If bidding is your only method of business development, then you have placed an enormous burden on your estimating staff. Sharpening the pencil to win competitive bids and eek out profits can be counter-productive. Making that profit up through change orders and claims, which often result in frayed client relationships, can also be counter-productive in the long run. When you compete on price alone, you let the competition help set the price and increase your risk. While estimators are extremely valuable, they are not magicians. They may be meticulous, accurate and knowledgeable, but they cannot control the competition, influence the