Self-perform
To self-perform is for a general contractor to carry out work with its own employees rather than subcontracting it to a specialty trade.
Also written as self-performed work, self perform.
Last updated
Reviewed by Eric Collin · President and Founder of Firmo Construction, 20+ years in preconstruction and bid evaluation
Concrete, carpentry, demolition, and general labor are the trades most often self-performed, though it varies by firm and region. The contractor keeps the work in house, prices it from its own labor rates and productivity history, and takes the performance risk directly.
The argument for it is control over schedule and quality on the activities that drive the critical path, plus margin that would otherwise go to a subcontractor. The argument against is exposure: the contractor now carries labor risk on that scope and cannot transfer it.
It changes how a bid should be read. A self-performed scope has no subcontractor proposal behind it, so there is no scope letter stating exclusions and no competitive check on the price. The number rests on the contractor's own estimate, which may be excellent and cannot be compared the same way.
On public work self-performance is sometimes mandated as a minimum percentage of the contract, to prevent a contractor from acting purely as a broker. Where that requirement exists, how a bidder satisfies it is worth confirming before award.
- Scope letter
A scope letter is the written statement accompanying a subcontractor bid that sets out exactly what the price includes, excludes, and assumes.
- Bid package
A bid package is the bundle of scope issued to subcontractors as a single unit for pricing, usually corresponding to one trade.
- Subcontractor prequalification
Subcontractor prequalification is the process of vetting a subcontractor's capacity, financial standing, and safety record before inviting it to bid.
Catch every gap before you award
MyLevelBid reads every bid line by line, maps them to one scope, and flags what nobody carried.
Request a demo