Architecture and engineering public bids

The numbers

Cleared US state and local bids carrying the architecture and engineering label, due in the 12 months to November 1, 2026. Release of November 1, 2026.

Labelled bids

273

after merging duplicates and repeat captures

Cleared sources

179

that posted at least one

States and DC

37

with at least one labelled bid

With a usable posting date

189

69% of the labelled bids

Who posts these bids

Share of the 273 labelled bids by type of buyer. The six largest types are shown.

• Cities and towns42.1%
• Counties15.8%
• Colleges and universities15.0%
• Utilities8.1%
• Special districts6.6%
• State agencies4.0%

The other 8.4% is not shown here.

Cities and towns are the largest buyer type here at 42.1%. Among the other 11 trades in the same table that list cities and towns among their six largest buyer types, the share runs from 8.8% to 53.6%, so 42.1% is higher than 8 of the 11.

State agencies post 4.0%. Among the other 11 trades in the same table that list state agencies among their six largest buyer types, the share runs from 7.2% to 48.4%, so 4.0% is lower than all 11.

How long bidders get

28.2 daysmedian from posting to due date

That is calendar days from the posting date the source gave to the due date, for the 189 labelled bids (69%) with a usable posting date, due in the 12 months to November 1, 2026. A posting date is usable when the source's date is more than a day before we first saw the bid and the window is under 120 days. Bids with a usable date lean toward portals that publish one, and bids that open and close within days are under-counted. The rules are in how we count public bids, and the all-trades picture is in how long you get to respond.

In the same table, which covers the 12 months to November 1, 2026, the 6 trades with a published median run from 26.0 to 28.8 days. 28.2 days is the second highest of them. The spread is only 2.8 days, so the response window on its own does not set architecture and engineering apart from other trades.

The deadline planner turns a due date into a working-day schedule.

Where the bids come from

Labelled architecture and engineering bids appear in 37 states, counting DC as one. We publish no state breakdown for this trade: the release's state table covers all trades together, and a state figure needs at least 150 bids.

What a response is asked for

Each item is taken from an official or national source, linked, and read on November 1, 2026.

The first two items are state statutes, from Texas and Florida, that bind state agencies, cities, counties and other local buyers in those states. The bids on this page come from buyers in more states than that, so read them as examples of how local buyers select design firms, not as the rule for your buyer. The rest are federal and national sources. Other states have their own laws and your solicitation controls. We have not measured how many bids on this page ask for each item.

1. Texas: no competitive bids for design services

   Under the Professional Services Procurement Act, a Texas governmental entity may not select an architect, engineer or surveyor, or award the contract, on the basis of competitive bids. The Act defines a governmental entity to include state agencies, counties, municipalities, districts and other political subdivisions, and publicly owned utilities. The entity must first select the most highly qualified provider on demonstrated competence and qualifications, and then try to negotiate a contract at a fair and reasonable price. If it cannot agree a price with that provider, it formally ends negotiations and moves to the next most highly qualified one, and it continues until a contract is made. A response to a Texas buyer is therefore judged on qualifications first, with price settled afterward.

   Source: Texas Government Code, Chapter 2254, Subchapter A, sections 2254.002 to 2254.004

2. Florida: public notice, a ranked shortlist of three, then price

   Florida's Consultants' Competitive Negotiation Act covers the state, state agencies, municipalities, political subdivisions, school districts and school boards. An agency must publicly announce each project whose estimated construction cost, or each study whose fee, is above the thresholds the statute sets, and the notice must say how firms can apply. The agency holds discussions with no fewer than three firms and ranks no fewer than three in order of preference on qualifications, including the ability of its professional personnel, past performance, willingness to meet time and budget requirements, location and workload. It may ask for and consider a compensation proposal only during the negotiation that follows, with the top-ranked firm and then the next ranked firms in turn. Projects below the thresholds can follow another process.

   Source: Florida Statutes, section 287.055, Consultants' Competitive Negotiation Act

3. Selection on qualifications, with price negotiated after

   Federal buyers rank architect-engineer firms on published criteria and talk with at least three of the most highly qualified, then negotiate a fair and reasonable price with the top-ranked firm. The Federal Acquisition Regulation lists the criteria as professional qualifications, specialized experience and technical competence, capacity to finish the work on time, past performance, location and knowledge of the locality, and other appropriate criteria the agency sets. Price is not one of the listed criteria. If talks with the first firm fail, the buyer moves to the next on the list.

   Source: 40 U.S.C. 1103, selection of architects and engineers; Federal Acquisition Regulation, Subpart 36.6, architect-engineer services

4. Standard Form 330

   To be considered for a federal architect-engineer contract, a firm must file Part II of Standard Form 330, and Part I when the work calls for it. GSA publishes the form, last revised in July 2021. A state or local buyer may ask for the same form or the same information, so keep a current one.

   Source: FAR 36.603, collecting data on potential sources; GSA, Architect-Engineer Qualifications (SF 330)

5. Professional licenses, set by the state

   Engineers are licensed by state boards, and NCEES, whose members are 68 engineering and surveying licensing boards, tells candidates to verify the requirements in the state where they plan to practice. NCARB says each state has a different set of rules for practicing architecture. Check the solicitation for which licenses it asks for, and in which state.

   Source: NCEES, licensure; NCARB, get licensed

General public portals

From our verified directory. Each portal's own page answered on November 1, 2026. These are general procurement portals, and we have not checked which of them post architecture and engineering work. The directory lists 30 portals in all and is not complete.

Cities and counties post 57.9% of the labelled architecture and engineering bids, and state agencies post 4.0%. Most of these bids come from cities, counties and other local buyers. A statewide portal can also carry local buyers' bids, and we have not published how these bids split across portals. Also watch your own local buyers' procurement pages.

Download the directory (CSV)

Data and method

Figures come from the November 1, 2026 data release (2026-11-01-r2), built from a saved snapshot of November 1, 2026, and a new release updates this page. This page lists no individual bids. Download all trades (CSV) or the trade file (JSON), check the manifest with file hashes, check the exclusion counts, or read how we count public bids. Corrections to hello@velocitybids.ai.

Keep reading

• How to respond to an RFP, step by step
• Bid or no-bid: how to decide which RFPs to pursue
• How long you get to respond to a public bid
• Bid or no-bid scorecard
• All trade hubs