How to Read a Paving Bid (and Spot the Corners Being Cut)

Get three bids for the same driveway and they can come back thousands apart. That spread scares people, and it should — but not because anyone is necessarily lying. The difference is almost always in what's not written down. Here's how to read one like someone who's written a few thousand of them.

What a real bid spells out

• Base prep. The most important line and the most commonly missing one. What happens to the subgrade and base before paving? "Pave over existing" is a different job than "rebuild base."
• Thickness and mix. Compacted inches, and what mix. A number you can compare between bids.
• Drainage. If water is part of your site's story, the bid should say what happens to it.
• Who's doing the work. A license number you can verify with the CSLB, bonding, workers' comp, and insurance. Ours is #892974 — every legitimate contractor will hand theirs over without being asked twice.
• The warranty, in writing. Ask what's covered and for how long. Most paving contracts carry one year on workmanship; ours carries two on asphalt. The answer — and the hesitation before it — tells you a lot.

The question that sorts everyone out

Ask each bidder: "What would you do differently if this were your own driveway?" The honest ones get specific fast. The other kind repeat the bid back to you. Then get everything the honest one said — into the bid, in writing.