Instructor: Paul Spite

Board: ARE Prep

Credit Hours: 1.00

Approval Number: PACE-0642


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Course Description


A solicitation for bids in the traditional design-bid-build project delivery approach, is the beginning of a less than optimal approach to seeing a project completed. It is nonetheless, a method preferred by owners, who believe that delivery method to be the one by which they can obtain the best price for their work.

The pitfalls involved with bidding will increase the work of a designer in the creation of far more detailed contract documents, than those required by more collaborative approaches. The procedures and explanations outlined in this course, should hopefully at least help navigate the process of obtaining those bids.



Course Objectives


Upon successful completion of this module, the student will be able to:

  • Recognize community concerns which will impact the building process and the project budget.
  • Differentiate between various types of contractors building projects.
  • Identify the different documents, included in project manuals and used in the bidding process.
  • Determine how to communicate changes made during the process, to the prospective bidders.
  • Describe the proper use of allowances and alternates in a bid.
  • Examine the different types of surety sometimes requested to accompany bids.


Instructor Bio


Paul SpitePaul Spite, BS, BA
AFD Consulting, Founder and Principal

Paul is a Registered Architect with over forty years of experience, a course developer and has been a teacher in multiple venues in the past. He is also a writer in many venues, having developed many studies, a few published articles, numerous short stories, multiple screenplays, two non-fiction manuals for church design and one novel. More to the focus of this endeavor, Paul has also created presentations for twenty-six lunch and learn presentations for building material manufacturers, webinars covering the subjects of Aging-in-Place and Architectural Acoustics and eleven distance learning courses for architects, engineers and contractors. As he nears retirement from managing his small architectural practice, Paul hopes to focus even more of his energy on teaching and on course development.



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