A Division 09 Scope Checklist for General Contractors

Scope Gaps Are Cheaper to Find at Bid

Nearly every argument about painting scope was findable before award. Who paints the hollow metal frames. Whether the exposed structure is in the drywall package or ours. Which side of the demising wall belongs to which tenant. These are five-minute conversations in preconstruction and week-long problems in the field.

What follows is the list we work through before pricing. Any bidder should be able to answer all of it.

Substrate and Finish Level

The drywall finish level and the lighting design have to be looked at together. A Level 4 wall under critical raking light will telegraph joints regardless of what is applied over it, and the paint gets blamed for a drywall specification.

• Specified drywall finish level, checked against the lighting design
• Who accepts the substrate, and what happens when it is not ready
• Whether existing coatings can be recoated or need removal
• Concrete slab moisture, pH, and profile before any resinous floor
• Shop-primed steel: what arrives primed, what needs field priming

The Boundaries Nobody Writes Down

Most scope gaps live at the edge of somebody else's package. Settle them in writing before award.

• Hollow metal doors and frames: shop finish or field finish
• Exposed structure and deck: dryfall in the painting package or not
• Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing equipment: what gets painted
• Casework and millwork: shop finished or field finished
• Existing versus new surfaces on a renovation, marked on a drawing
• Touch-up after other trades: whose scope, and at whose cost

Access, Schedule, and Shifts

Access is priced, so it has to be defined. Who supplies lifts, what the ground conditions are, whether scaffold is shared, and what hours the site allows all change the number.

• Who furnishes access equipment, and is it shared with other trades
• Site working hours and any noise or odor restrictions
• Assumed shift structure, and the cost basis if the schedule compresses
• Area release sequence, and whether it matches the paint sequence
• Prevailing wage or certified payroll requirements

Submittals, Mockups, and Closeout

Submittals should be off the critical path. Product data, color schedules, and control samples get submitted early so approval is never the thing holding up production.

A mockup approved on the wall is a defined standard everyone has already seen. A finish described in an email is an argument waiting to happen.

• Submittal and approval turnaround built into the schedule
• Which surfaces require an approved mockup before production
• Attic stock quantity and where it is delivered
• Approved color schedule documented for future touch-ups
• Workmanship warranty term and what it covers

Questions Worth Asking Every Bidder

The answers tell you more about how the job will run than the number on the front page.

• What have you excluded, and why?
• What are you assuming about substrate condition?
• How will you handle it if drywall hands over late?
• Who is my point of contact once the job starts?
• Do you run your own quality walk before my walkthrough?

Common Questions

What is usually excluded from a commercial painting bid?

Commonly: shop-finished items, mechanical and electrical equipment, dryfall on exposed structure where it sits in another package, substrate repair beyond a stated allowance, and touch-up caused by other trades after final coat. A clear exclusions list is a sign of a careful estimator, not a hedge.

Who is responsible when the drywall finish level is wrong for the lighting?

It is a specification conflict rather than a painting defect, which is why it should be raised in preconstruction. We check the specified finish level against the lighting design and flag mismatches in writing before anyone is standing in a finished room disputing ownership.