Commercial painting bids can differ by thousands of dollars for what looks like the same job, and the gap is almost always in the work nobody sees. Surface prep, pressure washing, caulking, primer selection, and moisture testing take up most of a painting crew's time, but a lot of bids simply list a square footage and a coat count.
Any building built before 1978 adds a real legal requirement. A contractor disturbing more than a small area of old paint on that kind of building must be certified under the EPA's Lead-Safe Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule. We record whether a company states that certification in public, because a property manager working on an older building needs to know before signing, not after a violation.
Warranty language is the second gap. A two-year warranty on labor and a ten-year warranty on a specific paint manufacturer's product are different promises wearing the same word. We record what a company's warranty actually covers and for how long, where that information is published.
We also note whether a contractor carries general liability and workers compensation coverage sized for commercial work, since a painting crew working at height on an occupied building is exactly the kind of job where that coverage matters.