Getting prequalified with a general contractor: a checklist for trade partners
What we ask for, why we ask for it, and how to get through prequalification in one pass.
Prequalification tells us whether a firm can take on the size and type of work in a bid package, and tells our surety the same. It is not a judgment of quality. Most delays come from incomplete documents, so this is the list we work from.
Have these ready
Before you start the form:
- Legal company name, tax ID and year established
- State contractor license numbers and classifications
- Certificate of insurance with current limits
- Bonding letter from your surety with single and aggregate capacity
- Experience modification rate (EMR) for the last three years
- OSHA 300A logs for the last three years
- Reviewed or audited financial statements for larger packages
- Minority, women, disadvantaged or veteran-owned certifications, if any
About the EMR
An EMR above 1.0 does not disqualify a firm. We ask for an explanation and what has changed. A firm that can show what it learned from an incident is often a better partner than one that has never been tested.
How long it takes
Complete submissions are usually reviewed within ten working days. Prequalification is renewed every year, or sooner when a firm bids a package much larger than its previous work with us.
Demo article written for the template. General information, not legal, financial or engineering advice.
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