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Local government bids · Tucson & Pima County

Your bid coordinator for Tucson contractors.

We keep an eye on the city, county, school district, and town bids around Tucson, flag the ones that fit your trade, explain what each one asks for in plain English, and keep your deadlines in front of you. You focus on the work.

Book a free 15-min call → Join the founding 5
Tucson-area agencies onlySorted by tradeA real person to call
This week's bid digestExample · Grounds & landscaping
Strong fit
Park irrigation repairs, on-callTown agency · 1-yr term + renewals
Due in
12 days
Strong fit
Campus landscape maintenanceSchool district · pre-bid walk Thu
Due in
19 days
Maybe
Median weed & litter controlCounty · needs pesticide license
Due in
8 days
Skip
Golf course turf renovationBond over your current limit
Due in
5 days
Example digest with made-up bids, for illustration only.
The problem

Public work is out there. Finding it is a second job.

Tucson-area agencies post bids in different places, on different schedules, in documents that run dozens of pages. Most small shops don't have an estimator or office manager whose job is to keep up.

"By the time I hear about a job, the pre-bid meeting already happened."

Ten-plus places to check

City, county, school districts, towns, the state, and newspaper legal notices each post on their own site or portal.

Dense, 60-page packets

The licenses, insurance, bonds, and forms you need are buried in legal language and attachments.

Deadlines that sneak up

Questions due, mandatory walk-throughs, and submission cut-offs come fast, and a late bid gets rejected.

Alert services full of noise

Statewide and national feeds cost $100+ a month and bury the local jobs you care about under ones you'd never bid.

How it works

Three steps. About an hour of setup.

You stay the registered bidder on every portal. We do the watching, reading, and reminding.

1

Sign up and forward

We walk you through signing up for the free bid portals in your own company's name, then you forward the bid notices to your private Bid Desk inbox. Setup takes about an hour, and we can do it together on a call.

2

We watch and sort

We go through those notices, plus the agencies' own purchasing pages and newspaper legal notices, and pick out the bids that match your trade, licenses, and job size.

3

You get the short version

A plain-English summary of each good fit: what they want, what you'll need, and every key date. You also get deadline reminders and a quick check-in call when you want one.

See a sample

A whole bid packet on one page.

This is what a summary looks like. We read the full solicitation and pull out what matters for a decision: is it worth bidding, and what do you need to get ready?

  • A fit rating based on your trade, licenses, and capacity
  • Every deadline in one place, with the urgent ones highlighted
  • Requirements written out as a checklist you can work through
  • A straight answer on whether it's worth your time
Sample only · Fictional bid for illustration
HVAC / Mechanical

HVAC Preventive Maintenance, 6 Elementary Campuses

Example School District · Solicitation IFB-EX-0000 · Invitation for Bid
FitStrong
Site walk (optional)Nov 3, 9:00 AMTuesday
Questions dueNov 9, 2:00 PMMonday
Bids dueNov 19, 2:00 PMThursday · no late bids

What they want

Quarterly maintenance on rooftop units and split systems (about 140 units total) at six campuses, plus emergency repair calls billed at your hourly rate. One-year contract with up to four one-year renewals.

What you'll need

  • Arizona ROC license for HVAC work
  • $1M general liability / $2M aggregate
  • Auto liability and workers' comp
  • 3 references from similar jobs (last 5 yrs)
  • Pricing sheet, signed forms A through D
  • 4-hour emergency response required
  • Background checks for techs on campus
  • No bid bond required
Our take: A good fit if you can cover emergency calls with two techs. Steady repeat work, and the price is based on rates instead of one lump sum. Order the background checks this week, because they can take 7 to 10 days.
Everything on this card is made up to show the format. It is not a real solicitation.
Who we watch

Local agencies, all in one place.

We focus on the public buyers that small Tucson contractors actually win work from.

City of TucsonProcurement
Tucson WaterUtility & capital projects
Pima CountyProcurement
Pima Community CollegePurchasing
Tucson UnifiedSchool District
Sunnyside UnifiedSchool District
Town of MaranaProcurement
Town of Oro ValleyProcurement
Town of SahuaritaProcurement
State of ArizonaStatewide contracts

Plus public bid notices in local newspapers. Want an agency added? Just ask.

Who it's for

Built for small shops that do the work themselves.

Owner-operators and small crews, roughly 1 to 25 people, who want more public work but don't have someone to chase it full time.

Building trades

HVAC, electrical, plumbing, roofing, painting, flooring, and general repairs for schools, city buildings, and town facilities.

Water & civil

Pipe and meter work, excavation, concrete, paving, striping, and small site and utility jobs.

Grounds

Landscaping, irrigation, tree care, weed control, and park and campus maintenance.

Janitorial

Custodial, floor care, window cleaning, and facility services for offices, schools, and public buildings.

A good fit if you…

  • Hold the licenses and insurance for your trade, or are close
  • Can take on a few more jobs a year
  • Would rather spend 10 minutes than 3 hours deciding what to bid

Probably not a fit if you…

  • Already have a full-time estimator watching every portal
  • Mostly chase large federal or out-of-state contracts
  • Want someone to promise you'll win (nobody honest can)
Pricing

Simple monthly plans. No long contracts.

Founding clients get a locked-in rate for their first year. Pay annually on any plan and get 2 months free.

Basic

For shops that want to see what's out there and decide for themselves.

$49 /month
Billed monthly, cancel anytime. Or $490/year (2 months free).
  • Weekly digest of matching bids, sorted by trade
  • Plain-English summary for each good fit
  • Deadline list for the bids you're tracking
  • Email questions answered within 1 business day
Choose Basic
Founding 5 · Limited

Founding Client

For the first five Tucson contractors who help shape the service.

$29 /month
Rate locked for 12 months. Only 5 spots.
  • Everything in Basic
  • Same-day heads-up on strong fits
  • A monthly check-in call
  • Direct input on what we build next
Join the founding 5

Pro

For shops bidding regularly that want someone in their corner.

$119 /month
Billed monthly, cancel anytime. Or $1,190/year (2 months free).
  • Everything in Basic
  • Same-day heads-up on strong fits
  • Reminders for site walks, questions, and due dates
  • Check-in calls when you need them
  • A requirements checklist for each bid you pursue
Choose Pro

Optional
add-ons

Bid package prepHelp organizing forms, checklists, and attachments. Quoted per bid.
Award alertsSee who won the contracts you watched and at what price, when it's public.
Referral creditKnow another contractor who'd benefit? Get a credit when they join.

You sign up for the free government bid portals yourself. We never charge you for public listings.

FAQ

Good questions, straight answers.

Do you guarantee I'll win more bids?

No. Nobody can promise that, and you should be wary of anyone who does. Agencies award work on their own rules, usually price and qualifications. What we do is make sure you see the right bids early, understand what they require, and don't miss a deadline.

Why do I have to sign up for the bid portals myself?

The official notices, addenda, and submission tools are tied to your registration, so you should be the registered vendor. Most of these portals are free for vendors. It also means we never resell or republish anyone's listings. You get the official notices, and we help you make sense of them.

Do you submit bids for me?

No. You stay in control of your pricing and your submission. With the bid package prep add-on, we can help you organize forms, checklists, and attachments so you're ready to sign and submit.

Which agencies do you cover?

The City of Tucson, Tucson Water, Pima County, Pima Community College, Tucson Unified, Sunnyside Unified, Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita, and the State of Arizona, plus public notices in local newspapers. If there's an agency you'd like added, let us know.

How is this different from a bid alert service?

Alert services send you lists. We send you a short, local, plain-English read on the bids that actually fit your trade, and there's a real person you can call with questions.

When can I reach you?

Email anytime. Check-in calls are scheduled on weekday afternoons and evenings, so they work for crews who are on job sites in the morning.

What is the founding rate?

The first five Tucson contractors pay $29/month, locked in for 12 months, in exchange for feedback that helps shape the service. Plans are month to month, so there's no long contract, and you can cancel anytime.

Let's talk

Fifteen minutes to see if it's a fit.

Tell us your trade and the kind of public work you want. We'll show you what's been posted around Tucson lately and whether it's worth your time.

Book a free 15-min call → Join the founding 5