Short answer
Line the bids up on scope first, not price. Each should state the start and end point of the work, the method for each section, every excavation with its size and reason, whether the permit and inspection are included, what surface restoration is included, and the warranty terms. A bid that cannot be tied to camera footage is a guess; two bids for different scopes are not comparable at all.
Put the bids on one page
Most sewer bids are hard to compare because they describe different jobs. Before you look at a single number, build a grid with one column per bidder and the rows below. Anything a bid does not answer is a question to send back.
| Row | What to write down |
|---|---|
| Basis | Was a camera run? Do you have the video? Does the bid cite distances from it? |
| Scope — from / to | Start and end point of the work, in feet from the cleanout and in plain terms (foundation to property line; property line to main) |
| Method by section | Clean / spot repair / line / burst / open trench, for each section |
| Excavations | Each hole: where, roughly how big, why |
| Pipe and materials | Liner spec or new pipe material and size; couplings; cleanouts added |
| Permit and inspection | Included? Pulled by the contractor? Right-of-way work included? |
| Restoration | Backfill compaction, turf, concrete or asphalt patch, landscaping |
| Post-work video | Included and delivered to you? |
| Warranty | Term, what it covers, transferable? |
| Licence, bond, insurance | L&I number verified; city side sewer registration |
| Price and payment terms | Total; deposit; what triggers change orders |
Where the differences usually hide
- The street end. One bid stops at the property line; another includes the deep pit at the main. That is often the biggest single cost on the job.
- The belly. The footage shows a sag; one bid lines through it (which does not fix it), another re-grades it. Different jobs.
- The under-slab section. One bid replaces the yard; another includes lining the cast iron under the house.
- Restoration. "Backfill" and "backfill, compact, re-turf" are not the same yard afterward.
- Permit. A bid without one is either omitting a required step or planning to skip it.
- Warranty language. "Lifetime" on a bid means nothing until you read what it covers — see the warranty article.
Method should match the footage
The decision logic is in the lining vs. bursting and spot vs. full articles. A bid that proposes lining through a collapse, bursting a line with many branch connections, or trenching a deep run under a driveway without saying why should be asked to explain. The explanation may be good; it should exist.
Red flags
- A price given at the door before a camera has been in the line.
- Pressure to sign today; a "today only" number.
- A proposal to skip the permit, or a request that you pull it.
- No video, or a video the contractor keeps.
- Only one method offered for every line, every time.
- A large deposit before any work.
- Licence or bond that does not check out on the state's lookup.
Green flags
- The bid reads like a description of your line, with distances, not a template.
- More than one option is presented, with the trade-offs stated.
- The contractor answers "what if it is worse than the video shows" with a process, not a shrug.
- Restoration, permit, inspection and post-video are in the price.
- The warranty is a document, not a sentence.
The replacement page explains how we scope a replacement. If a bid you already have is missing rows, we are glad to look at the video and give a second opinion.
Questions people also ask
Why is one bid half the price of another?
Usually because it is for less work: a shorter section, no permit, no restoration, cabling instead of repair, or a liner where the footage shows a belly. Occasionally because the other bid is padded. Matching the scopes line by line reveals which.
Should I take the middle bid?
Take the bid whose scope matches the footage and whose method fits the pipe, at a price that is explained. The middle number is not a strategy.
Is it rude to ask a bidder to explain another bidder's number?
No. Ask each to explain their own scope against the video. A contractor who can point to the footage and say why they proposed what they did is the one you want either way.
What if only one bidder ran a camera?
Then only one bid is based on evidence. Ask the others to look at the footage and re-bid, or discount their proposals accordingly.
More of the questions we hear every week are on the FAQ page .
Sources
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