Bid Clarification on a Grading and Planting Package
You are bidding a 1.2-acre commercial landscape remodel in the Central Valley. The plan shows 4,200 sf of 1-inch sod, 18 24-inch box trees, 600 sf of 6-inch-deep mulch beds, and a 90-foot, 6-foot-high CMU wall. Addendum 2, issued two days before bids close, reduces sod to 1,800 sf and adds 300 sf of 4-inch-deep decomposed granite. The general contractor says, "Include everything, no qualifications." Your sod quote is for 5,000 sf at $0.45/sf delivered; DG is $38/ton; the wall subcontractor prices $85/lf but excludes rock excavation. You have three days to bid.
1. How should the sod quantity be handled in the bid, and what should you do about the difference between the plan and Addendum 2?
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Addendum 2 is the governing document. Take off 1,800 sf, not 4,200 sf, and add normal waste-about 5–10%, so roughly 1,900 sf. Carry the supplier's $0.45/sf as a unit price for added or deleted sod so the owner can adjust without a new contract. Do not silently bid the original 4,200 sf; that creates an unbalanced bid and a predictable dispute. If the addendum's intent is unclear-for example, whether it deletes or supplements the original-submit an RFI before bid close and state the assumption in the proposal. The 5,000 sf supplier quote is a price basis, not a quantity to install.
2. What qualifications or unit prices should accompany the CMU wall line, given the GC's instruction?
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Price the wall at $85/lf as a unit price with explicit assumptions: normal soil bearing, no rock, no shoring, no unsuitable fill, and no engineering or permit fees beyond the base scope. Exclude rock excavation and note that a 6-foot wall may require permits and engineering; if it retains soil, the design must be by a licensed engineer. The GC's "no qualifications" instruction does not transfer the risk of unknown subsurface conditions to you. Attach clarifications as the basis of bid, not as an exception. If the GC refuses to accept them, document the refusal in writing and either add contingency or decline.
3. How should the DG and mulch quantities be structured in the bid?
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Separate the bid into unit-priced line items. For DG, 300 sf × 4/12 ft = 100 cf, about 3.7 cy; at roughly 1.4 tons/cy, about 5.2 tons, or about $198 at $38/ton plus compaction and base prep. For mulch, 600 sf × 0.5 ft = 300 cf, about 11.1 cy. Show quantity, unit, and unit price for each, and state that quantities are estimated from the addendum. This lets the GC compare bids and lets you adjust if field measurements differ. Do not bury the DG in a lump sum; that is where change-order disputes start.