Research · Issue 02 · November 5, 2026
Who loses public sign, striping and signal contracts, and by how much
A look at 951 losing bids on road sign, pavement marking and traffic signal jobs across 38 states since January 2024.
By Rayan · ConnectPros Research
TL;DR
- 951 losing bids from 937 companies on public sign, striping and signal jobs, January 2024 to October 2026, totalling $2.0 billion in bids that did not win (state DOT, city and county bid results).
- The median losing bid was 20% above the winning price.
- 129 of 944 losing bids came within 5% of the winner. Those firms priced the job correctly and still went home empty.
- Most of this work repeats every year. A firm that lost one town’s contract is usually ready for the next town buying the same work.
1. Losing bids by state
| State | Losing bids | Value of losing bids | Median gap to winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 154 | $293.4M | 21% |
| California | 117 | $302.0M | 23% |
| Florida | 99 | $264.2M | 25% |
| Illinois | 54 | $110.7M | 19% |
| New York | 42 | $322.2M | 25% |
| Pennsylvania | 41 | $108.9M | 19% |
| North Carolina | 39 | $45.6M | 25% |
| Ohio | 37 | $33.9M | 11% |
| Virginia | 34 | $79.2M | 27% |
| Indiana | 29 | $60.9M | 12% |
| Oregon | 28 | $38.6M | 20% |
| Missouri | 26 | $21.2M | 19% |
Source: published bid tabulations from state departments of transportation and 37 city and county agencies, read October 26, 2026. A losing bid is a priced bid on a job awarded to another firm.
2. What a close loss tells you
A bid within a few percent of the winner is not a weak firm. It is a firm with the crew, the bonding and the pricing to do the work, that simply did not get this one.
A close loss is a qualified firm with open capacity.
For a town with a sign or signal job coming up, those firms are the ones worth hearing from. For the firms, the next open job matters more than the last one.
Method
Each row is one priced, losing bid on a named public job. Gaps compare the losing bid to the accepted bid on the same job. Data is refreshed as agencies publish results; this issue reflects bid results read October 26, 2026.
Rayan, ConnectPros. rayan@connectprosgroup.com