Prequalification FAQs

Prequalification is our way of getting to know your company before you bid on our work. We look at what you do, your license, your insurance, your safety record, and how your business is doing. Helot works with great people, and this helps us partner with the right subcontractors.

The good news: you only do it once a year. After that, you can bid on work at any of our offices without filling it out again.

Yes. If your company wants to bid on and do work for Helot, you need to prequalify once a year. You do not need to prequalify if you only do these kinds of work:

• Vendors and material suppliers
• Testing, adjusting, and balancing
• Engineering firms
• Architects, including landscape
• Environmental science
• Planning and surveying

If you've already prequalified, or you're in the middle of doing it, please don't start a new form. Just give us a call at (562) 760-0444 or email estimating@helotdevelopment.com, and we'll take care of you.

Once a year. After you prequalify, you're set to bid on work at all of our offices for the year, with no extra paperwork in between.

Not automatically. Prequalifying means you're approved to bid on our work. It's the first step to working together, but it doesn't promise you a certain job.

Along with the form, you'll send us some documents. Three are required to send the form. The rest are optional when you submit, which means you can attach them with the form or send them to us later.

Required:

• Your W-9 (the March 2024 version), with your full legal name, signed and dated within the last year
• Your insurance certificate (also called a COI), current and not expired
• Your contractor's license

Optional when you submit (still part of prequalification, so send them with the form or later):

• Your OSHA 300 and 300A forms for the last 3 years
• Your EMR letter for the last 3 years (a letter from your workers' comp company)
• A letter from your bonding company (your surety), dated within the last 30 days
• Your financial statements from your last fiscal year, plus recent monthly statements

Depending on your scope of work, some of these may not be required at all. Financial statements, for example, are not always needed. If you're not sure what applies to you, just call us and we'll let you know.

You can find links and example documents on the Subcontractor Prequalification page.

You'll need to attach three documents to send the form: your W-9, your insurance certificate, and your contractor's license.

You can attach the rest at the same time, or send them to us later by email at estimating@helotdevelopment.com or by phone at (562) 760-0444. If you have trouble attaching a file, just call us and we'll help.

That's okay, and it's a common question. Depending on your scope of work, financial statements are not always required, so they may not apply to you at all. If they do, call or email our Prequal team at estimating@helotdevelopment.com and we can set up one of these for you:

• We can sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (a written promise to keep your information private).
• Instead of full financial statements, we can take your CPA-prepared tax return (forms 1120, 1120S, or 1065, just the first 5 or 6 pages), along with a simple balance sheet and income statement for the same time period.

A few extra items help us understand how your business is doing:

• A WIP schedule (your list of jobs in progress)
• An accounts receivable aging summary (a report of money owed to you)
• A recent bank statement for your line of credit (within the last 30 days)

You're allowed to black out sensitive details, as explained on the prequalification page.

Yes. We only use what you send for prequalification, and we keep it private. If you'd like, we can also sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before you send your financial information. Just ask.

About 30 minutes. It goes faster if you have your documents ready before you start.

Yes. The form needs to be finished in one sitting, because it won't save your place if you stop. So before you start, gather your company information and your documents. Plan for about 30 minutes.

At the document step, you'll see a button (usually marked "Choose File" or "Browse") next to each item. Click it, find the file on your computer or phone, and pick it. The file name will show up next to the button when it's attached.

If your document is on paper, you can scan it, or take a clear photo with your phone and attach the photo.

If a file won't attach, or it's too big, don't worry. Email it to estimating@helotdevelopment.com instead, or call us at (562) 760-0444 and we'll help you.

Most common files work: PDFs, photos (JPG or PNG), Word documents, and Excel spreadsheets. If your file won't go through, email it to estimating@helotdevelopment.com and we'll take it that way.

Helot works in California, Nevada, and Arizona. On the form, you'll check off the counties your company works in, and the kinds of work (trades) you do. Just check the boxes that apply to you.

Our Estimating team looks over your form and documents. If we need anything else, we'll contact you using the phone number or email you gave us. Once you're prequalified, you're set to bid on our work for the year.

Someone from our team will reach out by phone or email, using the contact information you put on the form.

We're happy to help. Call Helot Estimating at (562) 760-0444 or email estimating@helotdevelopment.com. If you get stuck on the form or with attaching a document, give us a call and we'll walk you through it.