How to bid TxDOT construction contracts: prequalification, bidding capacity, iCX and the monthly letting

The Texas Department of Transportation is one of the largest construction buyers in the country, and it buys most of its highway work the same way it has since the Legislature set up the low-bid process in 1925: a public letting where sealed bids are opened and the apparent low bidder is named. Today TxDOT holds its statewide low-bid construction and maintenance letting in Austin on two consecutive days each month, and its 25 districts hold local lettings for smaller jobs. This guide explains how to get qualified to bid and how the process works.

The letting calendar

TxDOT publishes its letting dates for the current and next fiscal years. The remaining 2026 statewide lettings are November 3–4 and December 1–2, and the 2027 calendar starts with January 6–7. Each letting is streamed live, with the link posted ten minutes before the start. Local district lettings may also be held virtually, with details posted for each project.

Our Bids & Lettings table reads TxDOT's Project Information open dataset every day and lists each contract on the next statewide letting by county and work type.

Three levels of qualification

TxDOT must qualify a bidder before it will issue that firm a bid proposal. All three levels are renewed every year:

• Confidential Questionnaire (CQ). The level for most construction work. You submit an audited financial statement prepared by an independent CPA firm, less than a year old, with positive net working capital. A CQ firm can bid all highway construction, maintenance and materials projects within its bidding capacity.
• Bidder's Questionnaire (BQ). For projects where TxDOT waives the full requirements, typically smaller construction, routine maintenance, emergency and specialty work. The Notice to Contractors dashboard marks these projects "Waived." No financial statement is required, but capacity is limited to $1 million unless you submit a compiled or reviewed statement.
• Materials Supplier's Questionnaire (MQ). For suppliers bidding materials and traffic control and safety device contracts for TxDOT's own forces. No capacity is assigned.

Only one questionnaire is needed: a CQ firm can bid projects that require a lower level. Internally prepared financials are not accepted.

Bidding capacity

Bidding capacity is the most a contractor may have under contract with TxDOT at once. For CQ firms it is net working capital from the financial statement multiplied by a factor TxDOT sets. You can request proposals only for projects whose engineer's estimate fits within your capacity, less the TxDOT work you already have under contract. Approval runs one year from the balance sheet date, with a four-month grace period to prepare the next statement.

Timing and paperwork

• Prequalification packets must reach TxDOT at least ten days before the letting you want to bid. Review can take up to ten calendar days.
• Email submission is preferred. Don't send the same packet by email, upload and mail, which slows review.
• New contractors must include resumes of authorized signers.
• Limited partnerships, LLCs and corporations must be registered with the Texas Secretary of State and enrolled in E-Verify.
• Affiliated firms can't bid the same project, and affiliates must prequalify on the same balance sheet date.
• Some intelligent transportation systems (ITS) work needs a separate technical qualification.

Submitting a bid

Bids are submitted through iCX, TxDOT's electronic bidding system. TxDOT creates an administrator account for each new contractor once it is prequalified and emails the instructions. Item 2 of the Standard Specifications, "Instructions to Bidders," covers requesting and preparing bid documents. Informational proposals are posted in Plans Online.

Subcontractors and suppliers

Subcontractors do not need to prequalify with TxDOT. They do need Texas Secretary of State registration and E-Verify enrollment, and they work through the prime. Watch the letting list, find out which primes are pricing each contract, and send quotes early. Our county hubs list TxDOT-qualified bidders by county.

After the letting

TxDOT reads bids publicly and names the apparent low bidder, and it publishes bid tabulations on the Texas Open Data Portal. Those tabulations are the best free source of unit prices for estimating the next job.