Bid Shopping, Peddling, And Marketing

Publisher1

I am opening something of a Pandora's box with this question, which began when I could not find a general contractor ready to let me view the chaos and excitement of a (commercial) bid close. This is when the GC must pull together all the sub trade prices and come in with a quote at a fixed bidding deadline. I promised all the GCs I approached to respect their confidentiality and that I would not publish damaging or inappropriate information -- but the answer, even from people who know me well and trust me, was a flat "no". (In the next breath, a few of the people involved provided me referrals that will probably result in $5 to $10K of business!)
So I set out to find out why, and a subcontractor (for whom I have also received worthwhile business) gave me the answer: "Bid Shopping," he said -- "Everyone is doing it -- and obviously no one will want you around to witness it." He provided further, graphic details and (in confidence) named some names.
I realize bid shopping/peddling is an ethical issue more for commercial and government than residential contractors, but have you run into these issues and wish to report/share your experiences and observations. I may use some of them for an upcoming article but will not identify by real business name without your consent. (Obviously if you choose to post on a public Internet forum, you cannot claim any right to privacy for your actual posting -- if you wish a higher level of confidentiality, best to pm or email me!)