How to Write a Commercial Roofing RFP (With a Copy-Paste Template)

A good commercial roofing RFP does three things: it defines the existing roof honestly, it forces every bidder to price the same scope in the same format, and it makes unknowns like wet insulation a line item instead of a change order. Get those three right and your bid tabulation compares apples to apples. Get them wrong and the low bid wins on what it left out. This guide covers the whole process, and there is a complete copy-paste RFP template about halfway down. Chicago Flat Roofs responds to RFPs across Cook, DuPage, Will, and Kane counties, but this template is deliberately neutral. Use it with any bidder list you want.

Before you write anything: know what is on the roof

The single biggest cause of garbage bids is an RFP that does not describe the existing roof. If bidders do not know the assembly, the number of layers, and the moisture condition, every one of them guesses differently, and every bid you receive is priced against a different imaginary roof.

Minimum homework before drafting: the age of the current roof, the membrane type, how many roof layers exist (code allows a maximum of two, so a two-layer roof means mandatory tear-off), the deck type, and whether anyone has done core samples or a moisture survey. If you have none of this, get a roof assessment first. A condition report attached to your RFP raises the quality of every bid you receive, because bidders stop pricing risk and start pricing work.

Spec RFP or performance RFP: pick one on purpose

There are two legitimate ways to structure the technical side.

• Spec RFP. You (or your consultant) dictate the assembly: membrane type and thickness, attachment method, insulation R-value, cover board, edge metal, warranty term. Bidders price exactly that. Best when you have engineering support or portfolio standards, because bids are directly comparable down to the line item.
• Performance RFP. You define outcomes: watertight, code-compliant insulation, 20-year no-dollar-limit system warranty, and you let bidders propose the assembly. Best when you want the market’s ideas. The cost is comparability: you will be comparing a TPO proposal against a modified bitumen proposal, so require every bidder to state the full assembly so you can normalize.

The worst option is the accidental hybrid: a vague scope with one spec-like detail. Bidders will not know whether to follow it or improve on it, and you will get both.

What to require from every bidder, no exceptions

• Itemized pricing. Tear-off, insulation, membrane, flashings and details, edge metal, and general conditions broken out separately. A single lump-sum number cannot be compared or negotiated. This is the core of a real bid, and any contractor who resists itemizing is telling you something.
• Unit prices for unknowns. A per-square-foot unit price for replacing wet insulation and a unit price for deck replacement, committed in the bid. This is the clause that kills surprise change orders. Wet insulation exists on most aging Chicagoland roofs; the only question is whether you priced it before or after the contract was signed.
• Insulation spec in writing. Exact R-value, board thickness, number of layers, staggered joints or not. Insulation is where low bids quietly hide their margin.
• Warranty type, named precisely. Membrane-only and full-system warranties are radically different documents. Require bidders to name the manufacturer, the warranty product, and the term. Our guide to commercial roof warranties explains the difference in plain language.
• Schedule with sequencing. Start window, working days, and how the roof will be phased so no section sits open overnight and building operations continue.
• Safety and insurance documentation. Certificate of insurance with your entity named as additional insured, workers compensation coverage, EMR history, and the contractor’s written safety program.
• References for comparable work. Same system, similar size, in this climate.

The copy-paste RFP template

Copy the section below into your own document, replace every bracketed item, delete what does not apply, and issue it. It is written for a flat or low-slope commercial roof replacement and works for spec or performance structures.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL: COMMERCIAL ROOF REPLACEMENT

1. Project overview. Owner: [legal entity name]. Building: [address, city, IL]. Roof area: approximately [number] squares / [number] sq ft across [number] roof sections. Building use: [warehouse / office / retail / other]. The building will remain occupied and operational during the work: [yes/no].

2. Existing roof information. Current membrane: [type, if known]. Number of existing roof layers: [1 / 2 / unknown]. Approximate age: [years]. Deck type: [steel / wood / concrete / unknown]. Known leaks or problem areas: [describe]. Available documentation: [assessment report / core sample results / moisture survey / drawings], attached as [exhibit list]. Bidders may perform their own cores during the walk-through with owner approval.

3. Scope of work. [Choose one:] (a) Full tear-off of all existing roofing to the deck and installation of a new [membrane type and thickness, attachment method] roof system with [R-value] insulation and cover board; or (b) Bidder to propose full assembly meeting the performance requirements in Section 5. Scope includes all flashings, edge metal, terminations, walk pads at rooftop units, and disposal of all debris. Scope excludes [list exclusions].

4. Bid format requirements. Bids must include: (a) itemized pricing separating tear-off, insulation, membrane system, flashings and details, edge metal, and general conditions; (b) a committed unit price per square foot for removal and replacement of wet or damaged insulation beyond the base scope; (c) a committed unit price for deck repair or replacement; (d) any proposed alternates priced separately; (e) full description of the proposed assembly including manufacturer, membrane, thickness, attachment, insulation type and R-value.

5. Warranty requirements. Bids must include a manufacturer-issued full-system warranty of [term, e.g., 20 years] covering membrane, accessories, and workmanship, plus the contractor’s own workmanship warranty of [term]. Name the manufacturer and the exact warranty product in the bid.

6. Schedule. Anticipated award: [date]. Acceptable construction window: [date range]. Bids must state estimated working days, phasing plan for an occupied building, and how open roof sections will be made watertight daily.

7. Insurance, safety, and qualifications. Submit with bid: certificate of insurance meeting [limits], additional insured endorsement naming owner, workers compensation coverage, EMR for the last three years, written safety program summary, applicable state and local licensing, and [number] references for comparable projects completed in the last five years.

8. Site logistics. Material staging area: [location]. Crane or conveyor use requires [notice period]. Working hours: [hours]. Dock doors [list] must remain operational. Contractor is responsible for daily site cleanup and magnetic sweep for fasteners.

9. Bid process. Mandatory walk-through: [date and time]. Questions due in writing by [date] to [email]. All questions and answers will be distributed to all bidders in writing as addenda. Bids due by [date and time] to [email] in PDF format. Late bids will not be considered. Owner reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

10. Selection criteria. Owner will evaluate: completeness of itemized pricing, proposed assembly quality, warranty terms, schedule realism, safety record, references, and price. Lowest bid will not automatically be selected.

Red flags in the responses

• The lump-sum artist. One number, no breakdown, despite Section 4. Disqualify.
• No cores, no questions. A bidder who prices a 20-year-old roof without touching it or asking anything is planning to find the problems after contract signing, at change-order pricing.
• The vague warranty. “20-year warranty” with no manufacturer or product named usually means a membrane-only warranty being dressed up as a system warranty.
• The suspiciously thin low bid. Check its insulation spec and its wet-fill unit price first. That is where the gap almost always lives.
• Phone-call pressure. A bidder who wants to “walk you through it” verbally instead of putting clarifications in writing is undermining your bid record. Everything in writing, distributable to all bidders, or it did not happen.

Comparing bids apples to apples

Build a simple tabulation: one row per line item from Section 4, one column per bidder. Normalize the insulation first, since R-value and board count vary the most. Then compare wet-fill unit prices, because on an older roof that unit price may move the final number more than the base bid does. Then read the warranty products side by side. Only after all that should you look at the bottom line. On roofs over 100,000 sq ft, scope gaps compound fast; our large-roof replacement page covers what changes at that scale.

Where Chicago Flat Roofs fits

We respond to RFPs and bid invitations across Chicagoland, and our standard deliverable is exactly what this guide tells you to demand: an itemized scope, a named manufacturer system warranty, committed unit pricing for unknowns, and every clarification in writing by email. No sales calls at any point in the process. Details on how to send us your documents are on our RFP submission page, or start with the form below.