Build a Material Price Index From Your Own Invoices
How to build a material price index from invoices you already have: pick the basket, set a base month, weight it by real spend, and read what it tells you.
By Jordan11 min read
Jordan
Price Creep Analysis
Jordan tracks unit-price movement per SKU at CheckMySupply, showing how the same part drifts upward across months without any notice.
National Material Price Index vs Your Local Pricing
A national material price index tells you where the market moved, not what your branch charged you. Here is why local pricing diverges, and how to check.
By Jordan11 min read
Construction Input Costs vs Bid Prices: 8.4% vs 3.5%
Construction input costs rose 8.4% year over year while bid prices rose 3.5%. Here is where that 4.9-point gap lands, and what you can still do about it.
By Jordan10 min read
ENR Construction Cost Index Explained for Contractors
The ENR Construction Cost Index explained: what a blended index can settle in a contract, what it misses on your materials, and when to name a BLS PPI.
By Jordan12 min read
AGC Construction Inflation Data: How to Use It in a Bid
What AGC's construction inflation data on materials actually says each month, which figures belong in your bid, and how to use them as an escalation exhibit.
By Jordan10 min read
Construction Material Price Index Tracking, by Trade
Construction material price index tracking, series by series: the exact free BLS indexes for copper wire, plastic pipe, steel, ductwork and HVAC gear, with links.
By Jordan12 min read
Reading the Producer Price Index for Construction Materials
The producer price index for construction materials is free, monthly, and usable in ten minutes. Here is how to pull a series, read it, and not misuse it.
By Jordan10 min read
How to Benchmark Material Costs as a Contractor
Am I being treated badly on price? How to benchmark material costs as a contractor with your own invoice history, free BLS index data, and a second quote.
By Jordan10 min read
Supplier Raised a Price Without Notice: What to Do Now
Your supplier raised a price without notice. What to do next: confirm it off your own invoices, script the counter conversation, and ask for the credit.
By Jordan11 min read
Material Cost Increase Impact on Contractor Profit: The Math
The material cost increase impact on contractor profit, in dollars: what 6% annual price drift costs a shop buying $40K a month, and what you get back.
By Jordan9 min read
Same Company, Different Prices: Supply House Branches
One supply house, different prices at the same company for the same SKU. Here is why branch pricing splits, how to prove it, and how to get one rate loaded.
By Jordan9 min read
Electrical Supply House Price Increase: 5 Places It Hides
An electrical supply house price increase rarely lands on the big-ticket line. Here are the five line items where it actually hides on your monthly invoice.
By Jordan9 min read
Why Did Material Prices Go Up? Supplier Creep or Market
Why did material prices go up at your supplier? Part of it is a real market move and part of it is drift. Four tests that tell you which one hit your invoice.
By Jordan10 min read
Supply House Credit Request Time Limit: The 90-Day Rule
There is no published supply house credit request time limit for billing errors, but the clocks are real. Why fresh invoices get credited and old ones do not.
By Jordan9 min read
How to Track Material Price History From Your Invoices
The spreadsheet method to track material price history as a contractor: which columns to build from twelve months of supply-house invoices, and how to use it.
By Jordan13 min read
Material Price Creep: What It Is and How to Spot It
Same part, same supplier, higher price every month, and no phone call. What material price creep is, why nobody flags it, and how to find it on your invoices.
By Jordan12 min read