Bidding FAQ

Realm researches and reaches out to local contractors, vetting each one before inviting them to join the Realm contractor network. Because of this, many contractors who bid are repeat partners, which increases the odds of a market-accurate bid since they want to continue working with us.

We reach out to 3–8 contractors per project and make sure you receive at least three bids to choose from.

A general contractor's bid package includes a line-by-line, itemized scope and price for the work.

Realm's bidding process usually takes about 30 days on average, from when bids are sent out to when a contractor is signed. If contractors in the area don't submit bids on time, or fail to submit at all, it's worth waiting a little longer for their bids rather than rushing to a decision with an incomplete set.

We evaluate bids using a line-by-line review process, so when contractors submit bids, we can dig into the data behind them. If one contractor's line item is priced noticeably higher or lower than the others, we call them to understand why, a process we call bid leveling. These calls tell us whether a contractor used a different method than competitors and why. The goal isn't just the lowest price, it's making sure no one is cutting corners to get there.

Yes, you can bring in your own general contractor outside of Realm's contractor network. Just be sure your contractor has experience with commercial construction. That said, we always recommend still bidding the project out to at least three contractors to compare against market pricing, since a preferred contractor often isn't the best price.

If every bid comes back over budget, it's worth considering whether the original budget was estimated too low or was based on older data that didn't reflect current market pricing. If we believe the bids are accurate for today's market, we'll work with contractors to see where costs can come down, or give you our best recommendation on how to proceed. If you still want to re-bid the project because it feels overpriced, we charge an additional fee to restart the process, since we're already tracking market pricing across the country in real time. Keep in mind, re-bidding will also add time to your bidding process and could push back your schedule.

Not every change order needs to go back into the plans. Sometimes a general contractor will note a small change and handle it directly, even if it wasn't in the original scope. For anything major, the plans go back to the architect to review and formally make the change.

Realm vets every contractor before they join our network, confirming they carry general liability insurance and pulling their actual work history. That review looks at whether they've worked with franchises before, their most recent build, and their most recent tenant improvement project.

You pick the winning bid and are responsible for paying and signing the contract directly with the general contractor. Realm levels the bids and advises throughout, but the final decision is yours. Our advice weighs more than price alone; it also factors in how quickly and easily each contractor is to work with, and the schedule they proposed.

Yes, franchisees can manage bidding on their own, but it means personally vetting contractors, running the bid comparisons, and negotiating the contract without a wider view of market pricing. That's the piece Realm handles for franchisees who use our services: we tap our existing contractor network, level every bid line by line, and advise on the final decision so you're comparing apples to apples.