bidding documents/workscope requirements, it is preferable to address these questions to the Project Owner, not the GC
The GC will be able to address questions related to schedule/phasing approach, division of workscope responsibility, or support functions

16. Step 4: Develop a Quotation – Components
A good quote is a summary outline of your commitment to a client/project which includes everything relevant to the materials or services you're quoting
Important Quote Components:
Business Name, Address, Phone, Fax
Important
Business License and Certification Numbers
Sales Person Name, Phone,
Project Number, Name, Bid Date, Addendum
Quotation Reference Number and Submittal Date (and Revision Dates)
Itemized listing of bid items and pricing to include Owner’s Item #, Description, Quantity, Unit of Measure, Unit Price, Item Total, Total Pricing of All Items.
Terms/Conditions/Inclusions/Exclusions – Keep it focused and relevant
Bonding Rates for Subcontractors
Quote Expiration – Preferably Owner Acceptance Period + 14 days
Quote Acceptance Signature Block

17. Step 4: Develop a Quotation – Components (continued)
Good quotes are brief, yet accurate and comprehensive
Common Quote Failures:
Missing contact info – estimator’s name and phone number
Estimator is unreachable or does not return inquiries
Missing notation identifying vendor as DBE/MWBE certified
Bid items out of proper sequence
Quoting only limited portions of workscope – incomplete quote
Incorrect or modified bid item descriptions
Incorrect unit of measure
Not “rounding” unit pricing to logical significant digits
Addition of supplemental bid items subsidiary to Owner’s bid items
Failure to identify “Tied” bid items or workscopes
Excluding subsidiary work to relevant bid items
Excessive unwarranted conditions and exclusions
Quote not formatted for printing
Multiple (more than two) revisions on bid day
Late quotes

18. Step 5: Submit Quotation
Submit Quotes by Fax or ( preferred)
If quotes are ed request delivery/read receipts
Quote formats – Word, Excel, PDF, JPEC deliverables
File formats that are “locked” but provide “renderable” text are preferred
Transmit 24-hours before bid due date/time if possible. If not possible, send unpriced quote (scope letter) to allow review of bidding scope and terms
Quotation submittal is treated as a confidential process prior to bid due date:“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.
Reputable Contractors will not disclose quote results prior to bidding deadline

19. Step 6: Post-Bid Follow-up
Am I low? - Generally quote results are not disclosed until the Project Owner commits to project award (Except for mandated DBE reporting)
Generally low-quote gets the work…unless terms/conditions are problematic, incomplete scope, or poor record of past performance
If you’re not converting quotes into sales – inquire with Owner/GC why?

20. “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get."
- Warren Buffett
Look at your product from the customer's perspective. Customers will only purchase your services/products if they believe that the value received exceeds the monetary price and subsidiary management costs they incur.
Mark W. Brooks, P.E.
District Vice President
SEMA Construction, Inc
7353 S. Eagle Street Centennial, CO 80112

21. Creating a Successful Bid
Shawn Yu, CDOT Professional Engineer

22. LCPtracker Anna Mariotti, CDOT Civil Rights Manager
Questions? Contact:
Mónica Vialpando, Labor / Contract Compliance Specialist

23. LCPtracker Currently piloting for two Local Agencies:
City of Aurora, City of Bayfield
In Beta testing phase for Labor Interviews (Form 280)
Software application being investigated for Labor Interviews
Next steps include researching the possibility of having OJT Forms (#838 and #832) queryable and reportable fields within system

24. DBE, Subcontractor & Prompt Pay Specification Changes
Katherine Williams, CDOT Small Business Programs & Title VI Manager

25. DBE, Subcontractor & Prompt Pay Specification Changes
1413 (bidder’s list) no longer collected with bid
Utilization Plan
New 205 Form
Partial Payment Authorization
Prompt pay (“Audit”) reporting by prime through B2G system.
Requires subs and suppliers to confirm/reject the reporting information
Requires payment reporting by subs for lower tier subs.
Will go to DBE compliance contact on Form 1414
1418 omitted (except for local agency projects)
Non-Discrimination contract provision updated
1419 omitted
New CUF form

26. Board Elections

27. Advisory Chair & Vice-Chair Responsibilities
Elected (nominations in box in back of room)
2 Year term. About an hour/month (if elected board would like, we can increase meeting time).
Chair: Small business owner
Liaison
Advisory planning

28. Upcoming Events
Marketing & Business Development for Engineers- March 29 (Boulder)
Webinar: CDOT Central 70 Small Business Series - March 30 (Online)
Webinar: Bidding Using Bid Express - April 4 (Online)
CMCA Drug/Alcohol Policies & Procedures for Truck Drivers - April 4 (Denver)
Maximizing Indirect Cost Recovery for Engineers - April 5 (Boulder)
TCS Recertification - April 5 (Denver)
The Opportunity Council Business Connections Roundtable - April 6 (Denver)
CDOT/ACEC Quarterly Meeting - April 11 (Denver
CDOT Consultant Prequalification & MPA - April 12 (Boulder)
CDOT Professional Services Collaborative Forum - April 13 (Denver)
HCC Contractor Academy: Build Your Safety Manual - April 13 (Denver)
2017 Advance Colorado Procurement Expo - April 18 (Denver)
HCC Dinner Meeting w/Guest National Western Center - April 19 (Denver)
HCC Contractor Academy: Structuring Your Estimate - April 27 (Denver)
SAME -April 27th (Golden)
Details and registration available at

29. Connect2DOT.org/stay-connected/cdotcf
Comments & Questions:
Connect2DOT.org/stay-connected/cdotcf
To submit comments, questions, or suggested agenda items