User guide · Contractors
How to bid on PoolBid
Complete your profile. Review a standardized RFP. Submit a proposal. If the homeowner opted in, compete in a reverse auction — names stay anonymous. Winner pays 5%.
Joining and bidding are free. The awarded contractor pays a 5% success fee. You bid a real RFP — not a raw phone number.
The contractor path
01
Complete the profile
Company name, service area, typical project size, capacity. Upload license and insurance. A typed CPC number does not auto-verify. A person reviews it.
02
Wait for PoolBid credential review
We check Florida pool-scope license, DBPR status, liability, workers’ comp or exemption, service area, and completed work. Until that passes, you are not listed as verified.
03
Accept an invitation and read the RFP
You see city and ZIP — not the street — until the homeowner authorizes contact. Bid the document as written. List assumptions and exclusions.
04
Submit a proposal
Price, warranty, start, completion, payment schedule. You cannot raise a number later. Message PoolBid from the project. The homeowner thread opens after award or authorized contact.
05
Auction desk (if the homeowner opted in)
After two or more bids, a reverse auction may start. You see your rank and, depending on settings, the gap to the leader. Firm names stay anonymous. Multiple contractors can bid at the same time. A bid in the last two minutes extends the clock.
06
Award and construction
The homeowner awards. You are the contracting party. File the permit. Start construction. Change orders need written homeowner approval. PoolBid invoices the 5% success fee.
What PoolBid reviews
Florida CPC (or pool-scope license) on file
Certified Pool/Spa Contractor preferred. CGC alone is not enough until pool scope is confirmed.
DBPR status reviewed by a person
A typed license number never auto-verifies. PoolBid checks current/active status.
General liability insurance current
Certificate on file. Expiration watched.
Workers’ compensation or exemption
Required before a contractor can bid live work.
Service area confirmed
ZIP, municipality, or county they actually build in.
Capacity and typical project size
Open calendar and a project size that fits the RFP.
Completed residential work
Portfolio or references. Public website is a start, not a pass.
Auction rules
- — A reverse auction starts only after two or more contractors have submitted bids — and only if the homeowner opted in.
- — Contractors may only bid down. Raising a number is rejected.
- — Auctions run on a clock the homeowner or an admin sets — default 30 minutes, adjustable in admin settings (5–120).
- — A bid in the last two minutes extends the clock (anti-snipe).
- — Firm names stay anonymous during the live round. Everyone sees rank, not the competitor’s name.
- — Lowest bid does not automatically win. The homeowner awards after review.
- — PoolBid is the marketplace, not the contractor. The construction contract is between the homeowner and the selected company.
Register to bid.
Submit credentials. Wait for review. Bid real RFPs.