Bid the jobthe week thepermit is pulled.
Each Monday we pull the new commercial permits in your area and pick out the ones that need your trade. The GC on each one gets a short intro email from you with your capability sheet attached. Anyone who asks to stop never hears from you again.
Price: Quote. Priced from your numbers after the free audit. It comes inside Commercial Accounts and pairs with Quote Closer Desk.
The commercial work is out there. It goes to the subs a GC already knows.
15 years on word of mouth, and now leads are drying up.Contractor owner, reddit.com/r/Contractor
Property managers and GCs have their vendors. No way in.Paraphrased from oxmaint.com, a vendor-software blog
By the time I see the job sign, the steel is already up.The permit is filed weeks before the sign goes up. You hear about it on Monday.
I don't have time to dig through the county permit site every week.We pull it, sort it by trade and text you a short list.
Cold-calling GCs feels like begging, and nobody picks up.No calls at all. One short email with your sheet, two follow-ups at most, then we stop.
The first two quotes are from public posts, with the source named. The rest are paraphrased from common trade-owner complaints. None of these are our clients.
From a county permit to a GC asking for your rates.
We set up every step and run it each week. Your part is one text reply on Monday and answering the GCs who write back.
New permits, pulled every Monday.
We read the public permit records your city or county posts and pull last week's new filings. Only commercial permits stay on the list. Residential permits are dropped at this step, so a homeowner never gets an email from you.
Only the jobs that need your trade.
We sort by the work type and description on each permit. A welder sees mezzanines, stairs, railings, canopies and gates. A concrete shop sees sitework, slabs and parking lots. Permits that list no GC contact are set aside, and we don't guess an address.
You see the list before anything goes out.
Monday morning you get a short text: how many permits matched and who would get an email. Reply SEND, or SKIP and a row number to drop a GC you already know or don't want to work with. If you'd rather not check every week, we can send on a schedule instead.
A short intro about their own job.
Each GC gets one email that names their permit, says what you do and how fast you can bid, and attaches your capability sheet. It goes from a sending address set up just for this, under your business name, with a real subject line, your postal address and a plain way to opt out. Replies land in your normal inbox.
Two follow-ups at most, then it stops.
If the GC doesn't answer, a short follow-up goes four days later and a last one about a week after that. Then nothing more about that permit. A reply of any kind stops the follow-ups right away.
Replies come to you. Opt-outs are kept for good.
When a GC writes back, you get a text with what they said. Answer the same day if you can. When someone asks to stop, they go on your do-not-email list and never get another permit email from you, on any job. That list is yours and stays with you if you leave.
One page a month with the real numbers.
Permits pulled, GCs emailed, replies, invites to bid and opt-outs. When you win a bid that started with a permit email, you tap once to mark it, so the count stays honest.
Pick a permit and read the email its GC would get.
Choose a trade, tap a permit, then play the GC. Ask for rates and the follow-ups stop. Ask to be removed and that GC drops off every list, on every permit.
Also pulled: 22 residential permits. Skipped. We never email homeowners.
- From
- To
- Subject
- Intro MondayQueued
- Follow-up FridayQueued
- Last one next WedQueued
Do-not-email list: empty
Who it's for.
Trades that sub to general contractors on commercial jobs, or want to, and can turn a bid around in a few days.
A good fit if
- You do work GCs hire out: welding and fab, steel, electrical, concrete, fencing and gates, roofing, HVAC, excavation, paving.
- You're licensed and insured, and can send a certificate the day a GC asks.
- You can get a GC a number within a few business days.
- Your city or county posts permits online with the contractor on them. We check this for you at the audit.
Probably not yet if
- You only do residential work for homeowners. We don't email homeowners off permits.
- You're booked for months. A GC who asks for a bid wants it this week.
- You don't carry insurance yet. Most GCs won't add a sub without it.
Who it's built for.
- License number and insurance certificate. Current ones, for the capability sheet.
- Three to five past jobs. A photo and a line each. We write and lay out the sheet.
- Your postal address. Every email has to carry one, and a PO box is fine.
- Its own sending address. We set up a separate one so your main email stays clean. Replies still reach you.
- Someone who answers GCs. Within a day, by email or phone. The email gets you the invite. You still have to bid.
- About an hour with us. One setup call to pick your job types and approve the emails.
What a few permit emails a week could add up to.
Put in how many GCs you'd email a month, how many ask you to bid, how many bids you win, your average job and your margin. The answer is gross profit, what's left after materials and labor.
The starting numbers (5% ask to bid, 30% won) are our guesses, not data. Put in yours. We only count a job if that GC's first contact with you was a permit email, and you mark the win yourself.
What it won't do.
Better you hear it now than on month two.
- Most GCs won't answer.That's normal for a first email. This works on volume and timing over months. A slow first few weeks doesn't mean it's broken.
- Some places don't list the GC.Permit records vary by city and county. Some leave off the contractor or their email. We check yours at the audit and tell you before you pay anything.
- Commercial permits only.Residential permits are dropped before anything is drafted. Homeowners never get an email from you off a permit.
- Email only.No texts, no calls and no AI calls to GCs. The only texts in this setup go to you.
- It doesn't bid for you.It gets you invited. The takeoff, the number and the follow-through are still yours. Big GCs may also want a prequal form before you can bid.
- Public records only.We read what your city or county posts for anyone to see. We don't log into paid plan rooms or bid boards for you.
What it comes with, and what pairs well.
- Commercial AccountsIncludes thisEverything on this page plus a vendor packet in one tap, work orders with photo reports, contract and insurance renewals, and statement reminders to GCs.
- Quote Closer DeskPairs wellOnce a GC asks for a bid, that bid gets followed up until it's a yes or a no, and you see which ones are close.
- Every Quote ChasedPairs wellFollow-up on every quote at day 2, 7, 30 and 60, a text back on missed calls and a review ask after each job.
- Work from property managersPairs wellYour vendor packet in one tap and a simple work-order link, for repair work that comes in all year.
- GCs pay on timePairs wellStatement reminders to accounts payable and an aging list, so the GC work you win doesn't sit at 90 days.
The terms, in plain words.
- 3 months, then month to month.No auto-renew term. After the first three months, cancel by text and it runs to the end of the month you've paid for, then stops.
- You own your contacts and your number.If you leave: a contacts file, and your number ported to you, all written into the agreement.
- Live about a week after text approval.Phone carriers approve business texting first, and they set that timing. Once they do, we're usually live about a week later.
- Starts at the from-price on the card.Your exact number comes from the free audit. You'll know the setup fee and the monthly before anything starts.
Fair questions.
Isn't this spam?
It's a business email to a company listed on a public building permit, about that permit. Each one carries your real business name, a postal address, an honest subject line and a plain way to opt out, which is what the federal CAN-SPAM rules ask for. A GC gets one intro and two follow-ups at most per permit, and anyone who opts out is never emailed again.
Where do the permits come from?
Public permit records from your city or county, pulled once a week. Some places don't list the GC or their contact details. We check yours during the audit and tell you before you pay anything.
Why a separate sending address?
If a few GCs mark the email as junk, it shouldn't hurt the email your customers get from you. So permit emails go from their own address under your business name. Replies come straight to your normal inbox.
Will you text or call GCs?
No. Permit outreach is email only. The texts you see on this page go to you, the owner: the weekly list to okay and the replies to answer.
Do I have to okay every email?
You okay the wording once at setup. After that you get the weekly list by text and reply SEND, or SKIP a GC you'd rather not email. If you don't want to check each week, we can send on a schedule instead.
What does it cost?
It's quoted because I put together the best setup for each business, based on its size and what it actually needs. I price it from your numbers after the free audit. It comes inside Commercial Accounts, and it can be added to a trades package.
Get asked to bid before the job starts.
Text Chase your trade and the county you work in. We'll look at what its permits list and tell you if this fits your numbers.