How to read a bid matrix
What each row is telling you, and which rows decide most searches.
Start at total cost, not monthly rate
Three years including escalator compounding, onboarding, and ancillary fees at your volumes. This reorders the ranking more often than not.
Then scope coverage
A company covering 22 of 22 requested services at a higher rate may be cheaper in practice than one covering 16 and billing the rest.
Then staffing
The named manager and their portfolio load. This is the row that most predicts whether you will be satisfied in year two.
Then the terms
Escalator and cap, notice period, auto-renewal, termination cost, and data on exit.
Read the flags last
They are prompts for questions, not verdicts. A flagged proposal from a company you liked is a conversation, not a disqualification.
General information for Board members, not legal advice. State law and your governing documents control.
Statutory deadlines, contract terms worth knowing about, and what we learn from proposals. No sales email, and we do not sell the list.
Start with what you already know.
You know your unit count. You know what your current management does well and what it does not. That is enough to begin.
Free for Boards. No calls until you ask.