Estimating by state: GA
Georgia construction estimating for public and private bids
Measured takeoffs and estimates for Georgia bids, priced at your rates and checked against GSFIC bond terms and GDOT rules.
Fixed price in 2 business hours. Pay only after you accept.
- Fixed price before any work starts
- Plan review and quotes are free
- You pay only after you accept the price and delivery date
- Single-trade estimates in 48 hours
- Your rates, your final number: your team signs and submits
Quick answer
Georgia construction estimating from Bidmere gives general contractors and subcontractors measured takeoffs and cost estimates priced at their own rates, prepared remotely from plans and specifications. Single-trade estimates are priced from $195 and are ready in 48 hours. You get a fixed quote within 2 business hours and pay after you accept.
Where Georgia public construction work is advertised
Georgia state bid opportunities are posted on the Georgia Procurement Registry (GPR), a free web-based advertising system run by the Department of Administrative Services (DOAS). DOAS tells suppliers to check the GPR for opportunities from Team Georgia Marketplace and eSource.
- State building construction: the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission (GSFIC) Construction Division publishes construction forms, agreements and the State Construction Manual.
- Highways and bridges: GDOT posts bidding and letting information and a two-year project letting forecast for qualified contractors.
- Counties, cities and school systems: most advertise on their own sites, and their bid documents control.
Does Georgia require prevailing wage on public work?
No. Georgia has no state prevailing wage law; the US Department of Labor lists it among the states without one. On most Georgia public work, labor is priced at your own rates.
Federal Davis-Bacon rates can still apply on federally funded or federally assisted projects. A local owner can also set wage terms in its contract.
Where to check: the bid documents. If a federal wage determination is attached, price every classification at that rate and keep it on a separate line.
Commercial contractor licensing and GSFIC bond terms
Georgia licenses general contractors under Title 43, Chapter 41. Senate Bill 503, signed in 2024, renamed the general contractor license as the commercial general contractor license. Check that your license type matches the work before you price it.
GSFIC’s construction documents for state projects set the bond terms estimators carry:
- Bid bond: not less than 5% of the bid, on forms accepted as standard.
- Performance and payment bonds: both required, each in a penal amount of at least 100% of the contract sum.
Bond premiums come from your surety. Carry them as a separate line so your reviewer can update them before bid day.
GDOT prequalification and DBE certification
GDOT requires routine maintenance contractors, construction contractors and specialty firms to be prequalified for the work they propose to perform. Prequalification is by work type, so a firm qualified for one class of work may not be eligible to bid another.
DBE goals on federally funded work use firms certified through the Georgia Unified Certification Program (GUCP), which GDOT leads. Confirm certification before you count a subcontractor’s quote toward a goal.
Common project types Georgia contractors estimate
Georgia public work includes GDOT road and bridge lettings, state buildings delivered under GSFIC, university and technical college projects, and county, city and school system construction. Typical estimating requests include:
- Sitework, grading and paving for GDOT and local road work.
- Concrete and masonry packages for schools and municipal buildings.
- Interior finish trades on renovations: framing, drywall, ceilings, flooring and painting.
- MEP packages for state and university facilities.
Bidding work in this state? Send the plans and specs. Fixed quote within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.
Get a fixed quoteHow Georgia rules change the numbers in your estimate
Each rule lands in a specific estimate line.
- Check for an attached federal wage determination; otherwise price labor at your own rates.
- Confirm your commercial general contractor or trade license covers the scope.
- On GSFIC projects, carry a bid bond of at least 5% of the bid and premiums for 100% performance and payment bonds.
- Confirm GDOT prequalification for the specific work type before estimating as a prime.
- Check DBE participation goals and GUCP certification for subcontractors you carry.
- Log every addendum and acknowledge it as the bid form requires.
Georgia construction estimating done remotely, at your rates
Bidmere estimates Georgia projects remotely from the plans, specifications and addenda you send. You set the rates, wage schedule and markups; Bidmere measures, prices at your rates and returns an Excel estimate with live formulas, color-coded marked-up PDF plans, and a written list of assumptions, exclusions and open questions.
On GSFIC work, bond premiums are shown on their own lines with the basis used, so your surety quote can replace them before the bid is final.
- Single-trade estimates from $195 in 48 hours; multi-trade from $1,150.
- Bid packages from $1,950 in 5 business days.
Fixed price within 2 business hours, free plan review, pay only after you accept. Bidmere does not visit sites, sign or submit bids, or guarantee awards.
Before you send plans
Common questions about handing off the work
Will I lose control of my number?
No. Every rate and markup comes from your team, and you approve the estimate.
Can a remote estimator handle Georgia rules?
The estimate follows the wage and bond terms in your bid documents and flags any gap.
What if an addendum lands after the estimate is done?
Send it. Affected quantities are updated and the changes listed.
Monthly estimating plans
Bidding every week? Ask about a monthly estimating plan
Steady bidders can use a monthly plan instead of quoting each job: $1,395 per month for up to 6 bids, $2,595 per month for up to 12 bids, or $4,795 per month for up to 25 bids. Every plan uses your rates, and your team still signs and submits each bid.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do you need to be in Georgia to estimate Georgia projects?
No. Bidmere works remotely from the plans, specifications and addenda you send, so location does not limit the work. Bidmere does not visit sites. Share photos or pre-bid notes, and the estimate lists every assumption made where the documents are silent.
Does Georgia require prevailing wage on public work?
No. Georgia has no state prevailing wage law, according to the US Department of Labor’s list of state wage laws. Federal Davis-Bacon rates can still apply on federally funded projects, and local owners may add wage terms, so check the bid documents for an attached wage determination before you price labor.
What should I send for a Georgia public bid estimate?
Send the plans, specifications, every issued addendum, the bid form and any wage determination. Tell us the trades, the bid due date and the labor rates, markups and supplier pricing to use. You can start with project basics; document sharing is arranged after scope review.
How much does a Georgia construction estimate cost, and how fast is it?
Single-trade estimates are priced from $195 and are ready in 48 hours. Multi-trade estimates are priced from $1,150, and full bid packages are priced from $1,950 in 5 business days. You get a fixed price and delivery date within 2 business hours and pay only after you accept them.
What bonds does a Georgia state construction bid need?
GSFIC’s construction documents call for a bid bond of not less than 5% of the bid, and both a performance bond and a payment bond of at least 100% of the contract sum. Local owners set their own terms. Carry your surety’s premiums as separate estimate lines so they are easy to update.
Who is responsible for the final Georgia bid?
Your company. Bidmere measures quantities and prices them at the rates you approve, then hands the estimate to your team for review. Your authorized signer sets the final number, signs the bid form and submits it. Bidmere does not sign or submit bids and does not guarantee an award.
Get a fixed quote
Share the project basics. You get a fixed price and delivery date within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.
Sources
- https://doas.ga.gov/state-purchasing/bids-and-contracts
- https://gsfic.georgia.gov/
- https://gsfic.georgia.gov/document/publication/804366624pdf/download
- https://www.dot.ga.gov/GDOT/Pages/Contractors.aspx
- https://www.dot.ga.gov/GDOT/pages/prequalification.aspx
- https://www.dot.ga.gov/GDOT/Pages/DBE.aspx
- https://gov.georgia.gov/document/2024-signed-legislation/sb-503/download
- https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/prevailing-wages