Sue Ellison, Project Assistant -- Estimators grab quotes from the fax machine and race to get the numbers crunched. Palms sweat as you wait on people to turn in their portion of the bid. Heart thumps as managers stand over your shoulder while you furiously type revisions. The pressure is on to not commit mistakes. Any slight miscalculation or missed detail can disqualify you from a bid. It's Bid Day, and it can be pretty intense. Yet I’m always amazed at the calm of Debbie Mullen and Scott Snyders, who have worked in the Tarlton Estimating Department for a combined 40-plus years.  Maybe it’s the adrenaline rush that has kept them here.

Please don’t misunderstand:  We are organized and well prepared at Tarlton. But certain factors are beyond our control. No two days are alike, no two bids are alike, and sometimes deadlines and demands collide. It’s just the nature of our business.  

A particular bid that stands out in my mind is one I helped deliver with Project Engineer Patrick Dalman. As we scramble out of the parking lot through Forest Park, Patrick at the wheel of his little car, I’m writing down numbers the estimators are calling in via cell phone.  We arrive in the nick of time, double-check our numbers and run the bid into the building. I’m sure the client’s receptionist always gets a chuckle out of the flushed faces of bidders delivering their prized package. I liken it to the feeling that we’ve just completed the Amazing Race. Only then, do we get to breathe and wait for the outcome. 

I’m not involved in every Bid Day. I think that’s a good thing, as I don’t know if I could take all the excitement!