Top 3 Bidding Challenges by Company Size
Different-sized subcontractors face different bidding challenges. Learn what small, mid-sized, and large subs struggle with most — and how workflows break as teams grow.
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Every subcontractor struggles with bidding, but the reasons why vary dramatically depending on company size. A one-person drywall shop and a 75-person electrical contractor may both feel overwhelmed, yet the bottlenecks behind the overwhelm look very different.
Riffle’s 2025 Subcontractor Survey broke down bidding challenges by company size, revealing surprisingly consistent patterns across the industry.
Here’s how the top challenges shift as subcontractors scale.
Small Subcontractors: “Wearing Too Many Hats”
For small subs (1–9 employees), the biggest challenge is simply capacity.
The top three challenges this group reported:
- Time constraints — Estimating happens at night or on weekends
- Inbox chaos — Too many ITBs to track manually
- Lack of admin support — Owners doing everything themselves
This group has fewer total bids per week, but significantly more stress per bid. A single missed ITB can impact revenue for the entire month.
They also expressed the strongest need for:
- Clear due date tracking
- Simple workflows
- Auto-organized email intake
Small subs don’t want complexity, they want clarity.
Mid-Sized Subcontractors: “Drowning in Volume”
Mid-sized subs (10–49 employees) experience the highest bid volumes in the industry, and therefore the most operational strain.
Their top three challenges:
- High bid volume — 15–25+ bids/week is common
- Tracking bids across multiple inboxes
- Inconsistent or manual follow-up with GCs
This group is big enough to grow, but small enough that every breakdown in process causes disruption.
Pain points include:
- Estimators sharing inboxes
- Multiple versions of plans floating around
- No centralized dashboard
- Struggles onboarding new staff to “how we do bids”
Survey Insight: Mid-sized subs were the most likely to say they “lose track of at least one live bid” each week.
This is the cohort Riffle can help fastest, because their pain is the most urgent.
Large Subcontractors: “Complexity Across Teams”
Large subs (50+ employees) don’t struggle with inbox chaos as much as small firms — but their challenges are organizational, not personal.
Their top three challenges:
- Cross-team coordination — Estimators, PMs, executives, and admin support
- Version control on plans and documents
- Visibility into what everyone is working on
As teams grow, the friction shifts from “too many bids” to:
- Siloed workflows
- Multiple estimating teams
- More stakeholders involved in approvals
- Harder to see pipeline and backlog across divisions
For large firms, the biggest need is centralized visibility and workflow control.
What This Means for Subcontractors
Each company size experiences the same foundational problems — too much chaos, too little visibility — but manifests them differently:
The common thread? Every subcontractor size needs a centralized way to manage bids, but for different reasons.
Riffle was designed to solve for all three.
Whether you’re a small shop or a growing multi-division team, Riffle helps you track every bid in one place.
Join the waitlist at rifflecm.com.
Eliminating Manual Errors in Construction Bids
Common questions about reducing errors and improving accuracy
What causes most manual errors in subcontractor bids?
Manual errors usually come from disconnected workflows — things like outdated spreadsheets, inconsistent templates, or rekeying the same data multiple times. When project info lives across emails, texts, and PDFs, small mistakes add up fast.
How can software help reduce bidding mistakes?
Purpose-built estimating software automates repetitive tasks like data entry, quantity takeoffs, and revision tracking. Instead of chasing down the latest drawings or retyping costs, your team works from one centralized, accurate system — cutting errors before they happen.
Is automation complicated to set up for small subcontractors?
Not with modern tools like Riffle. You can connect your email or ITB inbox in minutes, and automation starts working behind the scenes — identifying bid invites, tracking updates, and helping you prioritize the right opportunities. No IT department required.
How much time can automation actually save?
Most subcontractors save 6–10 hours per week just by eliminating manual re-entry and version confusion. That’s more time for estimating the next job, reviewing margins, or simply getting home on time.
Does automating bids mean losing control over pricing?
Not at all. Automation handles the busywork — you keep full control over pricing, scope, and judgment calls. Think of it as an assistant that gets the numbers right so you can focus on strategy.
How do I know if my team is underspending or overspending on software?
A good rule of thumb: most subcontractors invest 1–3% of annual revenue in digital tools. If you’re still running bids manually or using outdated systems, the real cost might be hidden in lost time and missed opportunities.
Why does accuracy matter so much in bidding?
Every error compounds — one missed line item or miscalculated rate can erase your entire profit margin. Accuracy doesn’t just win jobs; it protects your business from losses you don’t see coming.
How does Riffle help subcontractors eliminate manual work?
Riffle automates your bidding and project workflows from start to finish. It finds ITBs in your inbox, organizes bid invites, fills in estimating data, and tracks updates — helping subcontractors bid smarter, reduce errors, and grow revenue.
We Understand the Bottlenecks for Subs
My biggest weakness has always been follow-ups—I’m just not great at it. If I had a built-in reminder feature to follow up on projects automatically, that would be a game-changer. I’ve gotten better, but I could still use that extra nudge.
Quoting can be chaotic. You have five different contractors sending out the same bid invite, each named differently. We end up with duplicate bids on the board or miss one entirely because it was labeled another way. There is no clear procedure when invites come in from multiple people.
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