How to bid ARDOT highway contracts

The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) advertises its construction jobs on the Currently Advertised Projects page, with a notice for each job that gives its purpose, county, length, completion terms and approximate quantities.

1. Get prequalified

Prime contractors complete ARDOT's Prequalification Questionnaire, available under Forms on the Construction Contractor Information page. The version in use since March 1, 2023 no longer accepts ACLB information in place of the requested documents.

2. Get a Bid Express digital ID

Since the Jan. 17, 2018 letting, ARDOT has accepted only internet bids submitted through Bid Express using AASHTOWare Project Bids software. ARDOT's contractor page says electronic bids must be received by 10 a.m. for the morning letting and by 1:30 p.m. for the afternoon letting.

3. Watch the advertisements and proposal holders

Our bids page reads ARDOT's advertised projects every day. ARDOT also posts proposal holder lists for each letting, which show which firms have requested a proposal; subcontractors and suppliers use them to find primes to quote.

4. File the bidders list

Under ARDOT Standard Specification 102.07, a prime must submit a bidders list for every project it bids before it is issued proposals for future lettings. Since the May 22, 2024 letting, federally funded jobs require extra detail on every subcontractor, trucker and supplier that quoted, whether or not the quote was used.

5. Protect your payment

Arkansas requires a payment bond in the full contract amount on public construction contracts over $50,000 (Ark. Code § 18-44-503). See Arkansas lien and bond deadlines.

Summary for general information, reviewed 2026-10-31. Not legal advice; check the source before relying on a deadline or threshold.