Getting prequalified with GCs and public owners instead of chasing platform leads

Written for general contractors, remodelers, framers and carpenters, roofers, drywall, masonry and concrete contractors, and kitchen and bath installers in the US, from one-truck outfits to small GCs.

The short version

1. Know what each type of client checks.Homeowners check reviews and your license. GCs check financials, bonding and your safety record. Public owners check registration and bonds.
2. Build your prequalification file before you bid.CPA-prepared financial statements, a bonding letter, your EMR and your OSHA 300 log, ready before the GC's form arrives.
3. Register in SAM.gov before chasing federal work.Get a Unique Entity ID, then look at the small business programs. Bid bonds follow each solicitation's own amount and rules.

Residential work comes first from referrals and repeat clients, then a Google Business Profile with recent reviews and photos, then platforms such as Angi, Thumbtack, Houzz and Nextdoor. Compare channels by cost per signed job, not per lead. To move up to GC and public work, you need a different kind of proof.

Homeowners

What wins: speed of response, a clear written estimate with exclusions, photos of similar work, proof of license and insurance, and a believable schedule and draw plan. Ask for a review at closeout with a direct link, and answer a bad one once, factually.

California and Florida require your license number in ads and on bids, and never claim "licensed, bonded and insured" unless all three are current.

General contractors

GCs prequalify subs on financial statements, a bonding letter and the safety record. An experience modification rate (EMR) above 1.0, which means worse than average for your class codes, often rules a bidder out, and the OSHA 300 log is read. A company that had more than 10 employees at any time in the last calendar year, counting every location, keeps that log (29 C.F.R. sec. 1904.1), so keep it accurate and current. As of Oct 2026.

GCs prequalify on financial statements, a bonding letter and the safety record, and an EMR above 1.0 often rules a bidder out.

Bonding capacity gates bigger work. The surety underwrites capital, capacity and character from CPA-prepared statements (reviewed or audited above small lines), your WIP schedule and your backlog. Ask your surety agent for its own single-job and aggregate limits, which vary by surety and year. The SBA Surety Bond Guarantee program can cover eligible contracts up to $9 million, or $14 million for a federal contract with the required certification. As of Oct 2026.

Public work

For federal work, register in SAM.gov and get a Unique Entity ID. Look at the small business, HUBZone, 8(a), women-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned programs, and at state and city certification for local preference programs. Bid bonds are in the amount the solicitation sets, and the solicitation's own instructions and deadlines rule.

Associations can open doors: NAHB and the state home builders associations, NARI for remodelers, and ABC and AGC for commercial contractors.

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