Do Cities and Counties in your state post plans and specs for construction project on their own, self-operated web-sites?

And, if they do, what information can you learn from what they post, and how can you benefit from knowing that information?

This morning, I visited the eBidBoard operated by the City of San Diego, CA.

I looked at a few of the projects posted on the City’s eBidBoard, just to see what type of information is provided, and to learn how one accesses plans and specs for the City’s construction projects.

Below, I’ve posted links to a couple of the projects currently up on the City’s eBidBoard. If you click on these links, you will see that the City provides:

a) a way to download plans and specs for its projects

b) a listing of companies who have registered for its projects; those who have registered typically include: general contractors, sub-contractors, material suppliers and planrooms

I could be wrong about this, but it does not appear that one can order “hard-copy” plans and specs through the City’s eBidBoard, and, if I’m right about that, that means that, when someone downloads the plan and spec files, one would then have to submit those files to a reprographer to produce “hard-copy” (unless, of course, the company downloading files has “in-house” printing equipment; some do.)

Therefore, why not do two things with the information provided about who’s registered for a project?

1) if you see a company who is not on your customer list, why not call them and ask them if they need “hard-copy” and offer to do that for them?

2) Put into your prospecting database the companies who appear on the list; they might not need “hard-copy” for the current project, but maybe in the future they will.

And, if you are a San Diego area Reprographer, why not try to convince the City to promote, on the City’s eBidBoard, your company as the one to go to when hard-copy prints are needed? Perhaps offer to pay the City a commission on the volume of printing you do for orders generated off the City’s eBidBoard. After all, cities and counties are strapped for cash.

Link to information re: Pump Station project

http://tinyurl.com/7k7ptlv

Link to information re: School Improvements project

http://tinyurl.com/89eza7a