What You Can't Rush—No Matter the Pressure (And Why Low Bids Bet Against Reality)
Everyone wants the same thing: open on time, spend what you planned to spend, and get to revenue without the aftershocks. Directors of Construction, VPs, Project Managers, and Development leaders know the drill—rollouts move fast, margins are tight, and surprises are expensive.
But here's what makes commercial construction tricky, especially in new construction, demo/rebuild and remodeling work for QSRs, convenience, and car wash projects across NC/SC/VA:
Bidding almost always invites variance.
Variance is the gap between what the bid promised and what the job delivered:
the schedule that slips
the change orders nobody budgeted for
the field surprises that weren't "in the plans"
the opening date that becomes a moving target
The best plans can run into difficulties with things like incorrect utility records, differing local regulations, and extended timelines for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems because of contractor capacity.
So if you've ever looked at a low number and wondered, "How are they doing that?" — you're asking the right question.
The article advocates for a shift from prioritizing the cheapest price to selecting a construction partner that emphasizes a bid analysis focused on quality. It explains how Sela’s FAST2ROI principal focuses on the end-goal: for sites to generate revenue on-time and on-budget. While this promise guides our process, FAST doesn’t mean a sloppy low bid either.
The Big Idea: Replace Low-Bid with Low-Variance
A low bid can look attractive. But if it depends on everything going without a hitch, it's not a plan—it's a bet. 🎲
Low-variance delivery is different:
fewer surprises
fewer change orders
steadier schedule
clearer decisions earlier
and a job that finishes closer to how it started on paper
When you manage multiple sites and your reputation depends on predictable openings, that is what counts.
1) WHAT YOU CAN'T RUSH—NO MATTER THE PRESSURE
Some parts of a project can move faster with discipline and coordination. Others can't. Pretending they can is one of the main reasons bids become change orders later.
Utilities: the invisible schedule
If you're doing demo/rebuild or remodeling, utilities are often where "tight" bids get exposed.
Why? Because utilities are full of unknowns:
record drawings that don't match reality
tie-ins that do not exist in the places people expected them to be
capacity questions that surface mid-project
underground conflicts discovered only after demo
coordination dependencies with entities that aren't on your payroll or your timeline
A low bid often carries an unspoken assumption: utilities are easy.
But "easy" isn't a scope. It's a hope.
Low-variance approach: Treat utilities as a first-class scope item—verified early, planned with caution, and discussed honestly upfront. We've spent more than 30 years in NC/SC/VA towns and know about outdated infrastructure, poor records, and site issues that cause unexpected problems. That local knowledge becomes part of the estimate—not an afterthought.
AHJ: timing you don't control
Even with the same plan, construction outcomes vary by location for QSR and Convenience Center projects.
AHJ variance shows up as:
Inspection timing that doesn't match your Gantt chart
Interpretation differences on the same code section
Documentation expectations that vary by reviewer
Small misses that become schedule-impacting rework
If a bid assumes the approval process will behave like a perfect machine, the project may look fast on paper…but fragile in the field.
Low-variance approach: Plan for AHJ reality—clean submittals, realistic sequencing, and a schedule that survives actual inspection cadence. Longevity matters here: knowing which jurisdictions move fast, which require extra lead time, and where pre-coordination pays off can mean the difference between protecting your opening date and scrambling at the end.
Long-lead MEP: everyone's vying for the same capacity
MEP doesn't just "happen." It's a system of decisions, procurement, and coordination—often through subcontractors who are juggling multiple projects across the region.
Long-lead MEP can derail timelines when:
The team fails to confirm lead times before they promise milestone dates.
Equipment and finish selections aren't locked in early
Procurement is treated like an afterthought instead of a critical path dependency
Install sequencing gets compressed beyond what's realistic
Low-variance approach: Build decision deadlines into the schedule and confirm lead times before committing to dates. Engage expert external team members (MEP subs, suppliers) early in the estimating process so the numbers reflect real-world capacity—not wishful projections.
✅ The theme here is simple: you can't rush the parts of construction that depend on factors outside your control. You can only plan for them—or pay for them later.
2) WHEN DOES SPEED MAKE SENSE? (THE REAL LEVERS FOR PROTECTING YOUR OPENING DATE)
Speed isn't the enemy. Fantasy schedules are.
True schedule efficiency is about collaboration and consistent decision-making, not ignoring what's impossible.
Clarity beats hustle
Most schedule losses don't come from slow labor. They come from unclear decisions floating in limbo.
Speed is a byproduct of:
locked scope
early selections
defined responsibilities
fewer "we'll figure it out later," moments
Sequencing beats sprinting
The fastest jobs aren't the ones where everyone is "working harder." They're the ones where trades aren't tripping over each other, rework is minimal, inspections pass the first time and obsessive attention to safety is implemented at every stage.
Good sequencing reduces:
rework
stop/start downtime
inspection failures
late-stage chaos that burns contingency
Communication beats clean-up
Transparent communication isn't "more meetings." It's fewer expensive surprises.
The most useful project updates answer:
What changed this week?
What decisions must someone make—and by when?
What's at risk (utilities/AHJ/MEP)?
What's the long-lead status?
What will affect cost or schedule if we don't act now?
“Look Ahead” - what’s coming next week, the following weeks?
That's what keeps teams out of expensive reaction mode.
3) WHY LOW BIDS OFTEN CREATE HIGH VARIANCE (with no one saying it out loud)
Here's the uncomfortable truth about competitive bidding:
A contractor can be aggressive on price…
…but the job still contains utilities, AHJ, and MEP reality.
So if the bid doesn't carry enough room for real-world friction, the project usually "finds the money" somewhere else:
allowances that were never realistic
exclusions that appear midstream as "extras"
under-scoped coordination and supervision
thin staffing coverage that slows decision-making
rework that gets labeled as "unforeseen conditions"
change orders that feel like surprises—even when the category of surprise was predictable
This is why commercial construction leaders can feel like they're paying twice:
once to select the "low" bid
again to survive the project
And nobody likes that—especially when corporate reputation and franchisee trust are on the line.
4) THE DEEP-DIVE ESTIMATING APPROACH THAT REDUCES VARIANCE (BECAUSE CLIENTS NEVER LIKE SURPRISES)
Sela is often not the lowest bidder—and that's not because we're "less competitive."
It's because we're trying to do something that doesn't show up well in a single number at the bottom of a bid spreadsheet:
We estimate for reality, not best-case scenarios
The goal isn't to win a spreadsheet contest. The goal is to protect your opening date and reduce change orders that feel like a betrayal of the original plan.
Four pillars support our estimating process.
1) Deep dive into the finest details
We don't estimate at the category level and hope the details work out. We look for any missing details in the project, check the site carefully, plan the task order, and think about how everything connects, things that other bids might miss.
2) Expert team input (internal + external)
We do not create our estimates in isolation. We work with our in-house experts and external partners to check local abilities, delivery schedules, and potential problems ahead of time. That collaborative process surfaces variance before the job starts, not after.
3) Longevity and local knowledge (30+ years of commercial construction experience)
Practical, hands-on knowledge informs all our estimates:
Which municipalities have aging infrastructure
Where utility records can be unreliable
Which jurisdictions require extra AHJ lead time
What site characteristics commonly produce surprises (soil conditions, setbacks, easements, drainage)
Which subcontractors have the capacity and reliability to support aggressive timelines
That experience becomes a preventative strategy — we anticipate factors that typically result in variance or change orders, and we price them honestly upfront instead of discovering them at your expense later.
4) No corner-cutting or integrity compromise
We don't lower a bid by:
assuming utilities will cooperate
under-staffing supervision
hoping procurement magically works out
or leaving vague allowances that become budget traps
We meet client goals by building a realistic number that reduces variance—not by delivering a low bid that leaves room for expensive surprises.
Is it perfect? No project is.
The goal is to protect what corporate developers and construction leaders prioritize: predictable results, reduced change orders, and timely project openings.
5) THE LOW-VARIANCE PILLARS (WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN EVALUATING BUILDERS)
If you're comparing bids for multi-site QSR, convenience, or car wash rollouts, here are the pillars that matter more than the number at the bottom of the page:
Pillar 1: Reality-based estimating (variance prevention starts before mobilization)
A tight bid can win a job. A realistic estimate can protect your ROI and your reputation.
Pillar 2: Early risk visibility (utilities, AHJ, long-lead MEP aren't "later problems")
Early risk identification lowers resolution costs.
Pillar 3: Decision discipline (timeline protection depends on decision deadlines)
Delayed decisions slow down projects. Low variance requires decisions to land on schedule.
Pillar 4: Sequencing + coordination (speed comes from alignment, not adrenaline)
Most time losses are coordination losses—not effort losses.
Pillar 5: Transparent communication (the update cadence that prevents surprises)
Directors and VPs don't need noise. They need clarity: what changed, what's at risk, and what decisions they need to make now.
6) TWO SCENARIOS WE SEE ALL THE TIME (ANONYMIZED, BECAUSE EVERY PROJECT IS DIFFERENT)
Scenario A: The "simple" utility tie-in that wasn't simple
A job begins with a schedule that assumes straightforward conditions. Demo reveals a different reality—conflicts, capacity issues, or record keeping gaps.
The outcome depends on whether the team:
planned for discovery upfront (with time and budget buffer)
or pretended discovery wouldn't happen
Low-variance behavior isn't about avoiding surprises. It's about resolving them quickly without turning them into a budget war or a scheduled casualty.
Scenario B: Long-lead MEP threatens the opening date
A timeline is promised prior to lead time confirmation. Equipment that "should take 6 weeks" takes 10.
The job survives when:
Procurement is treated as schedule-critical (not administrative paperwork)
Decisions are locked early
● Sequencing adjusts instead of reactively
THE BOTTOM LINE
Construction always has surprises!
Key concerns for corporate developers, construction managers, and franchisees include avoiding surprises, guaranteeing dependability, controlling costs, and adhering to opening schedules. ✅
If a bid assumes perfect conditions, like ideal utility work, quick approvals, and unrealistic delivery times, it's a high-risk bid even if it looks low.
➡ ️ A low-bid doesn't mean low-risk. The underlying bid review and process matter, but remain invisible.
Our tested and proven process has led to a reputation for actual-to-bid timely completion with minimal change orders or variances.
Sela offers a complimentary, no-obligation bid review. We invite you to take advantage of this service. Contact Philip Rately (philipatselabuildingdotcom) for next steps.