Glossary

Plain-English meanings of the words you'll see in F3 and in bid documents.

This is general information, not legal advice. Always follow the bid documents.

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F3 terms

Bid package: The forms F3 fills for one bid, your bid's price sheet, and a ready-to-sign ZIP. You review, sign, and submit it yourself, because F3 never submits for you.
California form pack: The set of California public-agency bid forms that Fill my bid knows how to fill, such as bid forms, non-collusion declarations, subcontractor lists, and bid bonds. Anything F3 can't fill safely is left blank and listed for you.
CLIENT MUST CONFIRM: A note on questions you answer under oath, like conduct or debarment questions. F3 never fills these in. You read each one and answer it yourself.
Company profile: Your company's facts that bid forms ask for again and again, such as legal name, addresses, license and DIR numbers, insurance, certifications, signer, and references. Fill it in once and F3 reuses it on every bid. Editing it is always free.
F3: Short for Find, Fit, Finish: find bids that fit your business, fill the forms, and finish the package. It's also the name of our three plans.
Find: Our bid-matching plan. F3 looks for public bids that fit your trade and counties and sends them to you, with a requirements checklist and a go/no-go on some of them. Find doesn't include Fill my bid.
Finish: Our full-service plan. It's everything in Fit, plus F3's team prepares a set number of done-for-you bid packages for you each month and holds a weekly go/no-go call with you. Spots are limited.
Fit: Our do-it-yourself plan. It's everything in Find, plus the app: Fill my bid, drafts, your bid's price sheet, and a ready-to-sign ZIP for a set number of bids each month, with room for a small team.
Free fit check: One free look per shop at a bid you're considering. F3 sends back a requirements checklist and a go/no-go.
Go/no-go: A call on whether a bid is worth your time, based on its requirements, deadline, and how well it fits your company. You make the final decision.
Proposal/SOQ: A bid package plus written pages, such as a cover letter, your approach, and your qualifications. It comes in a short and a full version, which differ in how many pages and revision rounds they include.
RFP requires this, client must provide: F3 checks the bid documents and every addendum before it writes "N/A". If the bid needs the item, or it's unclear, F3 leaves the line blank and lists it for you to provide.
Rush: A bid that's due within 5 business days. A package ordered as rush is priced as rush.

Bid terms

Addendum: An official change or clarification to a bid after it's released, such as new dates, answers to questions, or revised plans. You usually must acknowledge every addendum on your bid form, and missing one can get a bid rejected.
Additional insured endorsement: An add-on to your insurance policy that extends your coverage to the agency for claims that come from your work. Agencies often require it along with the certificate of insurance, and your broker issues it.
Allowance: A set amount the agency puts in the bid for work or materials that aren't fully defined yet. Every bidder includes the same amount, and the final cost is adjusted to what's actually used.
Bid bond: A guarantee from a surety that if you win, you'll sign the contract and provide the required bonds. It's usually a percentage of your bid (10% is common on California public works), and the agency can claim it if you back out.
Bid opening / due date: The deadline to submit your bid, and the time the agency opens the bids, often in public. Late bids are almost always rejected.
Certificate of insurance (COI): A one-page summary from your insurance broker that shows your policies, limits, and dates. Agencies ask for it as proof that you carry the insurance the bid requires.
Certified payroll: Weekly reports showing each worker's hours, trade classification, and pay on a prevailing wage job. In California they're usually submitted electronically to the DIR, and to the agency when it asks.
Change order: A written change to a signed contract's work, price, or schedule. Most contracts require a signed change order before extra work gets paid.
CSLB license: Your California contractor's license from the Contractors State License Board. Its class, for example A, B, or a C specialty like C-10, must match the work, and bids usually ask for the number, class, and expiration date.
DBE: Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, a certification for firms owned by socially and economically disadvantaged people. Federally funded jobs, like many Caltrans projects, may set DBE participation goals.
DIR registration: Registration with the California Department of Industrial Relations. Contractors and subcontractors need it to bid on or work on most public works projects, it must be kept current, and bids ask for the registration number.
DVBE: Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise, a California certification for businesses owned and run by disabled veterans. Many state contracts have DVBE participation goals.
EEO: Equal Employment Opportunity, the rules against discrimination in hiring and employment. Bids often include an EEO statement or certification for you to read and sign.
Federal ID (EIN): Your federal Employer Identification Number from the IRS, used to identify your business on tax forms like the W-9. F3 keeps it encrypted and prints it only on the forms that need it.
General liability: Insurance that covers injury to other people, or damage to their property, caused by your work or business. Bids set minimum limits, usually per occurrence and in total (the aggregate).
IFB: Invitation for Bids, a request for sealed prices on clearly defined work. The award usually goes to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder.
Iran Contract Act certification: A California form where you certify that your company isn't on the state's list of companies with certain investments in Iran. It's often required on public contracts of 1 million dollars or more.
Lowest responsible bidder: The bidder with the lowest price whose bid follows the rules and who is qualified to do the work. Most California public works contracts are awarded this way.
MBE: Minority Business Enterprise, a certification for businesses owned and run by members of minority groups. Some agencies and utilities track or encourage MBE participation.
Non-collusion affidavit: A sworn statement that your bid is genuine and that you didn't work with other bidders to set prices. California public works bids require one, and you sign it under penalty of perjury.
Notice of award: The agency's notice that it intends to give you the contract. It usually starts a short deadline to sign the contract and send your bonds and insurance.
Notice to proceed (NTP): The agency's written go-ahead to start work. Contract time usually starts counting from the date on it.
Payment bond: A surety bond guaranteeing that you'll pay your subcontractors and suppliers. California requires one on public works contracts over 25,000 dollars.
Performance bond: A surety bond guaranteeing that you'll finish the work as the contract says, or the surety steps in. Agencies usually require it after award, often for the full contract amount.
Pre-bid meeting / job walk: A meeting, often at the site, where the agency explains the project and answers questions before bids are due. If it's marked mandatory, missing it can disqualify your bid.
Prevailing wage: The minimum hourly pay and benefits the state sets for each trade in each county. Most California public works projects must pay it to every worker on the job.
Responsive / responsible bidder: Responsive means your bid follows every instruction and includes every required form. Responsible means you're qualified and able to do the work, with the right license, experience, and finances, and you need both to win.
Retention: A part of each progress payment that the agency holds back until the job is finished and accepted. California generally limits it to 5% on public works.
RFI: Request for Information. It's either an agency's early survey of what the market can offer, or a written question a bidder sends in during bidding, and the answers often come back as an addendum.
RFP: Request for Proposals. The agency asks for a written proposal, often with a price, and scores it on qualifications and approach, not price alone.
RFQ: Request for Quotes, or Request for Qualifications. A request for quotes asks for prices on a defined, usually smaller job, while a request for qualifications asks about your experience and team, often before price comes up.
Scope of work: The section that says exactly what work the contract covers, and sometimes what it doesn't. Price only what's in the scope, and ask questions early if it's unclear.
Small Business (DGS SB): A California certification from the Department of General Services for small businesses that meet its size limits. State agencies give certified small businesses a bid preference, and some local agencies ask for the certificate number.
SOQ: Statement of Qualifications, a document showing your firm's experience, team, licenses, and references. It's usually a response to a Request for Qualifications.
Specifications / spec book: The detailed requirements for materials, methods, and quality, plus the contract terms. Bid forms are often bound inside the spec book.
Subcontractor list: The form listing each subcontractor who will do more than one-half of 1% of your bid, with their license and DIR numbers. On streets and highways the threshold is one-half of 1% or 10,000 dollars, whichever is more, and California requires the list on public works bids.
Surety: The company that issues your bid, performance, and payment bonds and backs your promise to the agency. Ask your bonding agent early, because bonds can take days.
Sworn statement / penalty of perjury: A statement you sign declaring that it's true under the law. A false statement can be a crime, so read each one and answer it yourself.
Umbrella / excess liability: Extra insurance that adds coverage on top of your general liability and auto policies. Bids with high limits often let you meet them with an umbrella policy.
W-9: The IRS form that gives the agency your legal name, tax classification, and Federal ID so it can report what it pays you.
Wet signature: A signature in ink on paper. Some agencies require it on certain forms, so check the bid instructions before you sign electronically.
Workers' compensation: Insurance that covers your employees' on-the-job injuries, which California requires if you have employees. If you have none, many agencies accept a signed statement instead, so check the bid.