How to win painting contracts in BC
Who buys painting in BC, how public painting specs work, how to price a repaint by area or by door, and what wins school and civic painting tenders.
Short answer
BC school districts, municipalities, housing providers and health authorities tender interior and exterior repaints every year, mostly in spring for summer work. Specifications often name Master Painters Institute systems for each surface. Price from measured areas and counts, allow for preparation and access, and show references, a safety plan for ladders and lifts, and clean, low-odour products.
Public buildings get repainted on a cycle. School districts work through classrooms and hallways every summer, municipalities repaint rec centres and fire halls, and housing providers repaint units as tenants move out. That makes painting one of the steadiest ways for a small crew to build public references.
Who buys painting in BC?
- School districts, the biggest buyers, for summer interior work and exterior repaints.
- Municipalities and regional districts, for civic buildings, pools, arenas and park structures.
- Housing providers, for unit turnovers and building exteriors through the year.
- Health authorities and federal buyers, for clinics, offices and residences.
What does a painting specification ask for?
Public painting specs list the rooms or elevations, each surface and its material, the number of coats, the colours and the products. Many follow the Master Painters Institute (MPI) standards, naming an MPI system for each surface. Some require an inspection by an MPI-accredited inspector, at your cost or the buyer's.
Read three things closely:
- Preparation. Patching, sanding, cleaning and priming are often most of the labour. Check what counts as normal prep and what is extra.
- Hazardous materials. Older buildings may have lead paint or asbestos in fillers. If there's a hazardous materials report, your prep method has to follow it.
- Occupied buildings. Schools in session, clinics and housing limit hours, smells and where you can store materials.
How do I price a public painting job?
Measure, then build the price from areas and counts:
- Wall and ceiling areas by surface type, in square metres.
- Counts of doors and frames, railings, columns and other items priced each.
- Preparation by surface condition, from the site visit.
- Access: ladders, scaffolds or lifts, and how long you'll need them.
- Products at the specified system and number of coats.
Many tenders also ask for unit rates for extra areas. Price them honestly: buyers notice rates that don't match your lump sum.
What wins painting contracts?
- Clean, finished work on schedule, shown by references from similar buildings.
- A plan for occupied spaces: hours, odour control, protection of floors and furniture, and daily clean-up.
- Safety for ladders and lifts. Fall protection rules apply when a worker could fall 3 m or more. Show your plan and training.
- The right paperwork: WorkSafeBC registration and clearance, insurance, safety data sheets, and criminal record checks for school work.
When do painting tenders come out?
Most come out from February to May. School districts want interior work done in July and August, and exterior work needs a run of dry weather, so buyers tender early to book crews. Housing providers tender unit repaints all year as tenants move out, often on a standing offer with set prices per room or per unit. If you're new to public work, a housing provider's turnover list is a good first contract: the jobs are small, steady and close together.
Where to go next
Read how to read a tender for long specifications, and unit rates and estimated quantities for pricing extras.
What to do next
Sources
Rules and forms change. Check the official page before you rely on a detail here.