This phase includes assisting the Owner in preparing bidding and procurement information, as well as establishing the required bidding forms and documents, i.e. form of Owner-Contractor Agreement and associated general and supplementary conditions.

During the Bidding or Negotiation Phase the Architect assists the Owner in selecting a contractor and obtaining prices for the project.  The method of making this selection can vary.  The most traditional method is the straight bid method where the construction drawings are provided to prospective contractors and they prepare a bid proposal to perform the work based on the drawings.  Other options include, Negotiated Bidding, Construction Management and Design Build.

During this phase the Architect’s work may include some of the following tasks; obtaining and distributing documents to prospective bidders, maintaining a log of documents distributed, organizing and conducting a pre-bid conference and preparing responses to questions from prospective bidders.  The final step would be to obtain and evaluate the bids for the Owner.

Regardless of the method of delivery or the exact services the ultimate goal during this phase is to select a contractor to build the project, obtain an acceptable cost for the construction and sign a contract so construction can commence.