As petroleum prices rapidly drive up material costs, roofers don't know how much expenses will change between bidding and building.

But when contractors add a healthy buffer to their price to safeguard against shortfalls, they run the risk of being under-bid by the competition, said Richard Lemirande, president of Northern Metal & Roofing Co. Inc., Green Bay. At the rate prices are escalating, contractors run the risk of locking themselves into a bid that's too low to cover costs, he said.

"When you get into a hard-bid situation," Lemirande said, "that's when it becomes much more difficult."

Material prices for industrial and commercial projects are climbing faster than Don Leitel has seen ...

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