Often a client will have selected a contractor before speaking with me (many of my clients are referrals from builders). In this case, the construction contract is negotiated. For a variety of reasons a contract will be negotiated and contractor selection based on a range of qualifications other than strictly price. The project can also be bid in which case the contractor will be picked (from a pre-qualified list) on the basis of a firm price to construct the building. The method chosen will depend on many factors, and the decision will have an impact on the level of detail required for the construction documents and what my role will be in the final part of the process.