Do I have to give my email to download these?

No. There is no form, no gate and no email capture on any of the three checklists. Gating them would trade most of their usefulness for a handful of low quality leads, and the people who most need a closeout checklist are often reviewing a different contractor's work.

Can I use these on projects with other contractors?

Yes, and that is partly the point. The closeout checklist in particular is written to be used against any contractor's submittal. If it helps you catch a gap in someone else's package, it has done its job. Adapt them to your own process freely.

How do I save a checklist as a PDF?

Use your browser's print function and choose save as PDF. Each checklist page has a print stylesheet that strips out navigation and expands the content, so what you get is a clean working document rather than a captured web page with menus in it.

Which checklist should I use first?

The bid request checklist, before a scope goes out to bid. Most change orders and wide contingencies trace back to items left out of the original request, such as restoration standard or permitting responsibility. Fixing those at the start costs a few minutes. Fixing them after award costs a change order and often schedule as well.

What should I do if a closeout package fails the checklist?

List every missing item and ask the contractor which data was captured but not compiled and which was never captured. Compiled data can usually be supplied within days. Data that was never captured, such as depth readings on a bore that is now buried, cannot be recreated reliably, so record that gap in the project file before accepting the package.

Are the checklists specific to Florida?

Mostly no. The items apply to outside plant work generally. The readiness checklist names Sunshine 811 because that is Florida's one call notification center, and other states have their own equivalent. Swap in your local one call system and permitting authorities and the rest of each checklist applies as written.

Resources

Checklists and Downloads

No email required. Use them on projects that have nothing to do with us.

Three checklists are available: a bid request checklist covering what a contractor needs to price accurately, a project readiness checklist for the week before mobilization, and a closeout checklist for reviewing a contractor's final submittal. None are gated.

Why these are not behind a form

Gating a checklist behind an email address trades most of its usefulness for a small number of low quality leads. The people who most need a closeout checklist are often reviewing another contractor's submittal, and they are not going to fill in a form to do it.

A checklist that circulates freely and gets used is worth more than a lead list. If it turns out to be useful and you remember where it came from, that is a better outcome than a gated download nobody opens.

Bid Request Checklist

Use this before sending a scope out to bid. It covers route and scope definition, site conditions, and the commercial and compliance items that most often go unstated.

Gaps in these areas are the single most common reason bids come back with wide contingency or generate change orders later. A contractor pricing an unstated restoration standard will assume the cheapest one that will pass.

Project Readiness Checklist

Use this in the week before mobilization. It covers locates, permits, make-ready, material, access and the coordination items that determine whether day one is productive.

A crew standing down on the first morning because a permit is outstanding costs considerably more than the short check would have taken.

Closeout Checklist

Use this to review any contractor's closeout submittal, ours included. It covers field completion, documentation and the commercial items that close a project properly.

For each item that is missing, the useful question is whether the data was captured and not compiled, or never captured at all. The first is fixable in days. The second cannot be fixed after demobilization.

How to save them

Each checklist page is built to print cleanly. Use your browser's print function and save as PDF. The print stylesheet removes navigation and expands everything so the output is a usable working document rather than a screenshot of a web page.

Where does each checklist fit in a project?

The three checklists follow a project from start to finish. The bid request checklist is used before work is priced, the readiness checklist in the days before crews arrive, and the closeout checklist when the final package is delivered.

Used together, they cover the three points where most project problems start: a scope that leaves important items unstated, a mobilization that begins before permits, locates or make-ready are in place, and a closeout that is accepted before anyone checks what is in it.

What does the bid request checklist cover?

It is organized in three groups. Route and scope covers the route, approximate footage, conduit or cable specification, the crossing inventory, surface types and any aerial scope. Site conditions covers known existing utilities, soil information, access and staging, and environmental constraints.

Commercial and compliance covers permitting responsibility, traffic control expectations, the restoration standard, insurance and bonding requirements, the schedule and the documentation required at closeout. These are the items that most often explain why two bids for the same route differ.

What do the readiness and closeout checklists cover?

The readiness checklist confirms that Sunshine 811 tickets are current, permits are issued and on site, the maintenance of traffic plan is approved, make-ready is complete, material is on site or scheduled, and access is confirmed. It also covers coordination, such as a named point of contact on both sides and a completed pre-construction walkout, and risk items such as known conflicts and weather.

The closeout checklist covers field completion, including restoration verified and photographed and the punch list closed. It then covers documentation such as as-builts, bore logs, location keyed photographs, test records, structure locations and tracer wire continuity, and finally the commercial items: reconciled footage, closed permits, resolved change orders and warranty terms.

How do you adapt a checklist to your own process?

Treat each checklist as a starting point. Add items your organization always requires, such as a specific as-built file format or an owner's inspection hold point, and remove items that never apply to your work.

Keep the order. The sequence follows how a project actually runs, and items placed out of order tend to get checked too late to change anything.

Key takeaways

Strilla's bid request, project readiness and closeout checklists are free to use on any project, with no email or form required.
Gaps in a bid request are the most common reason bids come back with wide contingency or produce change orders later.
A crew stood down on the first morning because a permit is missing costs far more than the readiness check would have taken.
A missing closeout item that was captured can be compiled in days, but data never captured cannot be recovered after demobilization.

Key terms

Bid request: The scope package a project owner sends to contractors for pricing. A complete one defines the route, footage, specification, crossings, surfaces, existing utilities, restoration standard, permitting responsibility, schedule and closeout documentation, so every bidder prices the same work.
Maintenance of traffic plan: The approved plan for keeping traffic moving safely around work in or beside a roadway, covering signs, lane closures, flaggers and work hours. Permitting authorities commonly require it before work in their right of way can start.
Punch list: A list of small outstanding items found at the end of construction, such as a low spot in restored sod or a missing marker, that must be finished before the job is accepted. Closing it is part of field completion, not something to defer past demobilization.

The three checklists and when to use them

Checklist	When to use it	Groups covered	Main risk it prevents
Bid Request Checklist	Before a scope goes out to bid	Route and scope, site conditions, commercial and compliance	Bids that cannot be compared and later change orders
Project Readiness Checklist	The week before mobilization	Before mobilization, coordination, risk	A crew standing down on day one
Closeout Checklist	When the final package is delivered	Field completion, documentation, commercial and compliance	Accepting a package with records missing

Outside plant project lifecycle

What this means for your project

Each checklist moves a decision earlier, to the point where it is cheap. A restoration standard stated in the bid request is priced once. The same standard discovered after award becomes a change order. A permit confirmed the week before mobilization costs a phone call, while one found missing on day one costs a crew day.

For documentation, the closeout checklist is the last chance to catch gaps while the contractor still has the data and the incentive to supply it. Once the package is accepted and retainage released, missing records become the owner's problem for the life of the plant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to give my email to download these?: No. There is no form, no gate and no email capture on any of the three checklists. Gating them would trade most of their usefulness for a handful of low quality leads, and the people who most need a closeout checklist are often reviewing a different contractor's work.
Can I use these on projects with other contractors?: Yes, and that is partly the point. The closeout checklist in particular is written to be used against any contractor's submittal. If it helps you catch a gap in someone else's package, it has done its job. Adapt them to your own process freely.
How do I save a checklist as a PDF?: Use your browser's print function and choose save as PDF. Each checklist page has a print stylesheet that strips out navigation and expands the content, so what you get is a clean working document rather than a captured web page with menus in it.
Which checklist should I use first?: The bid request checklist, before a scope goes out to bid. Most change orders and wide contingencies trace back to items left out of the original request, such as restoration standard or permitting responsibility. Fixing those at the start costs a few minutes. Fixing them after award costs a change order and often schedule as well.
Can I edit the checklists for my organization?: Yes. Add items your organization always needs, such as a required as-built file format or an inspection hold point, and remove items that never apply to your work. Keep the order where you can, because it follows how a project runs, and an item moved out of sequence tends to be checked too late to help.
What should I do if a closeout package fails the checklist?: List every missing item and ask the contractor which data was captured but not compiled and which was never captured. Compiled data can usually be supplied within days. Data that was never captured, such as depth readings on a bore that is now buried, cannot be recreated reliably, so record that gap in the project file before accepting the package.
Are the checklists specific to Florida?: Mostly no. The items apply to outside plant work generally. The readiness checklist names Sunshine 811 because that is Florida's one call notification center, and other states have their own equivalent. Swap in your local one call system and permitting authorities and the rest of each checklist applies as written.

Request a Bid

Ready to start your next directional drilling or fiber project?

Send the scope and we will come back with a clear, documented bid. Owned crews, aerial and underground under one contract, and a closeout package that lets you close the file.

Request a Bid Call (386) 396-2033

Most bid requests receive a response within one business day.