Unit Price vs. Lump Sum Bids: How DOTs Spot an Unbalanced Bid A unit price bid pays you your bid price for each measured unit of work actually performed, while a lump sum bid pays one fixed price for a defined scope. On unit price DOT work, the agency checks every line item against its engineer's estimate, looking for prices that are unbalanced. That second part is where good contractors get tripped up. You can submit the lowest total on bid day and still have your bid questi