Share of bids with a recorded outcome
You cannot improve hit rate if most bids simply fade away without a result.
Electrical contractors · Quote and estimate follow-up
Stop losing bids to silence after bid day
Electrical contractors spend real money on every bid: estimator time, supplier requests and sometimes a site walk. Then the number goes to the GC and, too often, nobody calls back. The estimator is already on the next set of drawings. Weeks later you hear the job was awarded, sometimes to a competitor who was only slightly lower and simply asked.
How it often works today
- Bids are tracked in an estimator's inbox or a shared spreadsheet that is updated only when someone remembers, usually after the award has already gone elsewhere.
- Residential quotes for panel upgrades, generators and EV chargers sit in ServiceTitan or the office email with no consistent follow-up after the first visit.
- Nobody records why bids were lost, so the company keeps bidding the same GCs and job types without knowing which ones it actually wins.
- Plan room invitations from BuildingConnected or GC portals pile up, and the team struggles to see which bids are still open, due or dead.
Quote follow-up puts every open bid and service quote on a tracked list with a next action and an owner. Reminders go to the estimator or PM at sensible intervals, with a drafted note that asks about award timing, scope questions or where your number landed. Your people decide what to send and to whom.
The improved workflow
One list of open bids
Pull submitted bids from your estimating log, CRM or ServiceTitan into a single list with GC, bid date, amount, estimator and expected award date.
Follow-up cadence by bid type
Set different timing for commercial bids, negotiated work and residential quotes. A GC bid might get a check-in after award date, a homeowner quote within two days.
Drafted follow-up notes
Prepare a short, specific email or text for each follow-up, referencing the project, scope clarifications or alternates offered. The estimator edits and sends it from their own account.
Capture the outcome
Record won, lost or no decision, plus the reason and competing number when known, so the bid list stays accurate and useful for planning.
How we deliver this: AI automation for small business or fractional CTO leadership, scoped in writing and run over 90 days. See pricing or the sample scope.
What we would measure
Days from bid to first follow-up
Shows whether follow-up is actually happening on time.
Residential quote close rate
Panel upgrade and EV charger quotes often close or die within days, so speed matters.
Hit rate by GC and job type
Points estimators toward the work you actually win.
Where people stay in control
- Every follow-up message is reviewed and sent by a person. Nothing is sent automatically to a GC or homeowner.
- Price changes, revised scopes or negotiated discounts are decided by the estimator or owner, never suggested by automation in a message.
- Customer phone numbers and emails are only used for the quote in question, and texting follows consent rules in your service software.
Example
Follow-up on a school bid, illustrative
For example, an estimator submits a number on a school renovation through a GC portal. The award date passes with no word. The tracker flags it, and a draft note asks whether the GC has scope questions on the fire alarm alternate. The estimator edits one line and sends it. The GC replies that the electrical number was close and asks for a value engineering option. Whether that leads to an award is uncertain, but the conversation would not have happened otherwise. This scenario is illustrative.
Tools typically involved
What the first 30 days look like
In the first 30 days we would gather your last six months of bids and quotes, find how many have no recorded outcome, and agree on follow-up rules with your estimators. Then we would pilot reminders and drafted notes on new bids and measure response.
Common questions
GCs get annoyed when subs chase them. Won't this hurt relationships?
Well-timed, specific follow-up usually does the opposite. The cadence would be set by your team, typically after the award date rather than daily. Each note references the actual project and offers something useful, like a clarification or alternate. Your estimator decides whether to send it, so the tone stays yours.
Can this work with our ServiceTitan residential quotes?
Very likely. ServiceTitan has follow-up and estimate status features that many shops underuse. A typical first step is checking what is already available and configured before adding anything. If gaps remain, a light automation can push reminders to the right comfort advisor or office coordinator.
What if we do not have a CRM?
You may not need one. Many commercial electrical contractors run bids from a spreadsheet or their estimating log. We would start there, clean it up and add reminders. If the volume justifies a CRM like HubSpot later, we would recommend it with clear reasons and costs.
The business case
Does it pay for itself?
Illustrative defaults for an electrical contractor. Replace them with your numbers.
What this workflow costs today
a month in staff time, before any lost sales
Monthly fee + assumed tools +
Break-even: new clients a month (at first-year value)
Or: staff hours recovered and redeployed
Break-even additional revenue
Value of +1 point of win rate
First 90 days, service fee
Worth a closer lookTest the assumptions
Illustration only, not a forecast or guarantee. Recovered staff time becomes a cash saving only if spending actually declines or the time goes into paid work. Tool costs are an assumption; we replace every number here with yours before recommending a scope.
Quote and estimate follow-up in other industries
Commercial cleaning companiesConstruction and general contractorsEvent and catering companiesHome remodeling companiesHVAC companiesInsurance agenciesIT managed service providersLandscaping companies
Quote and estimate follow-up: full guide
Related guides
How to scope an automation projectYour first 90 days with a fractional tech leadHow to automate lead follow-up without losing the personal touchHow to speed up proposals without cutting corners
Terms used here
Next step
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