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Bid Fairness Checker

Outdoor Living & Hardscapes bid fairness checker.

Concrete is priced by the yard, decks by the board, and somehow the bid never shows either. Nationally a fair concrete patio installation runs $3,346 to $4,135 in 2026, on $3,054 of real cost. Paste it below. The checker sorts flatwork from framing, checks the permit line against the published fee, and grades the total.

Independent FatBook v3 cost indexVerified permit/source data where availableReviewed by Leonard "Chuck" Thompson
Run Your Bid

Is your outdoor living & hardscapes bid fair?

Cost index by David Olson · reviewed by Leonard "Chuck" Thompson · 2026-07-23
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Analyzed estimates are stored anonymized (names, addresses, phone numbers, and emails stripped) to improve the benchmark. No account, no tracking.
National Average
Within the fair range.
Fair range
Fair range$3,346 to $4,135
Cost to deliver$3,054
Typical market bid$3,726
Your bid$3,726
Implied margin18%
Fair range. Cost to deliver is the break-even, the red line on the gauge, not the price to demand. A fair bid sits in the green band above it: most jobs land at a 15 to 22 percent margin on the bid, roughly 18 to 28 percent over the cost to deliver, leaner or richer by trade and market. Contractors earn that, and they should: nobody works for free, and if the job were easy you would not need one.
What Is Inside the Number
Labor$855 (22.9%)
Materials$1,445 (38.8%)
Overhead$754 (20.2%)
Margin$672 (18%)
Cost to deliver plus a fair margin = $3,726
How the Verdict Works

Built, not guessed.

The checker rebuilds the job from primary data: Craftsman hours at your metro's loaded BLS wage, FRED PPI materials, the verified permit fee, and NAHB overhead. That sum is the cost to deliver. A fair bid sits 8 to 14 percent over it at the lean floor and 24 to 45 percent at the premium ceiling, scaled by your trade and metro. Read the full methodology.

FAQ

Bid checker questions.

What is a fair price for concrete patio installation?+
In 2026, a fair concrete patio installation bid runs $3,346 to $4,135 nationally. The cost to deliver sits at $3,054, and an honest margin lands roughly 10 to 35 percent above it depending on the metro.
What does the checker compare my bid against?+
Every benchmark is built, not scraped: Craftsman labor hours times BLS metro wages with burden, FRED PPI-adjusted materials, verified city permit fees, and NAHB overhead. The verdict places your number on a ladder from below cost to premium against the fair band for your metro.
Is a bid far below the cost to deliver a good deal?+
Usually the opposite. A bid below the cost to deliver means someone is cutting scope, insurance, or quality to get there, and the checker flags it as below cost rather than calling it a bargain.
Why should the contractor make a profit on top of the cost to deliver?+
Because nobody works for free. Cost to deliver is the break-even: labor, materials, permits, and overhead with zero profit in it. The 18 to 28 percent most contractors keep over that, a 15 to 22 percent margin on the bid, pays for the license, the insurance, the warranty callback, and the judgment you are actually hiring. If the job were easy, you would not need a contractor at all. Use the floor to spot padding, not to demand free work.
Why does my deck bid not mention the footings?+
Probably because they are bundled, and sometimes because they are missing. The completeness check looks for footings, framing, and railing on deck work and tells you which ones the bid never mentions.
City Benchmarks

Check it against your city's numbers.

The fair band moves with local wages and permit fees. Your city's page shows the numbers the checker grades against, service by service.

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Cost index built by David Olson, Creator of the Cost Index & Permit Dataset · Methodology reviewed by Leonard "Chuck" Thompson, LC Thompson Construction Co., Owner (retired) · 2026-07-23