The Monday Morning Building Product Advisor
Issue #94
The call came on a Thursday afternoon in 2004, right after the elevator inspector left.
“We’ve got a problem with the elevator glass,” Paul said. He was the job superintendent.
“What kind of problem?”
“The inspector flagged it. The elevator code requires laminated glass.”
“Jeez… How’d the elevator manufacturer miss that? Tell them they need to replace it.”
Long pause.
“No… they got their glass right. It’s the 8 stories of curtain wall glass you spec’d as one of the elevator shaft walls. You called for tempered safety glass.”
“#$@%!” :(
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I was still fairly early in my career. Confident enough to manage a complex project, still green enough to miss the obvious. The inspector pointed me straight to the code section. There it was. We’d need to replace every piece. At our expense.
Our master spec didn’t cover insulated glass in elevator shafts. Nobody on our team had done a glass elevator before. We just… didn’t think to check the elevator code for this.
But here’s what kept me up that night. I knew somewhere in the bid chain, someone probably knew exactly what we needed.
That knowledge never reached me.
Where Expertise Goes to Die
Design-bid-build isn’t the villain here. Information flows one way, but expertise flows the other. They rarely meet.
During bidding, I rarely get to see:
- Bud qualifications from glass subcontractors
- Code interpretations
- Risk callouts
- Alternative approaches
All I usually see is one line in the GC’s Schedule of Values: “Glass and glazing: $___.” (After the project is awarded.)
One number. Years of field experience, code knowledge, and lessons from other projects… All rolled into one price.
This isn’t broken, exactly. It’s just how the system works. And it’s designed to hide the very expertise that could prevent disasters.
(Most construction failures aren’t from bad intentions. They’re from good information that never makes it to the right person at the right time.)
The Call I Didn’t Expect
Two days later, a product rep I’ll call “Michael” rang. His firm had bid the project through the GC. Through the grapevine, he’d heard about our problem.
He showed up the next morning with his original bid package. The one he’d submitted to the general contractor a year earlier. In his qualifications section, he had what could have saved a lot of trouble and money:
“Laminated glass required for elevator shaft glazing per ASME A17.1 elevator code. Bid includes laminated units conforming to ANSI Z97.1. See attached technical data.”
He’d cited the code section, a recent update, and attached backup documentation. He’d even walked the GC through it during bid review because “I’ve seen this mistake cost people before.”
Everything I needed to know. In a package I’d never normally see.
Now, let’s be honest. Michael wasn’t being purely altruistic. He was positioning his firm for future work. Making himself look sharp while (let’s face it) making the winning sub look sloppy.
Was it generous? Yes. Strategic? Absolutely. Was I grateful anyway? You betcha!
Michael did three things most reps never think to do. And those three things made his expertise visible through a system designed to hide it.
3 things Michael did that changed everything
1. He documented with the architect in mind, not just the GC
Most sub bids are written for general contractors: pricing, schedule, exclusions. Check the boxes, move on.
Michael wrote his qualifications, knowing they might need to speak to someone 3 steps removed from the conversation. The code citations were specific. Risk callouts were clear. No jargon. If that package ever surfaced to me or the university, it would make sense without him there to explain it.
Think about that for a second.
How many of your bid qualifications would make sense to an architect who’s never met you? Who’s reading it a year later when something’s gone wrong?
Your qualifications aren’t just CYA. They’re your expertise made portable.
Write them for the person who needs them most (even if they’ll probably never see them).
Because sometimes… the process breaks down. And when it does, clear documentation is the difference between “Who knew about this?” and “Here’s exactly what we told them.”
2. He educated the GC, creating an advocate
Michael didn’t just submit and hope.
During bid review, he explained why laminated glass mattered. What code drove it. What risk the project faced.
He lost the bid anyway. His price was higher.
But he’d planted knowledge with the GC. And it should have surfaced when the cheaper bid came in without laminated glass.
Look, I get it. You’re busy. You’ve got quotas. The GC’s juggling fifteen other subs. Why spend extra time educating someone who might not even pick you?
Because the GC is your conduit to the architect and owner. They’re the only ones who see both your bid and our specs. When they see why your approach matters, they’re more likely to support you even when you’re not there.
Sometimes that means they flag a concern before there’s a problem. Sometimes they remember you when a change order comes up. Sometimes they bring you in on the next project because they trust your judgment.
Educating your immediate customer isn’t just good service. It’s making your expertise transferable through the contractual chain.
Even when you don’t win.
3. He stayed strategically aware of projects he’d bid
When Michael heard from his network about our glass issue in the elevator, he knew right away what it was. Didn’t have to dig through old files wondering if he’d bid that project… he knew. Because he’d documented a specific risk and tracked whether it materialized.
This wasn’t stalking. It was professional awareness: “I told someone this could be a problem. Did it become a problem? Can my documentation help?”
[“But Neil… I bid forty projects a quarter. I can’t track them all.”]
Fair. You can’t.
But the projects where you flagged something unusual? Where you documented a code change or specification concern?
Those are worth tracking. Not obsessively. Just… awareness.
When that risk happens and you have helpful documentation, you’re not just fixing a problem. You’re demonstrating your expertise has value beyond the transaction.
What happened next (and why you should care)
Michael’s documentation helped us negotiate a cost-share with our firm, the GC, and the glass sub. It turned a $100,000 crisis into a $33,000 lesson for each party.
What really mattered was this: Michael’s firm was hired to supply and install the new glass. Then awarded the next campus project. Then involved in every project I’ve worked on in the 21 years since.
Not because I felt obligated.
I learned to trust Michael. When he bid on a project, his qualifications shared what the team needed to know. Things that could save me from my own mistakes.
That’s worth more than a low bid. Every time.
Making your expertise visible
If you’re in design-bid-build or any model where architects miss sub-tier bids, here’s how to boost your value:
- Share insights on past projects. This helps others learn.
- Engage with subcontractors. Build strong relationships for future work.
- Offer to review bids. Your expertise can improve outcomes.
- Stay updated on industry trends. Knowledge makes you a go-to resource.
- Network actively. Connections can lead to new opportunities.
By doing these, you enhance your worth beyond the current job.
Document for the person who’s not in the room
Write qualifications that would make sense to the architect if they ever surfaced.
Cite actual code sections, not just “meets code.” Note recent changes or common misinterpretations. (This is gold. Architects miss this stuff.) Explain why, not just what.
Explain it clearly and simply, like you’re talking to your smart cousin who doesn’t know construction.
Educate your immediate customer strategically
Help the GC understand what makes your approach different.
Frame it as risk mitigation, not upselling. (Nobody likes being sold to. Everyone likes avoiding disasters.) Use specific examples: “I’ve seen three projects in the last two years where this code section was missed…”
Give them language they can use with the architect.
Create awareness for high-risk projects
You don’t need fancy CRM fields.
Just flag projects where you called out specific risks. Note unusual code requirements you raised. Set a reminder to check in (through appropriate channels) on high-risk projects.
When things go wrong, ask yourself, “Did I document anything that might help?”
Surface expertise at inflection points
There are moments in every project where expertise becomes currency.
- Specification questions during bidding
- VE discussions where cheaper alternatives are being considered
- Post-award coordination when details need clarification
- Problem-solving when something goes wrong.
These are your opportunities to show you’re a source of knowledge, not just a supplier of products.
The part where we’re honest about the limits
Will this win you every bid? No.
Will some GCs find it annoying? Possibly. (Though in my experience, the good ones appreciate it.)
Will your sales manager understand why you’re spending time on lost projects? Maybe not at first.
After 28 years, I know this: the market sees specialized products as commodities more and more. Differentiation comes from one place. Architects and owners recognizing your expertise prevents problems they didn’t know they had.
You can’t control whether they see your bid package.
You CAN control how clearly you show your expertise. You can also educate those who see it. Plus, you can choose when to share that knowledge when it matters.
Michael took a smart chance by helping me with existing documents from a project he had already lost. He believed this would create a valuable relationship that compounds over time.
He was right.
Not because he was generous (though he was). He built a system that made his expertise visible, portable, and valuable. It went beyond any single transaction.
Your expertise is worth more than you think
You have knowledge that’s worth something.
About codes. About installation sequences. About common specification errors. About what actually works in the field versus what looks good on paper.
The question isn’t whether you should share it.
The question is: “How do you make it visible to the people who need it, through a system designed to hide it?”
Document clearly. Educate strategically. Surface at the right moments.
That’s not altruism. That’s professional positioning.
And in an industry that remembers who helped solve problems… It’s the difference between being a vendor and being the first call.
That 2004 project kerfuffle taught me to write better specs and do more expansive code reviews. It showed me to appreciate reps who share their expertise in challenging systems.
If you’re a product rep reading this, know that architects notice. We remember. And we call the people we trust when the next project comes around.
Even if you weren’t the cheapest last time.
That's it for this week!
Cheers to building more than just buildings, and see you next week,
Neil "I’m-not-perfect" Sutton
Architect | Speaker | The Product Rep Coach
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P.S. Do you really want inside an architect's head?
When you’re ready, there are 3 ways you can start working with me:
- Product reps: If you want to be better at connecting with architects, hit reply, and let's chat.
- Business owners or Team Leaders: You can book an Architect Connections Training for your team. Hit reply, and I'll send you the details.
- Speaking: If you’d like me to present at an upcoming group meeting, reach out, and let’s talk!
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