Control Material Costs: A 30-Day Plan for Contractors
A dated 30-day plan to control material costs: pull your price history, set PO and matching rules, and walk into the supplier conversation with receipts.
By Emily10 min read
Tag
benchmarking
26 articles tagged benchmarking from the CheckMySupply invoice audit desk.
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
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
HVAC Equipment Price Seasonal Increase: April vs July
The HVAC equipment price seasonal increase is real, but the factory index barely moves April to July. Here is where the summer premium actually gets added.
By Reena10 min read
PVC Pipe Price Increase: What a Contractor Can Verify
A PVC pipe price increase hits contractors every quarter and the reason given is always resin. Here is what you can actually verify, and what you cannot.
By Reena10 min read
PEX vs Copper Cost Comparison for Contractors, 2026
A PEX vs copper cost comparison contractors can actually use: what the BLS producer price series show in 2026, and how to price both off your own invoices.
By Reena9 min read
Copper Fitting Price Increase: What a Plumber Can Check
A copper fitting price increase tracks the copper market more tightly than anything else you buy. Here is the mechanism, the index, and how to check yours.
By Reena10 min read
Conduit Price Increase: What Drives EMT, Rigid, and PVC
A conduit price increase starts with steel, aluminum, or PVC resin, not your rep. Here is what moves EMT, rigid, and PVC pricing, and how to check yours.
By Reena10 min read
Wire Price Increases: Romex, THHN and MC Cable Ranked
A wire price increase hits every electrical contractor differently. Romex, THHN and MC cable move at different speeds. Here is the 2026 ranking, and why.
By Reena10 min read
How Copper Prices Move Wire Prices at Your Supply House
The copper price effect on wire prices every contractor feels: how a move at the mill reaches your counter price, why it lags, and what the BLS data shows.
By Reena9 min read
The Contractor's Guide to Trade Material Costs in 2026
A trade material costs guide for contractors: what BLS index data says about electrical, plumbing and HVAC material in 2026, and which lines to watch.
By Reena11 min read
Which Index to Use in a Construction Escalation Clause
Which index to use in an escalation clause for construction: name the BLS series that matches your actual material exposure, not a broad construction average.
By Emily11 min read
How to Bid Using Historical Material Costs, Not Catalogs
Bid using historical material costs from your own invoices instead of catalog prices. Here is how to build the unit-cost table, escalate it, and check it.
By Emily10 min read
Live Material Pricing Estimating Software vs Your Invoices
Live material pricing estimating software prices your bid off a catalog feed your distributor runs. Your own invoices show what you actually pay. Use both.
By Emily10 min read
How Long Should a Construction Bid Be Valid?
How long should a construction bid be valid when copper is moving? No rule sets it, your bid letter does. How to pick the window and what each week costs.
By Emily10 min read
Estimating Material Costs Under Price Volatility
Estimating material costs during price volatility is a system, not a bigger contingency. Date-stamped quotes, your own purchase history, and a closed loop.
By Emily11 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
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
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