Pricing early work items higher than their actual cost in a bid to receive more money early in the project.
Front-end loading is the practice of over-pricing early project phases in a bid — such as mobilization or earthwork — to improve early cash flow for the contractor. While common on unit-price contracts, excessive front-end loading can be considered unbalanced bidding and may be grounds for bid rejection on public projects. Owners review unit prices carefully to detect this practice.
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