Bidding on City, County, and State Welding Work in Fargo, North Dakota

If you’re a solo welder (or a tiny shop) in the Fargo area, public work can be steady and worth chasing—but it’s slower, pickier, and less forgiving than private jobs. The welding itself usually isn’t the hard part. The hard part is following the packet exactly, hitting the deadline, and not getting bounced for something dumb.

TL;DR (start here)

• City of Fargo bids & procurement home: https://fargond.gov/work/bids-and-procurement (fargond.gov)
• City of Fargo “Bonfire” (supplies/services, some repair work): https://fargond.gov/work/bids-and-procurement/bonfire-vendor-registration (fargond.gov)
• City of Fargo construction bids (Engineering) are posted through Quest CDN: https://fargond.gov/work/bids-and-procurement/construction-bidding (fargond.gov)
• Fargo Public Schools bids/RFPs (also uses Bonfire for vendor registration and electronic submissions): https://www.fargo.k12.nd.us/departments/business-services/bids-rfps-and-major-contracts (fargo.k12.nd.us)
• North Dakota state procurement: bidding resources + NDBuys transition info: https://www.omb.nd.gov/doing-business-state/bidders/bidding-opportunities-and-resources (omb.nd.gov)
• Cass County Highway uses Bid Express for project bidding (not “BidX” for NDDOT): https://www.casscountynd.gov/Home/Components/RFP/RFP/171/126 (casscountynd.gov)
• Timelines: expect 2–6 weeks from posting to bid due date on many formal bids; 2–8 weeks after that for award; 30–90 days to get paid after invoicing (sometimes faster, often not).
• Odds: your first 3–5 bids might not land. A realistic goal is getting deemed “responsive” and learning the system without bleeding time.

Who actually wins these contracts (and what that means for a one-person welding outfit)

Most city/county/state awards go to vendors who already know the routine: they’re registered in the portal, they watch addenda like a hawk, they submit clean paperwork, and they price to what the agency is used to paying.

In Fargo, you’ll run into three buckets of competition:

First is the established local fabricators and mechanical contractors who can absorb the admin time. They win because they’re consistent and rarely screw up a submission.

Second is out-of-town vendors who bid wide and treat municipal work like a numbers game. They can be surprisingly sharp on price—especially for standard items or repeatable repair scopes.

Third is the “already in the building” vendors: the folks who’ve done small jobs for the fleet shop, parks, or a school facilities crew and became the default call. This isn’t always favoritism. It’s usually that they’ve proven they can handle onboarding, paperwork, and scheduling without drama.

As a first-timer, you’re fighting gravity. The agency isn’t hoping you win; they’re hoping the job gets done with minimal risk. Your job is to look low-risk on paper: clear bid, clean compliance, no weird carve-outs, no “we’ll figure it out later” language unless the packet explicitly allows it.

What agencies around Fargo actually hire welders for

Public agencies don’t typically hire a welder because they woke up wanting “some welding.” They hire because something that’s supposed to keep working broke, and they need it fixed in a way that won’t create liability later.

Common welding-adjacent scopes you’ll see (or can position yourself for) around Fargo-area agencies:

Maintenance welding and repairs are the steady lane: gates, railings, guards, brackets, hinges, bollards, bike racks, trailer repairs, and all the boring steel stuff that gets hit, bent, or vibrates loose. Parks departments and public works operations generate a lot of this kind of work.

Fleet and equipment support is another: city fleets and school transportation have constant metal repair needs—steps, mounts, light brackets, utility bodies, plow frames, and cracked supports.

Facilities work shows up in schools and municipal buildings: handrails, stair components, barrier posts, mezzanine repairs, protective cages, and occasional structural misc. steel.

Construction projects are where welding can appear as a subcontract scope: misc. metals, embeds, fabricated assemblies, temporary steel, and punch-list repairs. In Fargo, the City’s construction bidding is routed through Quest CDN for Engineering projects. (fargond.gov)

One important reality: the easiest public work for a small welding outfit is rarely the big formal construction bid. It’s the smaller “supplies/services” solicitations and the repeat maintenance needs that live in purchasing portals.

Timelines (the part that surprises private-sector welders)

Public work moves on calendar time, not “we need it by Friday” time.

Bid windows: shorter than you want, longer than you think

For many city and school solicitations, you’ll see bid windows around 2–4 weeks. Sometimes less. If a job has a site walk, questions deadline, and addenda, you don’t actually have the full window—your real time to price it cleanly can be a week.

For Fargo specifically, the City routes “supplies/materials/services” through Bonfire and construction bidding through Quest CDN. That split matters because each platform has its own steps and deadlines. (fargond.gov)

Award timing: “opening” is not “award”

A lot of first-time bidders think “bids open Tuesday” means “they pick a winner Tuesday.” Not usually. Openings are public and procedural. After that, someone checks responsiveness, references, insurance requirements, and whether you acknowledged addenda.

Plan on 2–8 weeks from bid opening to award depending on agency, complexity, and whether anyone protests or asks for clarifications.

Mobilization: you might be waiting on a purchase order

Even after award, some agencies won’t let you start until you have an executed contract and/or a purchase order in hand. If you start early and something goes sideways, you can end up in a payment fight you didn’t budget for.

Payment timing: assume slow, even when people are nice

Government AP departments can be perfectly polite and still take 30–90 days to pay, especially if your invoice gets kicked back for a missing PO number, wrong remit-to, incomplete backup, or you billed in a format they don’t accept.

If long payment timelines are going to squeeze your cash flow, this is where invoice financing can help. Toolbox lets you advance 80–90% against approved public invoices at competitive rates, so you can keep crews working and bids moving without waiting 30–90 days to get paid. (See if you qualify at https://apply.toolboxlending.com/)

Where bids are posted (Fargo-area portals that actually matter)

Most welders waste time because they “check the city website sometimes.” You want a repeatable routine: pick a few portals, register once, set notifications, and scan weekly.

Here are the portals you should know in and around Fargo:

• City of Fargo — Bids and Procurement (hub page): This is the starting point and tells you which portal the opportunity lives in. https://fargond.gov/work/bids-and-procurement (fargond.gov)
• City of Fargo — Bonfire (supplies, materials, services): This is where a lot of smaller purchasing solicitations live and where vendor registration is required for those opportunities. https://fargond.gov/work/bids-and-procurement/bonfire-vendor-registration (fargond.gov)
• City of Fargo Engineering — Quest CDN (construction): City construction bidding opportunities are routed through Quest CDN, and you’re expected to track addenda and updates. https://fargond.gov/work/bids-and-procurement/construction-bidding (fargond.gov)
• Fargo Public Schools — bids/RFPs + vendor registration via Bonfire: Schools buy a lot of facility-related services and maintenance, but they still want you in their process. https://www.fargo.k12.nd.us/departments/business-services/bids-rfps-and-major-contracts (fargo.k12.nd.us)
• Cass County (Highway projects) — Bid Express: Cass County Highway states Bid Express is their bidding site and notes fees per bid / subscription options. https://www.casscountynd.gov/Home/Components/RFP/RFP/171/126 (casscountynd.gov)
• State of North Dakota — OMB procurement / bidding resources (NDBuys transition): The state is transitioning solicitations and supplier registration to NDBuys (Ivalua), with some activity still in the legacy system during the transition. https://www.omb.nd.gov/doing-business-state/bidders/bidding-opportunities-and-resources (omb.nd.gov)

Cadence and typical job sizes (what you’ll actually see)

City and school portals refresh whenever departments post something—there isn’t one magic day—but in practice you’ll see bursts around budgeting cycles, planned maintenance seasons, and before big construction windows. For welding-specific work, a lot of the “good stuff” is smaller-dollar, quick-turn maintenance scopes that don’t always look like “welding” in the title. They might be “misc. metals,” “repairs,” “fabrication,” “gate/railing,” or “equipment maintenance.”

Construction portals (Quest CDN, Bid Express, NDDOT’s ecosystem) tend to be more seasonal and calendar-driven, and the documents are heavier. (fargond.gov)

Registration and paperwork realities (what trips up capable tradespeople)

Public procurement is a compliance game. If the packet says “submit X,” and you submit “close enough,” you can get rejected even if you’re the best welder in the county.

Portal registration isn’t optional

For the City of Fargo supplies/services opportunities, you’re expected to be registered in Bonfire; the City explicitly points new vendors there and notes Bonfire is free to use. (fargond.gov)
For construction, Fargo Engineering uses Quest CDN. (fargond.gov)

Don’t wait until the day bids are due to register. Registration can be instant or it can turn into a “why can’t I upload this file” problem at 12:40 p.m. when it closes at 1:00 p.m.

Commodity codes matter more than you’d think

Bonfire registration for Fargo calls out selecting UNSPSC commodity codes so you receive matched notices. If you pick the wrong ones (or too few), you won’t even see work you’d be perfect for. (fargond.gov)

Insurance, W-9, and “can you legally do business here”

Expect to provide a W-9, proof of insurance (COI), and sometimes specific endorsements or limits. Some agencies will require workers’ comp documentation even if you’re a one-person shop (or they’ll require you to sign an exemption/statement). Don’t argue with the form—either you can meet it, or you can’t.

Addenda acknowledgements are a silent killer

Construction-style solicitations often issue addenda. If you miss an addendum acknowledgement (or fail to incorporate a revised spec), you can be deemed non-responsive. Fargo’s construction bidding page explicitly puts the burden on bidders to check for addenda. (fargond.gov)

Bid bonds and performance bonds (sometimes)

For larger construction scopes, bonds can show up. Even if you’re “just the welder,” if you’re prime on a construction bid, you may be expected to bond. If you’re not set up for bonding, stay in the lanes where you can be a subcontractor or pursue smaller service solicitations that don’t require it.

Small business certifications and set-asides (what’s real in North Dakota)

North Dakota local/state solicitations won’t look like federal set-aside land (where everything is drenched in SBA categories), but there are still advantages if you get connected to the right support and learn how to position your firm.

One practical move: use the North Dakota APEX Accelerator resources referenced by the state’s bidding resources page. APEX counselors help businesses understand government contracting and systems—not just federal, but also state/local pathways. (omb.nd.gov)

If you’re veteran-owned, disadvantaged, or otherwise certifiable, it can help on certain solicitations—but in local municipal work, the bigger advantage is often simply being correctly registered, compliant, and known as responsive.

How agencies evaluate bids (high level, in plain English)

Agencies generally evaluate one of three ways:

Low bid, responsive, responsible is common on straightforward work. “Responsive” means you followed the instructions. “Responsible” means you appear capable (experience, capacity, insurance, no obvious red flags). If you’re low but sloppy on the paperwork, you can lose.

Best value / RFP scoring shows up when scope is squishy (on-call services, consulting-style work, or anything with qualifications). Price matters, but so does your write-up. If you hate writing, avoid these until you’ve got a template.

Quotes / smaller purchases can be less formal (depending on thresholds and policy), but don’t assume it’s casual. Many agencies still require specific quote formats, delivery terms, and insurance on file.

If you want one rule that holds: in public work, your bid is a document first and a price second. If your document doesn’t match the packet, your price doesn’t matter.

Common public-sector gotchas (Fargo-area flavor)

“Welding” isn’t always labeled as welding

You’ll miss opportunities if you only search for “weld.” Look for “miscellaneous metals,” “fabrication,” “repair,” “gate,” “handrail,” “bollard,” “guard,” “equipment repair,” “fleet,” and “maintenance services.”

Site visits can be mandatory—and they mean it

If the packet says mandatory pre-bid meeting or site walk, treat it like a gate. Miss it and you’re out, even if you’re the only bidder who can do the work cleanly.

Clarifications must go through the official channel

A lot of welders are used to calling the PM and hashing it out. Public agencies often require all questions submitted through the portal Q&A, by a certain deadline, and they publish answers to everyone. If you call someone directly, they may refuse to answer (or they’ll tell you to submit it properly).

Substitutions and “equals” can be a trap

If the spec calls for a particular product, thickness, coating, or standard, and you plan to substitute, you need to follow the substitution procedure (and do it early). Otherwise you’re risking rejection or a post-award fight.

Paperwork errors cost more than pricing errors

On private work, you can clean up a mistake with a phone call. On public bids, they often can’t let you fix missing forms after the deadline. A missing signature, failure to acknowledge an addendum, or forgetting an attachment can kill your bid.

You may be locked into unit prices longer than you like

Some solicitations set up on-call or term pricing. If you bid hourly shop rate or mobile rate, expect it to be held for the term unless there’s an escalation clause. Read the term carefully—especially if you’re quoting in a year when steel, fuel, or labor is moving around.

Realistic entry points for first-time bidders (how to get traction without wasting months)

Start where the documents are lighter

For a new bidder, the best first “win” is often a small supplies/services solicitation through a portal like Bonfire (City of Fargo uses it for supplies/materials/services). (fargond.gov)
These opportunities tend to have fewer engineering drawings, fewer bonding requirements, and a clearer submission checklist.

Bid to become “responsive” before you bid to become “cheap”

Your first goal is to submit a package that can’t be rejected on technicalities. Build a reusable checklist: forms, signatures, addenda acknowledgements, insurance, pricing sheet, and any required subcontractor lists.

Use construction portals for subcontract positioning

If you want to be a sub on bigger jobs, track Fargo Engineering construction postings (Quest CDN) and look at plan holders / primes. Those primes routinely need misc. metals and field fixes, and they prefer subs who can handle paperwork and scheduling. Fargo’s construction bidding resources live under the City’s construction bidding info. (fargond.gov)

Schools are a steady lane if you can handle scheduling and rules

Fargo Public Schools publishes bids/RFPs and directs new vendors to register through Bonfire. (fargo.k12.nd.us)
Schools can be good work, but expect tighter rules around background checks, working hours, and coordination to avoid disrupting students.

Treat every bid like you’re building a vendor file

Even when you lose, you’re building history: you’re registered, you’ve asked good questions in the portal, and your name looks familiar the next time an on-call maintenance solicitation comes around. In the public world, familiarity isn’t “buddy-buddy.” It’s “they know you don’t create admin fires.”

Don’t ignore counties and “unsexy” departments

Cass County Highway, for example, is explicit about using Bid Express for its projects and how bidding access works. (casscountynd.gov)
Highway work might not scream “welding,” but support scopes pop up—especially around equipment, gates, and small structural repairs associated with facilities and maintenance operations.

A workable weekly routine (so this doesn’t take over your life)

Pick one day a week—30 minutes. Log into the City of Fargo procurement hub and scan what’s newly posted. (fargond.gov) Check Fargo Public Schools postings. (fargo.k12.nd.us) If you’re chasing broader work, scan the state bidding resources page and whatever system it routes you into (NDBuys during the transition). (omb.nd.gov)

When you see something that looks close-but-not-perfect, open the documents anyway and search inside for “weld,” “steel,” “misc. metals,” “rail,” and “fabricate.” Half the time the title won’t tell you the truth.

Then decide fast: either you’re bidding, or you’re not. Public bidding punishes the “I’ll maybe get to it” approach because the deadline doesn’t care that you got pulled onto an emergency job Wednesday afternoon.