How it works
Pick A Contractor sits between you and the contractors who bid on your project, whether it is your home or a commercial job. You post it, PAC reviews it and each bid, and you spend your time choosing.
For every customer
The same steps for a homeowner, an architect, a commercial owner or an association.
Sign up in your area and post the project online, or call and we'll help you post it. A short guided form asks the questions that matter for your kind of work.
Posting for a client, or sending a drawing set out to bid? See how it works for architects and owners.
Want a pro to handle it? Where PAC has a local team, ask for the layout service when you post. A PAC pro walks the job with you and:
Contractors then bid on that measured write-up. When it's worth it, what it costs and where it's available.
Before contractors see your project, your local office reviews it and calls you if anything needs filling in, so contractors get what they need to price it.
Bidding is open to your area or by invitation. In an open bid, contractors who work in that trade in your area see the job, with your photos, details and any measurements and documents, and send their bids. By invitation, PAC's office sets the invited list and runs the invitation. PAC checks every contractor's licenses and insurance before they can bid.
Before a bid reaches you, your local office checks that it covers the written scope and is complete. Then the bids are organized so you can compare them line for line.
Each bid shows the price, start date and how long the work will take, next to the contractor's ratings, showcased projects, licenses and insurance.
A bigger project can be split into parts, like the roof, the siding and the gutters. Approve one contractor for everything, different contractors for different parts, or one part now and the rest later.
After you approve, the contractor sends a contract for you to sign and you set the start date and payment schedule together. Your local office stays a phone call away.
PAC next to the lead sellers
Fill in a form on many home-service sites and your name, address and phone number are sold to contractors as a "lead". Here is how that compares with posting a project on Pick A Contractor.
| Lead-selling services | Pick A Contractor | |
|---|---|---|
| Your name and phone number | Sold to several contractors, often within minutes of you asking. | Kept private. A contractor receives your name, address and phone number once you choose their bid and PAC confirms it. |
| What you get back | Phone calls, texts and sales visits. | Complete written bids, side by side, with each contractor's ratings and past work. |
| Comparing prices | Each contractor measures and describes the job their own way, so the prices are hard to line up. | Every contractor prices the same written scope. |
| Who checks the details | A job type and a ZIP code from a web form are passed straight along. | PAC reviews your project before contractors see it, and reviews every bid before you do. |
| Pressure to decide | Each contractor has paid for your name and wants a signature before the next one arrives. | Decide at your own pace. On an open bid, contractors learn who you are after you choose. |
| Who is paying | Free to you, because your contact details are the product being sold. | You are the member. Membership is normally $59 and is free for a limited time. |
How lead-selling services commonly work. Details vary from one company to the next.
Optional layout & measure service
A PAC pro visits, measures, photographs and writes up the scope, and contractors bid on that write-up. It has a separate, non-refundable layout fee, apart from the price of the job, and we confirm the amount before anything is charged.
Available in the Youngstown area today. Every area is open for posting jobs and for contractors' tools. The layout visit comes to an area once enough neighbors join, and you'll already be in. Want it in your area? Say so when you post, and we'll let you know when it arrives.
For contractors
Apply online with a one-time $100 application fee. PAC checks your licenses and insurance, then you pick a program.
Homeowners, architects and commercial owners post jobs, and PAC reviews each one before it opens. Some are open to your area and some are by invitation. Jobs measured by PAC arrive with measurements, photos, sketches and documents.
PAC reviews your bid and sends it to the customer. When you're chosen, the bid becomes a contract, and estimating and accounting tools help you run the work.
I can't believe this service exists...
Our story Est. 2006
Pick A Contractor started in Youngstown, Ohio in 2006 to take the guesswork out of hiring a contractor. A local office sits between homeowners and contractors, so everyone is pricing and comparing the same job. Today every area is open, and contractors get the tools to run the job from the first bid to the final books.
Start online, or ask your local office to call you.