Estimating by state: TX
Texas construction estimating for public and private bids
Measured takeoffs and estimates for Texas bids, priced at your rates and checked against Texas wage, bond and TxDOT 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
Texas 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 Texas public construction work is advertised
Texas public work is advertised in more than one place, so start with the owner. State agencies must post solicitations over $25,000 on the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD), run by the Texas Comptroller through Texas SmartBuy. Many local governments use the ESBD too.
Anyone can search it without logging in, but bids are not submitted through it.
- State buildings: the Texas Facilities Commission handles facility design and construction for state agencies, including minor construction and its Uniform General Conditions for construction contracts.
- Highways and bridges: TxDOT lets construction and maintenance contracts through its contract letting process, with schedules and updates on its Contract Letting Resource Hub.
- Cities, counties and school districts: their own sites or the ESBD.
Does Texas require prevailing wage on public work?
Yes. Texas Government Code Chapter 2258 requires workers on public works for the state or a political subdivision to be paid not less than the general prevailing rate of per diem wages for similar work in the locality, including legal holiday and overtime work.
Under §2258.022 the public body sets the rate for each craft, so the schedule comes with the bid documents. On federal-aid work, the federal Davis-Bacon Act can also apply; TxDOT’s local government guidance notes it covers federal construction contracts over $2,000.
Where to check: the wage schedule in your bid package.
Licensing, registration and bonds to check in Texas
Texas does not license general contractors at the state level, according to the Governor’s Texas Licenses and Permits Guide. County or city requirements may still apply. The state does license some trades, including air conditioning and refrigeration (TDLR) and plumbing (Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners).
Bonds follow Government Code §2253.021. TxDOT’s local government guidance summarizes it: a performance bond on contracts over $100,000 and a payment bond on contracts over $25,000, or over $50,000 for municipalities. Carry your surety’s premium as its own line.
TxDOT prequalification and DBE certification
TxDOT must qualify bidders before they can bid or receive a bid proposal on a construction or maintenance project. It has three levels of qualification, and all require annual requalification.
- Full qualification: normally for construction projects, with an audited financial statement prepared by an independent CPA firm.
- Waived: for projects where the full requirements are waived, normally smaller construction, routine maintenance, emergency and specialty work.
- Materials: for material and traffic control suppliers.
TxDOT asks for prequalification packets at least 10 days before the letting. On federally funded work, DBE goals use firms certified through the Texas Unified Certification Program (TUCP), whose member agencies certify DBEs for USDOT-funded projects across the state.
Common project types Texas contractors estimate
Texas public work runs from TxDOT highway lettings to state facilities and city, county and school buildings. Common requests: sitework and paving on unit price forms, concrete and masonry for schools, interior finishes, and MEP packages where the state trade license decides who can perform the scope.
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 Texas rules change the numbers in your estimate
Each rule lands in a specific estimate line.
- Identify the owner first: TxDOT, a state agency or a local government. Wage, bond and qualification rules differ.
- Price labor at the owner’s prevailing wage schedule for each classification, including overtime rates.
- Check the contract value against the §2253.021 bond thresholds and add your surety’s premium when they apply.
- Confirm your TxDOT qualification level, and whether the project is marked waived, before estimating a prime highway bid.
- Watch the posting source for addenda and acknowledge each one exactly as the bid form requires.
Texas construction estimating done remotely, at your rates
Bidmere estimates Texas 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.
For TxDOT and other unit price bid forms, the takeoff is checked against the owner’s quantities line by line, and any difference is flagged for your estimator.
- 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 Texas 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 Texas to estimate Texas 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 Texas require prevailing wage on public work?
Yes. Texas Government Code Chapter 2258 requires prevailing wages for workers on public works for the state or a political subdivision. The public body sets the rate for each craft, so use the schedule in your bid documents. Federal Davis-Bacon rates can also apply on federally funded projects.
What should I send for a Texas 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 Texas 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.
Do I need TxDOT prequalification before you estimate a highway bid?
You need it before you bid, not before you estimate. TxDOT must qualify bidders before they can bid or receive a proposal, and it asks for packets at least 10 days before the letting. Confirm your level, including whether the project is waived, before you commit estimating time.
Who is responsible for the final Texas 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://comptroller.texas.gov/purchasing/contact/outreach.php
- https://www.tfc.texas.gov/divisions/facilities/prog/construct/
- https://www.txdot.gov/business/road-bridge-maintenance/contract-letting.html
- https://www.txdot.gov/manuals/tpd/lgp/plans_specifications_estimates_pse_development/bid_document_preparation-i1026420/prevailing_minimum_wage_davisbacon_act-i1029066.html
- https://www.txdot.gov/manuals/tpd/lgp/plans_specifications_estimates_pse_development/bid_document_preparation-i1026420.html
- https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/business/Texas_Licenses_Permits_Guide.pdf
- https://www.txdot.gov/business/road-bridge-maintenance/contract-letting/contractor-prequalification.html
- https://www.txdot.gov/manuals/civ/pcg/the_texas_unified_certification_program_tucp.html