How to get subcontractor prices on small jobs without chasing
Short answer: Write the scope down before you ask, keep a short list of subs per trade with their past prices, and reuse a price a sub has already confirmed instead of asking again. Chase only for what is genuinely new or unusual.
Small jobs are where chasing hurts most. A two-hour fix still needs a price, the sub is busy on another job, and a rushed number is rarely a good number.
A routine that works
- Define the work before you text anyone. A sub can price a clear scope quickly. "Two outlets and a ceiling fan, existing wiring in the attic, no drywall repair" gets a faster, firmer answer than "can you take a look?" (Trade advice from remodeling publications agrees: give the sub a written scope early.)
- Measure before you ask for numbers. If quantities are guesses, the price will be too.
- Keep at least two subs per trade. Having a backup, ideally one who is good at small jobs, means one slow reply does not stall your estimate.
- Keep their past prices where you can find them. A note that says "Sam, electrician: outlet $__ each, fan install $__, confirmed in March" is worth more than a vague memory.
- Add a contingency for what you cannot price yet. Leaving unknowns out of the number only moves the cost to your margin.
Where the time still goes
Even with a good routine, the same questions repeat: "What do you charge for an outlet again?" Each text interrupts the sub, and a price pulled together between jobs can be a rushed price.
Reusing a price the sub already confirmed
One way to cut the repeats is to use prices the sub has already confirmed, with their permission. That is the idea behind PriceDesk: the sub keeps their own price book and decides which named general contractors can request job quotes from it. When the job is covered by the prices and conditions the sub confirmed, the GC gets a job quote without asking again.
What PriceDesk does not do: it does not guess what a sub should charge, it does not substitute market rates when a price is missing, and it does not give a GC a browsable copy of a sub's whole book. If a price is missing or the work is unusual, the job stays incomplete until the sub confirms it. GC accounts are free; PriceDesk is in private beta and paid public release is disabled.
A simple example (illustration, not real prices)
A GC needs a price for two outlets and a ceiling fan. The sub's confirmed prices cover both items, so the quote is built from those unit prices and the GC reviews the scope and quantities. If the job also needed a new circuit that the sub never priced, that line would stay open until the sub answers.
Questions people ask
How fast can I get a sub's price? It depends on the sub. The routine above shortens the wait; reusing confirmed prices removes it for work they have already priced.
Is it fair to ask a sub to price the same thing twice? Often yes, because prices change. That is why a confirmed price should carry a date and conditions.
What if the job is unusual? Ask the sub. No tool should price unusual work for them.
Try it: the PriceDesk demo uses sample data only. Nothing is sent and no account is needed.
Further reading
- Measuring the performance of remodeling subcontractors (JLC Online)
- Working with subcontractors (Clear Estimates)
- General contractor pricing guide (Method)
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