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Insure it. Bid it. Bond it.

Light RFP is an insurance brokerage for the built environment, powered by a free AI-driven procurement platform.

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Trusted by industry leaders

  • New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)
  • JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle)
  • Blumenfeld Development Group (BDG)
  • Triple Five Group
  • Capital Development Partners
  • McKinney Properties
  • Terra Capital
  • The Georgetown Company

Everything the project needs, in one place.

Our brokerage places the insurance on both sides of the job. Every step of the RFP runs on one free platform: the scope, the bids, the questions and the award. When the job is awarded, the same brokerage places the bonds.

  1. INSURANCE

    Insure the crew, the job and the building.

    Our licensed brokerage, Light RFP Risk Management Services LLC, places the coverage on both sides of the job: the contractor’s, matched to what the RFP requires, and the owner’s, across the portfolio.

    • Contractors, insured to the specGeneral liability, commercial auto, tools and equipment, professional liability, umbrella, cyber and workers’ comp, matched to what each RFP requires.
    • Owners, covered across the portfolioProperty, general liability, umbrella, loss of rent and flood, plus builder’s risk while a project is under construction.

    Property insuranceContractor insurance

    Insurance, both sides
    An example job, covered on both sides. The crew: the RFP’s insurance requirements (general liability $1M / $2M, commercial auto $1M, workers’ comp statutory, umbrella $5M, example limits) are matched line by line with the contractor’s coverage. The job: builder’s risk covers the frame while it rises. The building: property, general liability, umbrella, loss of rent and flood. Everyone on the job, covered, by Light RFP Risk Management Services LLC, NY DFS License # PC-1978982.

  2. AI-ASSISTED

    Create professional RFPs in minutes.

    Let Light RFP handle the slowest part of the RFP process. Arfie, our AI assistant, speaks commercial real estate and construction.

    • From idea to draft in minutesDescribe the project in a sentence and AI returns a structured scope, timeline and budget. You review every line before it goes out.
    • Scopes contractors can priceArfie writes in the language of the trades, so bidders can price the job with fewer questions.

    For property managers

    Create an RFP with AI
    A one-sentence project description is typed: a new roof for a 120-unit building in Columbus, Ohio, about $400k, done by November. Arfie, the AI, drafts the RFP from it: title, budget, schedule, bid bond requirement and a scope of work, with bond-ready roofers to invite. The RFP is marked ready to send.

  3. MARKETPLACE

    Post or find projects across the country.

    Owners post RFPs and receive competitive bids. Contractors find public and private work nationwide, searchable by trade and location.

    • Nationwide reachProjects and contractors in all 50 states, found by trade and location.
    • Bond-ready vendorsA contractor’s free bid bond application doubles as prequalification, so you can invite vendors who are ready to be bonded.

    How contractors find work

    The marketplace
    Open RFPs appear across a map of the United States, each labeled by trade: painting, paving, roofing, HVAC, plumbing, landscaping. A filter for roofing near Columbus, Ohio dims the rest and the map zooms to a 100-mile ring around Columbus. One RFP opens: a roof replacement on a 120-unit multifamily building, budget $350k to $450k, free to bid, bid bond required at $0, posted by an owner.

  4. AI-POWERED

    Compare every bid on one sheet with AI bid leveling.

    Bids arrive as emails, PDFs and spreadsheets. AI reads each one and lines up scope, price, exclusions, warranty and insurance, so you compare total cost and risk, not just price.

    • Side by sideScope, materials, exclusions and price for every bid in one view.
    • Gaps flagged before you awardMissing scope, exclusions and insurance that falls short of the spec are marked on the sheet.

    See a job leveled

    AI bid leveling
    Four bids on a roof replacement arrive as an email, two PDFs and a spreadsheet. Arfie, the AI, lines them up on one sheet sorted by price: scope coverage, exclusions, warranty and insurance. It flags the two lowest bids, which leave out the flashing and the insulation and, in one case, the umbrella insurance. The best value is marked: Summit Exteriors at $365k, the lowest bid that covers the full scope, with a 20-year warranty and insurance to spec. All names and figures are illustrative.

  5. RFIs: BIDDER QUESTIONS

    Centralize communication to keep projects moving.

    Cut the back-and-forth of long email threads. Every vendor question lives in one thread, attached to the RFP.

    • One thread per RFPQuestions from every bidder collect in one place, so you answer each one once.
    • Everyone hears the answerWhen an answer changes the scope, every bidder is notified at the same time.

    How RFIs work

    RFIs, one thread
    Emailed questions from three bidders collect in one thread on the RFP. The owner answers once, the answer updates the scope, and it reaches all four bidders at the same moment.

  6. COLLABORATION

    Bring your project manager, asset manager and consultants onto the RFP.

    Bring colleagues and outside partners onto the RFP, each with the access they need.

    • Access by roleGive your project manager edit access, your asset manager view access and an outside consultant edit access on the same RFP.
    • Alerts for the whole teamEvery spec change and every RFI answer reaches everyone on the RFP at once.

    For developersFor property managers

    Your team, on the RFP
    The owner's project manager, asset manager and an outside consultant join the RFP, each with edit or view access. The consultant changes the spec, and everyone else on the team is notified.

  7. SURETY

    Protect the award with a surety bond.

    Bid bonds are free in every state we serve. When the job is awarded, the winning contractor’s performance and payment bonds are a flat 3% of the contract value, from A-rated carriers. If the contractor defaults, the performance bond pays to finish the job, up to the bond amount. If a sub or supplier goes unpaid, they can claim on the payment bond instead of looking to you.

    • Free bid bondsLight RFP earns a commission from the carrier on the performance and payment bonds when you win, and the bid bond application doubles as prequalification.
    • Why owners require bondsNearly 1 in 10 construction businesses closes each year (per BLS Business Employment Dynamics). If your contractor closes mid-job, the performance bond pays to finish it, up to the bond amount.

    How our bonds work

    Bonds, bid to award
    An example job, from bid to award. On bid day the bid bond is issued for $0. When the job is awarded, the crane brings in the performance and payment bonds, each for 100% of the contract, at a flat 3% from A-rated carriers: the performance bond pays to finish the job if the vendor defaults, the payment bond pays the subs and suppliers. The job is stamped 100% bonded.

Pricing

Two sides of the same street.

Both sides use the same platform, free. Our brokerage places the bonds and insurance the job calls for.

Owners & Operators

Run the RFP.
Protect the property.

Freeto post an RFP and level the bids

  • AI drafts the RFP in minutes, for you to review and send
  • Every bid on one sheet, with insurance gaps flagged
  • Bidder questions in one thread per RFP

Through our brokerage

Property & liability insuranceProperty, liability, umbrella, flood and loss of rent
By quote
Builder’s riskWhile a project is under construction
By quote
Performance & payment bondsRequired of the winner, bought by the contractor
Contractor pays
Get a quotePost an RFP free

Commercial Contractors

Win the work.
Get bonded and insured.

Freeto find and bid on RFPs, with no paywall

  • Public and private RFPs by trade and location
  • Answers that change the scope reach every bidder at once
  • A bid bond application that doubles as prequalification

Through our brokerage

Bid bondsIn every state we serve
Free
Performance & payment bondsOf the contract value, from A-rated carriers
Flat 3%
General liability and the restMatched to the bid spec
By quote
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Our licensed brokerage, Light RFP Risk Management Services LLC, places every bond and policy. Light RFP earns a commission from the carrier on all policies.

Common questions.

Every answer, with search
What does Light RFP cost?

Posting an RFP is free for owners, and finding and bidding on work is free for contractors, and so are bid bonds in every state we serve. When a job calls for performance and payment bonds, the winner buys them through Light RFP: a flat 3% of the contract value, both bonds together. Light RFP earns a commission from the carrier on all policies and bonds it places. In select cases, the poster pays a SaaS fee to pay vendors by ACH.

Is it free to find and bid on work?

Yes. Searching RFPs and bidding cost nothing, and there is no paywall. When a job needs a bid bond, that is free too.

Browse open RFPs by trade and location.

How do I get paid for the work?

On the platform. Owners pay vendors by ACH through Light RFP, on the same record as the job, so you are not chasing a check.

How do free bid bonds actually work?

Bid bonds are free in every state we serve. When you win, the performance and payment bonds for the awarded job are a flat 3% of the contract value, both bonds together, from A-rated carriers, and Light RFP earns a commission from the carrier on them. Your bid bond application also prequalifies you for those bonds.

I’m an owner. Why do vendor bonds matter to me?

Because nearly 1 in 10 construction businesses closes each year (per BLS Business Employment Dynamics). If the contractor defaults, the performance bond pays to finish the job, up to the bond amount. If a sub or supplier goes unpaid, they can claim on the payment bond instead of looking to you.

How does AI bid leveling work?

AI reads every bid and builds your leveling sheet (scope coverage, pricing, exclusions, warranties, insurance and more), so you can spot red flags before the work begins. Compare bids side by side instead of decoding different formats and filling out spreadsheets.

Where do the vendors come from?

From contractors and vendors on Light RFP, found by trade and area. A contractor’s free bid bond application doubles as prequalification, so you can invite vendors who are ready to be bonded. You can also invite your own vendors by email; they bid in the same place and are leveled the same way.

Who am I contracting with on a project?

The other side of the job. Contracts are directly between the owner and the vendor. Light RFP runs the platform and places bonds and insurance; it is not a party to the construction contract.

What insurance can contractors get?

General liability, commercial auto, tools and equipment, builder’s risk, professional liability, umbrella, cyber and workers’ comp.

See contractor insurance.

What insurance can owners get?

Property, general liability, umbrella, builder’s risk, loss of rent and flood, across the whole portfolio. Builder’s risk covers a project while it is under construction.

See property insurance and builder’s risk.

Who backs the bonds?

Bonds are placed through Propeller Bonds, a managing general agency (an agency that underwrites and issues bonds on the carriers’ behalf) licensed in all 50 states, and written by A‑rated carriers.

Is Light RFP licensed?

Yes. Light RFP Risk Management Services LLC holds New York DFS License # PC-1978982. Surety bonds are provided nationwide through our partner Propeller Bonds, a managing general agency (an agency that underwrites and issues bonds on the carriers’ behalf) licensed in all 50 states.

Browse surety bonds by type and by state.

Contract bonds for construction, plus the license, permit, notary and fidelity bonds other businesses need, state by state. Bid bonds are free in every state we serve. Performance and payment bonds are a flat 3% of the contract value, from A-rated carriers.

By type

By state

Browse every bond

Federal · Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · District of Columbia · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · Wisconsin · Wyoming

Start with a quote.

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Hiring for a project? Post an RFP freeRather talk it through? Schedule a call