Patriot Erecting & Construction is an Oklahoma-based steel and metal building erection contractor serving customers since 1999, with crews that travel nationwide. We review actual plans and scope before we price work — a vague description alone is not enough for a reliable project price. This guide covers the information that lets us, or any erector, give you a number you can carry into your estimate with confidence.
1. The basics: location, bid date and schedule
- Project location — city and state at minimum. Travel, mobilization and per-diem all depend on where the job is.
- Bid due date and the required form of the quote (lump sum, unit price, by building, by phase).
- Anticipated start date and overall schedule window, including any phasing or sequencing constraints.
2. Drawings and specifications
Send the current issued-for-bid set, not a concept package. The most useful documents are:
- Architectural and structural drawings, including framing plans, elevations and sections.
- The project specifications — especially the divisions covering structural steel, metal building systems, and metal panels.
- For pre-engineered metal buildings: the manufacturer's erection drawings and anchor bolt plan, where available. The manufacturer name matters — erection procedures and details vary by system.
- All addenda and alternates issued to date. Pricing an outdated set creates change-order friction later.
You can upload plans and specifications directly through our bid request form — files are stored privately and reviewed by our team.
3. Scope: what is in and what is out
The single biggest source of bid confusion is an undefined scope line. Spell out which of the following are in the erector's scope:
- Primary frames — columns, rafters, endwalls.
- Secondary steel — girts, purlins, bracing, eave struts.
- Roof and wall panels, including panel type and gauge if specified.
- Insulation systems — type, thickness and facing.
- Trim, flashing, gutters and downspouts.
- Doors, windows, framed openings, louvers and other accessories.
- Miscellaneous steel — stairs, rails, mezzanines, canopies — if applicable.
If you are not sure where the line should fall, say so — we bid pre-engineered metal building erection and structural steel erection regularly and can flag scope gaps we see in the documents.
4. Building size and configuration
- Building dimensions — width, length, eave height, roof slope.
- Number of buildings or phases, and approximate square footage per building.
- Bay spacing, clear-span requirements, and any mezzanines, cranes or special loads that affect the frame.
5. Site conditions and logistics
- Crane and lift responsibility — who furnishes the crane, and any lift constraints on site.
- Delivery sequence — when steel is scheduled to arrive, and whether it arrives sequenced for erection.
- Slab and anchor bolt readiness — will foundations and anchor bolts be complete and verified before mobilization?
- Site access, laydown area, and staging space for material and equipment.
- Site-specific safety or orientation requirements the crew must follow.
6. What happens after you send it
We review the actual drawings and scope before quoting. If something is missing or ambiguous, we ask rather than guess — a number built on assumptions is not a number you can use. You can see the kind of work we erect on our project portfolio, and download our capability statement for your prequalification file.
Send Us Your Plans
Upload drawings and specifications with your bid due date and scope notes. We will review the package and follow up directly.