Getting on ALDOT's bidders list: prequalification, bidding and the paperwork

Most public construction work in Alabama is bid in the open, but each owner has its own gatekeeping. For highway and bridge work that owner is ALDOT. Here is what a firm needs before its first ALDOT bid, and how the rest of state purchasing fits in.

1. The license question

Since Oct. 1, 2024, an LBGC license is required when the cost of the undertaking is $100,000 or more, for general contractors and subcontractors alike. See our licensing guide.

2. Prequalification

ALDOT prequalifies primes through its Bureau of Office Engineer; applications are due at least 14 days before a bid opening and renew yearly. Prequalification is a financial and experience review. It usually sets the work types a firm may bid and, for many agencies, a capacity limit. It is not a license.

Timing

ALDOT's rule gives a firm until 14 days before a bid opening to have prequalification in. For the Dec. 4 letting, that means about Nov. 20. Approval can take longer than the minimum, so apply well ahead.

3. Bidding

Bids go in electronically through Bid Express with a Digital ID. Upcoming projects are on our bids page; ALDOT had 30 projects on its published letting information when this site last read it.

4. Bonds

Public works contracts of $50,000 or more carry a 100% performance bond and a payment bond of at least 50% (Ala. Code § 39-1-1). A claimant must give the surety written notice and wait 45 days before suing, and must sue within one year of final settlement.

What ALDOT is letting

Sorted by the words in each description, the 30 upcoming projects break down as resurfacing or pavement (24), safety and signals (4) and other work (2). The sort is ours and rough; a resurfacing job may also include bridge or safety work.

5. State agencies outside ALDOT

Other state agencies post construction, goods and services solicitations on STAARS Vendor Self Service (or Alabama Buys, for suppliers that need purchasing approval). Registering there is separate from ALDOT prequalification. See our supplier registration guide.

6. Subcontractors and suppliers

Subs and suppliers usually do not prequalify. They quote the primes that pick up each proposal, and agencies publish plan holder or proposal holder lists for that purpose. Disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) goals on federally funded jobs make certified firms especially sought after. Certification runs through the state's unified certification program.

What this site lists

The Alabama directory starts with 4,975 firms from LBGC full roster report. Every listed firm can claim its page to add work types, prequalification status, DBE certifications and contacts, which makes it easier for primes to find.

A checklist

• Business registration and tax IDs in order
• License or registration where Alabama requires one
• ALDOT prequalification or vendor ID
• Bidding software credentials (for example, a Digital ID)
• Bonding capacity confirmed with a surety
• Registration on STAARS Vendor Self Service (or Alabama Buys, for suppliers that need purchasing approval) for other state work

Terms used in this story

• Surety: the company that issues bid, performance and payment bonds and stands behind the contractor's obligations.
• Letting: the scheduled date when an agency opens and reads the bids for a group of projects.
• Proposal: the bid package for one project: the quantities, special provisions and forms a bidder fills in.
• Addendum: a change the agency issues to a proposal before the letting; bidders must acknowledge each one.
• Plan holders list: the list of firms that requested a project's plans, which subs and suppliers use to find primes to quote.
• Bid bond: a surety's guarantee, usually a percentage of the bid, that the low bidder will sign the contract and furnish the required bonds.
• Payment bond: a surety bond that guarantees the prime will pay its subs and suppliers on a public job, standing in for lien rights.
• Prequalification: an agency's review of a contractor's finances, equipment and experience that sets what work, and how much, it may bid.