How to Keep Winning the Best Construction Jobs During Economic Uncertainty

The construction industry’s landscape is changing rapidly, from building code changes to price hikes and supply chain issues; it’s a volatile economic environment. All of these challenges are reshaping what it takes to win the best construction jobs and deliver successful, profitable projects.

For contractors and professionals working in commercial trades, such as electrical and plumbing, these challenges are hitting especially hard.

This creates new demands for accuracy, agility and proactive planning. Winning bids today requires more than just experience — it requires the right construction bidding software to deliver accurate, competitive proposals.

The right technology helps contractors overcome these pressures and adapt to changing conditions.

Key Takeaways For Winning More Jobs

• Supply chain disruptions and material price volatility require more sophisticated cost forecasting.
• Labor shortages and evolving conditions demand enhanced efficiency, flexibility and compliance tracking.
• Construction estimating and bidding software provides real-time pricing and automated takeoff tools that create faster, more accurate bids.

Navigating Rising Costs and Uncertainty

Rising material costs are here and impacting all corners of the construction sector, particularly in trades that rely on imported or commodity-based components. Here are a few recent cost trends that are impacting profit margins:

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), construction material prices have jumped more than 80% from early 2020 to mid-2023.
• Per the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), in some areas, input costs such as electrical and plumbing supplies have also risen by about 34% since December 2020.
• Gordian points out that copper wire costs have climbed over 6% heading into Q4 2024 and hit their five-year peak, with building wire experiencing multiple 5-7% price increases since December 2024.
• According to the Dodge Construction Network and Wood, Smith, Henning and Berman LLP (WSHB), tariffs and trade restrictions are major contributors to recent pressure, noting that recent U.S. policies have imposed duties of up to 25% on a variety of imported construction materials, while many building product imports currently carry tariffs of 14.5% with even higher rates proposed.

Tariffs and trade restrictions increase costs and create uncertainty around material pricing and availability.

For contractors working in fields like electrical and plumbing, even a marginal material cost miscalculation can eliminate project profit.

That’s why accurate, data-driven bidding with the support of construction cost estimating and bidding software is more important than ever, especially for electrical contractors and plumbing contractors facing supply chain volatility in construction.

Adaptability Starts With Estimating Technology

To stay competitive, contractors need more than spreadsheets or outdated tools. These legacy approaches often lead to calculation errors, outdated pricing and time-consuming manual processes that can’t keep pace with today’s market volatility.

Manual estimating methods struggle to adapt quickly when material costs shift or project specifications change mid-bid.

Estimating platforms and cloud-based construction bidding software tailored to construction trades can help:

• Speed up the automated bidding process
• Adapt to market swings
• Reduce construction bid errors and improve project bidding accuracy
• Build client trust through transparent pricing
• Construction bid management tools transform estimating by handling tasks from outlet counts to fixture pricing and giving contractors a needed edge

Related: Tips to improve your construction bids.

Best Practices for Resilient, Profitable Estimates

No matter what software you choose, the right habits can dramatically increase your odds of winning work and protecting margins. Here are some best practices to put in place:

• Use Up-to-Date Data: Rely on tools that pull current labor and material costs to keep estimates accurate.
• Build Repeatable Systems: Create templates and workflows within your contractor bidding software that streamline how your team bids.
• Plan for the Unknown: Contractors should add contingency buffers to bids and build estimates that account for change.
• Invest in Training: Tech is only as good as the team using it. Make adoption a priority.
• Refine Over Time: Use past project data to improve accuracy and adjust your approach.

These practices form the foundation for sustainable growth, even when market conditions remain unpredictable.

Related: Habits of successful estimators.

How Modern Estimating Software Addresses These Challenges

Modern construction estimating and bidding software is dedicated to solving the core challenges that today’s contractors and estimators face and to helping them continue to win profitable construction jobs.

With estimating software, you can streamline your workflow, respond quickly to changing costs and bid smarter on every commercial construction job.

Transforming the Way You Estimate

Estimating software’s advanced features are specifically designed to handle the complexities of modern estimating for the electrical and plumbing trades. Here’s how it can be used to address today’s biggest estimating challenges:

• Digital Takeoff: Convert electrical plans into accurate panel schedules and outlet counts, or translate plumbing drawings into precise fixture counts and pipe runs

• Live Pricing: Automatically update copper wire or PVC pipe costs as market prices fluctuate
• Templates: Standardize estimates for common installations like office lighting systems, industrial electrical panels or commercial restroom plumbing packages

These features work together to create estimates that are both faster to produce and more accurate than traditional manual methods.

Win More Profitable Construction Jobs With McCormick

The construction market’s volatility isn’t expected to disappear any time soon. Tariffs, labor shortages and unpredictable input costs will continue to influence the bidding and delivery process. In this environment, the firms that thrive will be those equipped with reliable tools, actionable data and flexible strategies.

When you choose powerful estimating software like McCormick, you’re choosing more than software — you’re choosing a partner committed to your efficiency, accuracy and long-term growth.

McCormick’s estimating software for electrical contractors and plumbing trades uses real-time material pricing to keep your bids competitive while digital bidding tools for contractors reduce time spent on manual calculations by up to 75%.

The platform’s built-in templates and customizable preconstruction workflows help estimators deliver consistent, professional proposals that demonstrate clear value to clients and protect profit margins even in volatile market conditions.

Request a demo of McCormick to see how McCormick can help you win the best construction jobs.