# Public versus private work: the honest trade-offs

> Public work offers long contract terms, payers that won't go out of business, published opportunities anyone can bid on, and fair, rule-based evaluation. The costs are more paperwork, strict compliance, fixed prices for years, slower payment processes and tough price competition. Most small crews do best with a mix: public contracts for steady base revenue, private work for margin.

By James DeGreef. Updated 2026-10-24. Facts checked 2026-10-24. Source page: https://crewbid.tech/articles/public-vs-private-work

Some contractors swear by public work. Others won't touch it. Both are usually right about their own business. Public contracts are a different kind of customer, with real advantages and real costs. Here's an honest list of both.

## What's good about public work

### Long terms

Service contracts often run two to five years. That's predictable revenue you can plan hiring and equipment around, and use to show a bank you're a good risk.

### Payers that don't disappear

Cities, school districts and federal departments don't go bankrupt or vanish owing you three months of invoices. They pay on a process, but they pay. Federal policy sets a 30-day standard with interest if the government pays late.

### You can find the work

Above set thresholds, public buyers must post their contracts openly. You don't need to know the right person to hear about them. [Where BC tenders are posted](https://crewbid.tech/guides/where-bc-tenders-are-posted) lists the places.

### Fair rules

Public buyers have to evaluate bids by published criteria and treat bidders equally, and the courts hold them to it. See [Contract A](https://crewbid.tech/articles/contract-a-tender-law). A small crew gets the same process as a large firm.

### References that travel

A good record with one public buyer is persuasive to the next. Municipalities, school districts and health authorities all ask for public-sector references, and talk to each other.

## What's hard about public work

### Paperwork and compliance

Clearance letters, insurance certificates, safety programs, signed forms, addenda. One missing page can sink a bid. See [nine ways good bids get thrown out](https://crewbid.tech/articles/why-bids-get-disqualified).

### Fixed prices for years

You may be held to year-one prices in year four, unless the contract allows adjustments. Price it carefully: [how to price a multi-year contract](https://crewbid.tech/guides/price-multi-year-service-contract).

### Price competition

Open competition means more bidders, and many tenders go to the lowest compliant price. Margins can be thinner than on private work you get by referral.

### Slower decisions and payment processes

Tenders take weeks to evaluate. Invoices go through approvals. Cash flow needs planning: see [getting paid on public contracts](https://crewbid.tech/articles/getting-paid-public-contracts).

### Less flexibility

You can't renegotiate a public contract over coffee. Changes need paperwork, and scope is what the contract says.

## So what's the right mix?

It depends on your trade and your goals, but a pattern works for many small crews:

- **Public contracts for the base:** steady, multi-year work that covers your fixed costs and keeps a core crew employed all year. See [stacking seasonal contracts](https://crewbid.tech/articles/year-round-work-seasonal-contracts).
- **Private work for margin and flexibility:** commercial, strata, property management and residential clients where relationships and quality can earn a better price.

Starting with one or two public contracts close to home lets you learn the process without betting the business on it. CrewBid also lists requests from non-profits, housing providers and businesses that [post their work with us](https://crewbid.tech/post), which sit somewhere between the two.

## A question to ask yourself

Do you have, or can you build, the habits public work needs: reading documents carefully, keeping records, meeting deadlines to the minute? If yes, the steady work is well worth it. If not yet, start small, and use the [bid or no-bid checklist](https://crewbid.tech/guides/bid-or-no-bid) to choose your first one.

## Sources

- [Contract management (Government of Canada)](https://buyandsell.gc.ca/for-businesses/selling-to-the-government-of-canada/contract-management)
- [Legal basics of competitive bidding and procurement in Canada (AHBL)](https://www.ahbl.ca/legal-basics-of-competitive-bidding-and-procurement-in-canada/)